Kocevski Rog – Baza 20
About 70 kilometers southeast of Ljubljana, at about 700 meters altitude, lies the inaccessible and isolated karst plateau Kocevski Rog. The seclusion of the plateau made it suitable for local partisans to build a base in the area. In addition to the area being isolated, the terrain was also hilly and houses could be built in sinks that made them even more difficult to spot. The houses were built in all their simplicity with the material available. The base was named Base 20 (Baza 20) and the first barracks were built in the spring of 1943. The base was to become the headquarters of the Slovenian communist party and the Slovenian liberation front from which their work was directed.
A total of 26 barracks were built, scattered and well hidden in the area and about 140 partisans lived in the base. In the vicinity of the base there were also two smaller hospital camps where wounded partisans were given care. The base also had a well camouflaged underground bunker built in the event the partisans had to seek shelter. The partisans were feared by the Germans who rarely ventured into unknown and vast areas where they risked either getting lost or worse, being captured or killed by partisans. Despite several attempts by the Germans to locate the base, it remained undetected during its existence. In December 1944 the base was moved to the town of Crnomelj, about 20 kilometers southeast of the base.
Current status: Partly preserved/demolished with museum (2024).
Location: 45°41' 49.73" N 15°02' 57.38" E
Get there: Car.
Follow up in books: Batinic, Jelena: Women and Yugoslav Partisans (2017).
Base 20 is said to be the only preserved partisan camp, but all houses have been rebuilt on the foundations of the original ones. Since 1952, the base has been a historical cultural monument and the site is still secluded. As a visitor you can park the car about 500 meters below the base and then hike up to the base. It is hilly and the houses are scattered arround without seemingly any order. But I guess there is a purpose with all this to blend into the surroundings. The shelter is also still there and is located about 400–500 meters from the base. The two hospital camps are also partly preserved, but they can be a little harder to find. There is also a small museum near the parking lot.