Graveyard Žalna

In the cemetery in Žalno, which is near the church, the deceased from Žalno and Plešivica were originally buried. The village of Luče had its own cemetery near the church in Luče. However, since wild animals were disturbing the graves and even dragging some corpses to the surface, the cemetery in Luče was abandoned. For the burial of Lučans, the southern side of the Žalno church was then designated as the cemetery. At that time, the church also permanently closed the "luška vrata" (the "lucky doors"), the doors on the southern side of the church, which are still visible from the inside of the church, and the southern entrance was designated for the cemetery. Already towards the end of the Second World War, space for new graves began to run out at the cemetery in Žalno. It has not been investigated whether an official new location for the cemetery was determined or whether it was sought spontaneously. In fact, they began to bury people on the land of the large estate and merchant of timber Josip Javornik – Štajerc, at Devci, north of the road from Velika to Small Žalno, and specifically on parcel 2068 k. o. Žalna, which was later nationalized. Later, this land was given to Anton Javornik, Plešetov from Žalno, as compensation land. The graves were not close to the road, but about 10 to 15 meters north of the road. The land was not fenced and there was no sign on it, for example, a cross. Most likely, the first burials on the new cemetery were carried out towards the end of 1943. It is possible that the first people buried on this new cemetery were partisans, who were brought by the Germans on November 2nd, 1944, from somewhere to Small Žalno and shot between Strahovo and Berjakovo house, probably in the back, since they were lying on the ground with their faces to the earth. One of them was Franc Duša, Zaplatov from Luče, born in 1910, who lived in Šentvid near Stična. The other was Štefan Zgonc, a farmer from Sekirišča-Rob, born in 1899. They were buried on November 4th, 1943, in Žalno, it is recorded in the register book, but it is not explicitly stated that they were buried on the new cemetery. Their relatives later reburied the first one in Šentvid near Stična, and the other one in Rob. The register book records that on November 15th, 1943, a partisan named Anton Mihevc, a graduate of the teacher training school in Ljubljana, was buried in Žalno on the new cemetery. From the register book, it is inferred that he fell during the German offensive near Plešivica, close to the new Turkovi house. In December 1943, five partisans were buried here, and in 1944, another five partisans. In 1946, seven more partisans were reburied here, who had fallen during the German offensive on Ilovo Gora, in Bukovje on November 1st, 1943. On this new cemetery, some others were also buried, for example, Tičarjev Janez and Mklejeva Meta, who were a couple and lived together. It is possible that Froncov Frence – Franc Pajk from Šola was also buried here, as well as possibly Primžkova Neža (a female reader) from Zagradec and perhaps also Planinškov Janez, who served under Štajerc, when he became incapacitated and had to leave, and lived near Podržaj on the edge and worked. They were buried on the new cemetery because they did not have graves of their own on the old cemetery, which was completely occupied. After the war, in 1945 and 1946, some partisans, who were identified at the time of burial, were reburied by their relatives. One of the first reburials of partisans is remembered by Mara Koščak, born in Žitnik, born in 1933, who was present as a pioneer. The pioneers – students of the elementary school in Žalno – were organized by Pepca Mencin, so that they could recite and sing there. She remembers her relatives, as well as the mothers of the partisans, who spoke in the Gorenjsko dialect. Later reburials were mostly carried out without ceremony. Note (AK).This cemetery was then abandoned. [..] The younger Žalci no longer remember this cemetery. There is now a field on the abandoned cemetery.

II. World War in the graveyard book of the Žalna parish, 468–472.

J. Koščak: Fallen and victims of military violence on the partisan side: Notes on Žalna. (on page 468, the entry by Jožeta Miklič refers to partisan couriers who were shot by the home guards on the edge of the village of Zagradec)

List of the buried at Devci:

15. Čuček Franc, livestock veterinarian, Ptuj, died on 30 November 1943, aged 28 years, 17 May 1915. Shot by the home guards in Zagradec at 5 pm. Buried on 12 December 1943, Žalna, new cemetery.

16. Peternelj Ivan, farmer's son, Ljubljana, Gosposvetska 141, home in Poljan nad Škofjo Loko, died on 30 November 1943. Shot by the home guards in Zagradec. Buried on 12 December 1943, Žalna, new cemetery. Transported in 1947.

