Arihova Peč

On the 65th anniversary of victory over Nazism, in May 2010, the partisan bunker (on the plaque at the front it says wooden shelter) under Arihova pečja was restored according to the preserved drawing and information by partisan Bodgan Mohor – Ston. On it, there is an information board with a bilingual description of the events here. The bunker stands on the place where it originally stood.

In the immediate vicinity, the locals have placed a simple wooden cross with two inscriptions: "Victim, 1945." The Association of Carinthian Partisans in 1986 attached a memorial plaque with the names of fallen partisans to the wall of Arihova pečja above the bunker.

The wooden bunker under Arihova pečja was during World War II the headquarters of the Local Committee of the Liberation Front for Beljak and provided shelter for up to 20 partisans. When the German police and "volksturm" attacked the bunker in the early morning hours of February 10, 1945, after a betrayal, eight partisans (4 women, 4 men) fell in the ambush. Only three managed to escape. In order to scare the population, the bodies of the fallen partisans were thrown along the road near Šentpetru, dismembered, and then buried in Dravljah on the banks of the Drava. Only after the war were they exhumed and placed in a common grave on the Šentjakobsko cemetery.

In memory of the ambush under Arihova pečja, the Slovenian Sports Association, the Slovenian Alpine Association Celovec, and the Slovenian Educational Association Rož organize a commemorative hike every year on the first Sunday in March.

The official opening of the bunker took place on May 8, 2010, and it is maintained by the Association of Carinthian Partisans.

In an unequal battle with Gestapo agents, German police, and Hitler's "volksšturm"—among them were many locals with high Nazi positions—in the early morning hours of February 10, 1945, on the "Ravenci" under Arihova pečja, eight partisans and partizan women lost their lives. These were: Mila Kmet – Andreja, Franja Markelj – Breda, Cirila Kržišnik – Tona, Marija Živalič – Mira, Ivan Kordež – Ivan, Ivan Bohinc – Džon, Franc Bogataj – Rok, and, a day later, only 16-year-old courier Rudi Hribernik. The survivors were: Bogdan Mohor – Ston, Drago Druškovič – Dragec, Jože Košir – Jože, and Ludvik Primožič – Milan.

The partisan memorial on the Šentjakobsko cemetery, the memorial plaque on the hut of the Slovenian Alpine Association on Bleščeča, the memorial plaque on Arihova pečja, and the modest cross and restored bunker at the site of the tragedy warn us not to forget the greatness of the fighters who paid the price for freedom with their lives. (Janko Malle in Kladivu 1979)

Pearls ..

75th anniversary of the tragedy under Arihova pečja

Islands. Arihova peč (Bleščeča planina)