Partizanska grobišča
"Da bi v pozabo ne zbrisal jih čas."
Hodil sem po širnih roških hostah,
da bi se mi duša napila miru,
da bi naužil se dišečega zraka,
da spočil bi si noge v mehkobi mahu.
V skriti globeli sem videl grobišče:
mir in samota, le veter v krošnjah šumi,
skromne gomile brezimnih junakov,
kamnit spomenik in zvezda v barvi krvi.
Populil sem trnje, pobral sem suhljad,
in za trenutek spoštljivo postal.
Kot da nekdo bi me klical iz groba,
je veter iz krošenj dreves šepetal:
“Hvala ti, človek, da si prišel,
da si se odkril, ko si stopil med nas,
in da si pospravil nam domovanje,
da bi v pozabo ne zbrisal nas čas! “
(iz pesmi Jožeta Muhiča)
Skrivnostni, širni in še vedno ne povsod prehodni Rog je ponudil zavetje prvim partizanom že v prvih dneh avgusta 1941. Postavljali so barake, bunkerje, zemljanke, po odselitvi Kočevarjev so se vselili tudi v njihove izpraznjene domove.
Ustanovili so pet baz. Na Bazi 20 na Sokolskem vrhu je bilo od leta 1943 nastanjeno politično vodstvo, na bazi 21 pod Kraguljim vrhom pa je bil sedež glavnega štaba NOV in partizanskih odredov Slovenije, ter zavezniških vojaških misij.
Že spomladi 1942 je prišlo v Rog nekaj zdravnikov in drugega zdravstvenega osebja. Oskrbljeni so bili s skromno zalogo zdravil in sanitetnega materiala. Začele so nastajati bolnišnice. Prva je bila Jelendol na Daleč hribu.
Prevoz ranjencev z bojišč je trajal povprečno 4 dni, najmanj pa 24 ur. Praviloma so jih porazdelili po bolnišnicah Vinica, Leseni kamen, Zgornji in Spodnji Hrastnik. Do Komarne vasi so jih pripeljali z vozovi. Tu so jih prevzeli nosači bolnišnic. Poleti so ranjenca nosili po štirje, pozimi pa po dva nosača. Ponavadi so jih nosili ponoči, da jim zaradi konspiracije ni bilo potrebno zavezati oči. Marsikateri je med potjo podlegel ranam.
V Rogu je delovalo 25 bolnišnic. Nosile so skrivna zavajajoča imena. Zaradi strogega varnostnega reda jih je sovražnik odkril in uničil le malo.
Po vojni je večina stavb propadla. Ohranjeni sta le bolnišnici Jelendol in Zgornji Hrastnik, ter barake Baze 20.
Okupator je skušal večkrat vdreti v Rog. Najhujša je bila italijanska ofenziva leta 1942, znana kot roška ofenziva. Jeseni naslednjega leta ji je sledila silovita nemška ofenziva. Takrat so odkrili in požgali tudi partizansko bolnišnico Pugled skupaj z 21 težkimi ranjenci.
Sovražni vpadi so puščali za sabo mrtve in ranjene. Umirali so stari in mladi, dekleta in fantje. Umirali so na bojiščih, med potjo v bolnišnice in v bolnišnicah. Na začetku so jih pokopavali kjerkoli, brez obreda, pozneje pa na skrivna pokopališča. Veliko grobov so po vojni prekopali in posmrtne ostanke prenesli na urejena grobišča, ter jim postavili spomenike. Nekatere umrle so odpeljali svojci. Gotovo pa skriva Rog še veliko neodkritih grobov. Za vse ne bomo nikoli izvedeli.
V prvih desetletjih po vojni so bila partizanska pokopališča v Rogu zgledno vzdrževana. Prihajali so se jim poklonit svojci, šolski otroci, nekdanji soborci in mnogi drugi. Z leti pa je obiskovanje le teh splahnelo. Pokopališča so postala nikogaršnja, preraščalo jih je trnje, črke so zbledele.
Partizansko grobišče Jelendol
Pod Daleč hribom, nedaleč od Podstenic, blizu partizanske bolnišnice Jelendol, se v kraški vrtači nahaja urejeno pokopališče umrlih partizanov. V nepravilnem šesterokotniku, sezidanem iz naravnih skal je 34 grobov.
Bolnišnica Jelendol je začela delovati na začetku leta 1943. Dejansko je na tem pokopališču pokopanih 53 umrlih ranjencev in bolnikov, ker so grobove tu dobili tudi umrli iz bolnišnice Jelendol.
