Franc Smrekar, Pavel Strojinc, Janče, Lepa Draga

On the monument there is a metal plate with a relief inscription. It stands at the place where two partisans fell on February 1945. It was erected at the end of the 1970s.

EŠD 22855

On the day of the uprising of the Slovenian people — 22 July — the hunting family of Laze discovered in Gostinci, on the hill above Lepa Drago, a memorial stone in memory of the fallen fighters Pavle STROJINCU and Franc SMREKARJU, who fell in one of the last battles in the area of Janč on 16 February 1945. Pavle Strojinc, from Zadvor, had already participated in the national liberation movement since 1941 and was already a member of the district committee of the KPS and the district committee of the OF Dobrunje in 1942. In the autumn of 1942 he was interned in Italy, from where he returned after the capitulation of Italy and joined the NOV. He was an activist for the Dobrunje district and constantly crossed the border and led the national liberation movement in the eastern part of our municipality — despite the conditions being extremely difficult due to the white guard detachments. In his work he was fearless and extremely dedicated. He fell as the secretary of the district and member of the local committee of the KPS.     Also Franc Smrekar, from Podlipoglav, participated in the NOB since 1941. He was a partisan of the II group of detachments and participated in all their battles. After the capitulation of Italy he became a courier and was a member of the well-known courier station TV-2, which maintained the connection between Lower Styria, Styria and Ljubljana under very difficult conditions. The hunting family of Laze, with the help of the association of fighters and the municipal assembly, erected it just above the town, in the middle of the janška woods, where both heroes fell in the last battle in the high snow, just before liberation, a beautiful memorial stone, which will tell and remind for a long time of the devoted and good comrades — fighters. Many people attended the unveiling and we are convinced that the memorial will also not be neglected in the future.

(Author not mentioned, Unveiling of the memorial stone for the fallen fighters, Naša skupnost, Glasilo SZDL Ljubljana Moste-Polje, XI. year, no. 9, September 1970, front page) Electronic source: Naša skupnost, Glasilo SZDL Ljubljana Moste-Polje, Year XI, no. 9. September 1970, front page Access: 12. 5. 2024