The story of the partisan printery in the woods
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“Let’s go to Tehnika Krn!”
“Where?”
“Tehnika Krn.”
“Don’t be silly, everything is closed, besides I want to go outside,”
“You are silly.”
Chirp, chirp, goes the cricket sound in the awkward silence. I thought that Tehnika Krn is some kind of warehouse, where one can buy technical supplies. Instead, it turns out to be an old partisan printing house, hidden deep in the Zadlaščica gorge. Go on there, shoot me a dirty look.
In my defence: this historical printery is not up there with the usual bucket list “must sees'' destinations. To find it, one must go a bit out of the beaten path. First, you drive through the village Žabče and continue towards Tolminske Ravne. There is a signpost at the corner of the road saying: "Partizanska Tehnika Krn". We parked at the side of the road and started walking. The hike to the house was a spontaneous idea, and I didn’t have any expectations. Surely, I did not expect to see this pristine nature, that somehow remained a local secret.
Down the slippery slope of Slovenian history
The walk to the old printery takes you less than an hour. The first chunk is a pleasant, wide path along the Zadlaščica power plant pipeline. However, once you get on the top of the hill, you stumble upon the narrow partisan trail that drops steeply into the woods. When you reach the bottom, you enter into the romantic Zadlaščica Valley.
The emerald shades of the river flow between flat stone slabs scattered among the river bed. The view is so mesmerising that one can easily overlook the tiny wooden barrack with a thatched roof camouflaged against the 70-meter overhanging wall.
Back in the days, keeping the place invisible was the primary goal. The colossal and slightly overhanging wall gives the structure natural protection. It keeps it dry and out of sight. Once you manage to squeeze through the narrow slit of a door, you can see its modest interior. Time to turn on your imagination. Now all that remains is a bench and a shelf with the visitor’s logbook on it. Despite its modest appearance, big things happened in this small barrack. This wild place gave birth to illegal words of the unheard.
The (foot)prints of WW2 in Soča Valley
So, what is the story behind Tehnika Krn? It was built during World War II, in the winter of 1943. In the remote, hard-to-reach gorge local partisans printed and distributed periodicals, graphic posters, flyers, books and even songbooks. This printed press had a vital bonding role in the Slovenian resistance movement against the Italian, and later German occupation. It provided much-anticipated information for the civilian population. It encouraged people to stand up against the authorities, and it was a counterbalance to the fascist propaganda that the Italians were spreading. Furthermore, it had a central role in the preservation of Slovenian language and culture during the war.
This was especially important for the Primorska region residents, who suffered more than 20 years of fascist pressure. After the bloody end of WW1, the region and its residents were left at the mercy of the victorious Entente countries. After the signing of the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920, one third of the Slovenian ethnic territory suddenly became part of Italy. At the time, Italy had no interest in minorities and their rights. Slovenian language and culture were despised and forbidden. People were forced to learn and speak Italian.
With Benito Mussolini’s rise and the advent of fascism, the suppression of minorities escalated. The Second World War began. Repression gave birth to resistance. Around 1941 the first partisan troops formed in Slovenian woods. These guerilla units were later organised into the National Liberation Army. By 1943, more and more military troops, hospitals and printeries grew in the Primorska forests. The illegal information travelled through the underground network; around Baška Grapa, Cerkno, Kobarid, Bovec, and Goriška Brda. News reached even today’s borderlands of Venice, Resia, Friuli.
Off the record
A few stone slabs away from the house, there is another treat awaiting. Squeezed in the centre of an impressive stone hall lies a graceful waterfall. The hard sound of water falling down the stony stairs quiets down in the crystal green pool. Inviting! But a jump inside this water guarantees a quick exit. The oxymoron: cold as hell is a pretty accurate description of the after feeling. While looking at the pristine, stunning nature, it is hard to imagine that it used to hide a rebellious content factory. Po končani kalvariji prve svetovne vojne so bili namreč prebivalci te regije na milost in nemilost prepuščeni zmagovitim državam antante.
The local community from Posočje did an excellent job keeping the Zadlaščica valley and its printing house a secret. The enemy never found out about it. And well, it took me quite some time to discover it myself. The humble barrack was operating in unenviable circumstances, spreading hope and courage amongst residents. More than 70 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, but it seems like this valley still holds on to a piece of cover, and enjoys the well-deserved peace.