17. Vute Radko (Rudolf Vinter), driver, Radohova 8, parish of St. Lenart, Slovene Highlands, died on 30 November 1943, born on 27 November 1921, shot by the home guards in Zagradec. Buried on 12 December 1943, Žalna, new cemetery. The aforementioned couriers are also mentioned in the NOB Monuments in the municipalities of Grosuplje, Ivančna Gorica and Dobrepolje on pages 62 and 63.

18. Unknown partisan, aged around 35 years, Hrovat (?), died on 1 November 1943 at 7 am. Shot during the German offensive in Luča and temporarily buried there. Buried on 15 December 1943 in Žalna, new cemetery.

19. Unknown partisan, younger), died on 1 November 1943 at 7 am. Shot during the German offensive in Luča and temporarily buried there. Buried on 12 December 1943 in Žalna, new cemetery.

20. Unknown partisan, aged around 20 years. Died on 1 November 1943. Fallen in the forest above Luča near Križ. Buried on 18 January 1944 in Žalna, new cemetery.

21. Unknown partisan, died on 22 or 24 June 1944. Fallen on the way from Plešivica to Blato on the bosnian field. Buried on 27 June 1944, Žalna, new cemetery.

22. Unknown partisan, died on 4 April 1944. Shot after sentencing on Plešivica. Buried on 3 July 1944, Žalna, new cemetery.

23. Lojzek, unknown partisan, died on 6 April 1944. Shot after sentencing on Plešivica. Buried on 3 July 1944, Žalna, new cemetery.

24. Unknown young partisan, died during the night of 14 to 15 September 1944. Fallen on Lobčku. Buried on 17 September 1944, Žalna, new cemetery.

25. Rošelj (Uršič) Franc, worker at the house "pri Mihcu" in Kitni Vrh, from Kitni Vrh 8, parish of Zagradec, died on 19 September 1944, born in 1908. Captured by the home guards in Luča on patrol as a partisan and shot on the road, when turning left from Žalna towards Luča. Buried on 21 September 1944, Žalna, new cemetery. Note (AK) Rošelj Franc is also mentioned in the NOB Monuments in the municipalities of Grosuplje, Ivančna Gorica and Dobrepolje on page 283. Probably his relatives do not know where his grave is.

26. Unknown partisan, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.

27. Unknown partisan, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.

28. Unknown partisan, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.

29. Unknown partisan, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.

30. Unknown partisan, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.

31. Unknown partisan woman, fell on 1 November 1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luča and was transported from there on 8 December 1946 to Žalna, new cemetery.61. Unknown partisan woman, killed on 1.11.1943 during the German offensive in Bukovje near Luči and transferred on 8.12.1946 to Žalno to a new cemetery. Author J. Koščak states: 5 unknown partisans and 2 partisans were reburied from two graveyards.

[..] This collected material is dedicated to the fallen unknown fighters and fighters, for whom we do not know their names or surnames, but who found their final rest on the Žalno field. [..]

Regular extract from the land register (current parcel owner k. o. 1791 Žalna, parcel no. 2068).

Andrej Kastelic: Material about the graveyard of NOB fighters in ŽALNA on Devcih, December 2024.

Andrej Kastelic: Proposal for the arrangement of the graveyard in Žalna, December 2024.

This graveyard is not listed in the state register of military graveyards. -- mh

Franc Štibernik 15. 11. 2025: "Since my last public statement, I have devoted myself to researching the record about the graveyard in Žalna, which was contributed by Andrej Kastelic from Žalna [..]. The Association of Fighters for the Values of NOB Grosuplje, in order to clarify what happened with the new cemetery on the parcel mentioned by Kastelic, ordered the photographing of the area where the graves were supposed to be. The photographing did not show that there were still graves there. Given that partisans Čuček Franc, Petrnelj Ivan and Vute Radko are also recorded on the partisan graveyard in Grosuplj, and also unknown fighters who were supposedly buried in Žalna, we have contacted the son of Franc Čuček, who attends commemorations on the partisan graveyard in Grosuplj. He said that his father was indeed buried in Žalna and that he visited this graveyard with his mother, but that his father was reburied on the partisan graveyard after the war and clearly all the other partisan fighters were also reburied at that time. There is no record about this reburial or about the post-war burials on the partisan graveyard."

Sistory:

Franc Čuček

Ivan (Janez) Peternelj (not sure?)

Rudolf Vinter

Franc Rošelj

Franc Duša

Anton Mihevc

Franc Pajk

Janez Planinšek

Štefan Zgonc

[add links from Sistory to other buried individuals]