Franja Partisan Hospital

A view of the reconstructed barracs of the Franja Partisan Hospital in May 2010.

The Franja Partisan Hospital at Dolenji Novaki near Cerkno is a cluster of functionally-arranged Partisan hospital facilities located in the narrow, barely accessible Pasice Gorge, which is itself a natural attraction. The hospital complex comprises 14 wooden buildings and several small auxiliary facilities which were gradually set up in the period from December 1943 to May 1945.

The hospital was among the best-equipped clandestine Partisan hospitals, featuring an operating room, an X-ray apparatus, a care facility for the disabled, and a small electric plant. Most of the equipment was preserved in situ until the flood in 2007. A complete renovation was finished in May 2010. The hospital is administered by Idrija Municipal Museum.

Franja has received the renowned European Heritage Label presented by the Committee for European Heritage and is also on the Tentative List of candidates for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Razstava Partizanska bolnica Franja - skriti dragulj Evrope  / Exhibition Franja Partisan Hospital by Mestni muzej Idrija /Municipal Museum Idrija on YouTube

Background

The Slovene military Partisan Hospital Franja was one of many field hospitals that operated in Slovenia during the Second World War, forming part of the widely organized resistance movement against fascist and Nazi occupying forces. The successful operation of these hospitals depended heavily on the enormous support of those who cared for the wounded, often risking their own lives.

The hospital is named after the Partisan doctor in charge, Franja Bojc Bidovec (1913–1985). It was among the best-equipped clandestine hospitals, with an operating room, an X-ray apparatus, an invalid care facility, and a small electric plant. Most of the equipment was preserved in situ until the flood in 2007.

The operating room at the Franja Partisan Hospital. A precise reconstruction of the original interior that was devastated by huge floods in 2007.

The hospital had a capacity of up to 120 patients and provided treatment for a total of 578 severely wounded individuals. According to archival records, approximately 877 wounded soldiers of various nationalities were treated at Franja and its dislocated units, alongside Slovenes and citizens of Yugoslav nations, including Italians, French, Poles, people from the Soviet Union, Americans, and two Austrians. One patient, a captured German soldier, was kept as part of the hospital staff after his recovery until the end of the war. During the hospital's operation, 78 patients died.

Conspiracy and security were crucial for all clandestine Partisan hospitals, as they lacked effective defense mechanisms if discovered. Most of the route to the hospital ran along a stream flowing through the gorge. The wounded were blindfolded and carried to the hospital by staff, most often at night. In selecting its location, consideration was also given to adequate self-defense through minefields and machine-gun nests; thus, the hospital was accessible only by footbridges and a drawbridge hidden in the steep Pasice Gorge. Several fortified bunkers and natural caves, which served as hiding places for the wounded, are still preserved in the steep canyons above the stream. Although enemy forces launched several searches for the hospital, it was never discovered.

Franja Partisan Hospital, old photo of the entrance

Mission

The Franja Partisan Hospital is a precious reminder of humanity and comradeship, symbolizing international unity and resistance during one of mankind's most challenging periods. It represents virtues that are essential for present and future relations between nations and countries worldwide.

Reconstruction after the catastrophic flood in 2007

Huge floods devastated the Franja Partisan Hospital on 18 September 2007, making the entrance to Pasice Gorge inaccessible and resulting in the cancellation of all visits. By May 2010, the hospital was entirely rebuilt to replicate the original.

SVPB Franja - reconstruction by Matjaz Mrak on Vimeo

Approximately 800 original specimens were exhibited in the Franja Partisan Hospital. Around 225 items remained undamaged; others were only partially preserved or completely destroyed. Idrija Municipal Museum developed a plan for the future exhibition setup in the reconstructed monument. This plan served as a basis for collecting and keeping records of the items and for making replicas to substitute for the originals. The reconstruction project, funded by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, represented a special challenge due to the significant loss of material heritage, while its messages remain alive and relevant.

External Links

Franja Partisan Hospital on Idrija Municipal Museum website
The video on reconstruction of the Franja Partisan Hospital
The EC EU recommendations for the European Heritage Label
The list of the EHL sites
Franja Partisan Hospital on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list
Franja Partisan Hospital on Wikipedia
A stamp featuring Franja - issued by the Post of Slovenia to mark the 60th anniversary of Franja Hospital in 2003

Gallery

A view of the reconstructed barracs of the Franja Partisan Hospital in May 2010

The exterior view of the Franja Partisan Hospital

The interior of the doctors' room at the Franja Partisan Hospital, one of the many field hospitals that operated in Slovenia during the Second World War, named after doctor in charge Franja Bojc Bidovec

The operating room at the Franja Partisan Hospital. A precise reconstruction of the original interior that was devastated by huge floods in 2007.

The reopening of the Franja Partisan Hospital in May 2010, reconstructed after a catastrophic flood in 2007 that caused extensive damage and made the steep Pasice Gorge impassable