Bolnica Š Stol II, Žontarica, Jelovica

Hospital "Š Stol" on Žontarica near Ribenska Planina on Jelovica was located in a densely overgrown area, which was also very secluded from Ribenska Planina, roughly 30 minutes away, among many of the many furnaces located in this area.

There were three objects, namely: the hospital barrack, the operating barrack, and the kitchen. All objects were covered with planks. The hospital barrack was a two-roofed structure, and the roofs reached very low near the ground, while the remaining two objects were single-roofed. The walls of these objects were made of planks, thinner fir beams, and partly also of chestnut wood (linden). The main beams were 30–35, even 4,0 cm thick. On the roofs of these objects, which were covered with fir branches, were stretched over the entire roof fir beams with holes drilled into them, and in these holes small fir branches of 1–1.50 m in size and very sparse were inserted, so that if you happened to come across the hospital, it was not visible from above.

This hospital began construction on 29.6.1944 and was completed on 15.7.1944. On that day, 15.7.1944, the hospital was already able to accept the first wounded. In reality, however, it only started accepting the first wounded in the autumn of that year. The capacity for receiving wounded was about 20, with a maximum of 15 wounded, and in total, about 60 wounded passed through the hospital.

This hospital Š Stol had a close connection with another hospital, which was located under Pečano - Ratitoyec. In that hospital, the partisan doctor Dr. Žemva was located, who would come to Š Stol when needed. In the hospital Š Stol, there was only a medical assistant, tov. Štangel Branko - Peter, and no heavier operations were performed.

In this hospital, the wounded or patients from various units of the Jelovški territory sought refuge. Some of the patients were known, namely: Perc Stane, Perc Mira, both from Radovljica, Torkar Franc from Sela pri Bledu, Mihelač Franc from Sela, and Strgar Tone and Ivan from Kupljenik. … etc.

The hospital staff consisted of: Štangel Branko-Peter, medical assistant as hospital administrator, Fister Franc from Brd as political delegate, Ažman Miloš or Ivan from Brd near Lancov as informant, Pretnar Jakob from Radovljica as cook, Štiherl Gabrijel from Lipnice as quartermaster, some Miha from Gorij, and Toman Gabrijel from Sela pri Bled, Šturm Janez from Dražgoš, and Rešek Janez from Dolenjska, who were the carriers of the wounded.

This hospital existed until the end of the war. Interestingly, the hospital continued to operate smoothly for a week after the liberation, and they did not even know that the war had ended. The reason for this was that the informant Miloš had fallen, and no one came to inform them that the war had actually ended and that they would have to move down to the valley. From there, the hospital moved to Hotel Toplice on Bled, or rather to Park Hotel on 15.5.1945.

There is a plaque on Kupljenik in memory of this hospital https://partizanstvo.si/sl/zemljevid/?zoom=15&lat=46.33879520818876&lng=14.078421592712404&layers=&layer=partisanmemorial&id=967

Toman Gabrijel from Sela pri Bled

Branko Štangl: Hospital Š Stol II on Jelovica. Whispering the past, speaking the present: [around the 80th anniversary of the Partisan Hospital Franja, 80th anniversary of the Partisan Skiers, 210th anniversary of the birth of Franc Močnik and 30th anniversary of the discovery of the Neanderthal flute]. Cerkno, 2025. 166.

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