Slovenska vojna partizanska bolnica Pavla
The Slovenska vojna partizanska bolnica Pavla was a field hospital that operated from 1943 to 1945 across multiple locations within the Trnovski gozd forest. The facility consisted of several barrack complexes and smaller outposts strategically placed in remote, difficult-to-access areas to protect the wounded from enemy detection and could accommodate over 150 patients at once.
The facility was established in autumn 1943 following Italy's surrender, when the region faced increased threat from German occupation forces advancing into the forest. From its opening through May 1945 liberation, it treated more than 930 wounded fighters and 758 patients in recovery stations, though 51 combatants died from their injuries or illness while receiving care.
The hospital takes its name from Dr. Pavla Jerina-Lah, who led it from January 1944 until the war ended. The site became a symbol of community solidarity, as local people helped construct and maintain the facility while risking their own safety.
The site is today accessible to visitors exploring the Trnovski gozd forest area and requires sturdy footwear and water supplies for walks through uneven terrain. Memorial markers at Krekovše and Mrzla Rupa villages serve as orientation points to help locate and understand where the hospital's various sections once stood.
In July 1944, a new hospital facility was built above Hudim Poljem at over 1000 meters elevation and equipped with nine barracks plus its own small power plant for electricity. This high mountain station showed the partisans' determination to care for the wounded even in extremely remote and difficult terrain.
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