Akademik Janez Milčinski, ki je med vojno tudi sam zdravil mnoge ranjence, je pripovedoval:
“Spominjam se, da smo drugega ali tretjega ranjenca, ki je umrl na Jelendolu, pokopali tule. Meni sprva ni bila všeč oblika pokopa. Potem pa sva z dr. Pavlom Lunačkom dosegla dvoje. V grob smo odslej položili stekleničko z osebnimi podatki o umrlem in drugo, da ima pogreb vojaka neko dostojno obliko. Dva, ki nosita mrliča na vojaški način opravita pogreb. Komisar je bil tisti, ki je spremljal to in tudi jaz sem bil vedno zraven pri pogrebu. To so bili moji pacienti.”
Avtor pokopališča je arhitekt Miloš Lapajne. Uredila sta ga glavni odbor Zveze borcev in občinski odbor Zveze borcev Novo mesto leta 1956.
Partisan Cemeteries
"So that time would not erase them."
I walked through the wide dewy fields,
to let my soul drink in peace,
to inhale the fragrant air,
to rest my feet in the softness of the moss.
In a hidden valley I saw a cemetery:
peace and solitude, only the wind rustling in the branches,
modest mounds of nameless heroes,
a stone monument and a star in the color of blood.
I plucked thorns, picked up dead leaves,
and stood still for a moment to pay my respects.
As if someone were calling me from the grave,
the wind from the branches of the trees whispered:
"Thank you, man, for coming,
for revealing yourself when you stepped among us,
and for tidying up our dwelling place,
so that time does not erase us!"
(from the poem by Jože Muhič)
The mysterious, wide, and still not everywhere passable Rog offered shelter to the first partisans as early as the first days of August 1941. They set up huts, bunkers, dugouts, and after the departure of the Gottscheer families, they also moved into their emptied homes.
They established five bases. Base 20 on Sokolski vrh housed the political leadership from 1943, and base 21 under Kragulj vrh was the seat of the headquarters of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Units of Slovenia, as well as Allied military missions.
In the spring of 1942, a few doctors and other healthcare workers came to Rog. They were supplied with a small stock of medicines and medical supplies. Hospitals began to be established. The first was Jelendol on Daleč hrib.
The transportation of the wounded from the battlefield took an average of 4 days, but at least 24 hours. They were usually distributed to the hospitals in Vinica, Leseni kamen, Zgornji, and Spodnji Hrastnik. They were brought to Komarna village by trains. Here, the hospital carriers took over. In the summer, four carriers carried a wounded person, while in the winter there were two carriers. They usually carried them at night so that they did not have to blindfold them due to conspiracy. Many of them succumbed to their wounds on the way.
There were 25 hospitals operating in Rog. They had secret misleading names. Due to strict security rules, the enemy discovered and destroyed only a few of them.
After the war, most of the buildings collapsed. Only the Jelendol and Zgornji Hrastnik hospitals and the huts of Base 20 have been preserved.
The occupier attempted to invade Rog several times. The worst was the Italian offensive in 1942, known as the Rog Offensive. The following fall was followed by a powerful German offensive. At that time, they also discovered and burned the Partisan hospital Pugled along with 21 serious wounded.
Enemy attacks left dead and wounded behind. Old and young, girls and boys died. They died on the battlefield, on the way to hospitals, and in hospitals. At first, they were buried anywhere, without ceremony, later on secret cemeteries. Many graves were exhumed after the war and the remains transferred to other cemeteries and erected monuments. Some of the deceased were taken away by their families. But surely Rog still hides many undiscovered graves. We will never know about all of them.
In the first decades after the war, the Partisan cemeteries in Rog were excellently maintained. Relatives, schoolchildren, former comrades, and many others came to pay their respects. Over the years, however, the visit to these has declined. The cemeteries became nobody's, thorns grew over them, and the letters faded.
Partisan Cemetery Jelendol
Under Daleč hrib, not far from Podstenice, near the Partisan hospital Jelendol, there is a well-preserved cemetery of deceased partisans in a karst depression. In an irregular hexagon, built from natural rocks, there are 34 graves.
The Jelendol hospital began operating at the beginning of 1943. In fact, 53 deceased wounded and patients are buried here.
Academician Janez Milčinski, who also treated many wounded during the war, wrote:
"I remember that we buried the second or third wounded person who died at Jelendol here. At first, I didn't like the form of the burial. Then, Dr. Pavle Lunaček and I achieved two things. From then on, we put a bottle with personal information about the deceased in the grave and another, that the soldier's funeral has some dignified form. Two, who carry the corpse in a military way, perform the funeral. The commissar was the one who accompanied this and I was always present at the funeral. These were my patients."
The architect Miloš Lapajne is the author of the cemetery. It was arranged by the main board of the Association of Fighters and the municipal board of the Association of Fighters in Novo mesto in 1956.