Franja Partisan Hospital Collection

Most of the collection, which originally included exclusively original items that were installed as equipment and accessories in the cabins of the Franja Partisan Hospital, was unfortunately destroyed in the flood of 2007, resulting in 494 items being eliminated from it. Other objects started being added to the collection in 2016: personal items belonging to staff members and patients of the Franja Partisan Hospital or items connected with it some way or another. The collection now contains 576 items. In addition to personal items and the inventory, the collection showcases a selection of original documents, photographs and postcards from various periods.

Personal items

The Idrija Municipal Museum acquired most personal items in the 1980s, shortly after the opening of its National Liberation Struggle Department in Cerkno (today the Cerkno Museum) and before the opening of the permanent exhibition on the Franja Partisan Hospital in 1986. The exhibition was on display until the renovation of the museum in 1998.

Medical bag

Medical bag of Dr Viktor Volčjak

Titovka

Titovka of Dr Viktor Volčjak

Army belt with a star

Belt of Dr Viktor Volčjak

Blouse

Wedding blouse of Dr Franja Bojc Bidovec

Medical bag

Medical bag of Dr Franc Podkoritnik – Očka

Pistol belt and holster

Pistol belt and holster of Dr Franc Podkoritnik – Očka

Man’s shirt

Shirt of Dr Franc Derganc

Army belt

Army belt of guard Mirko Rakušček

Medic bag

Medic bag of male nurse Danilo Šuligoj

Partisan uniform jacket

Jacket of guard Ivo Gabrijelčič

Partisan uniform trousers

Trousers of guard Ivo Gabrijelčič

Bag

Bag of the assistant political commissar Franc Konobelj – Slovenko

Spoon

Spoon of the assistant political commissar Franc Konobelj – Slovenko

Ammunition bag

Ammunition bag of the assistant political commissar Franc Konobelj – Slovenko

Kitchenware and cutlery

Kitchenware and cutlery of the patient Franc Ferjančič

Partisan scarf

Scarf of Ivan Goljat

Titovka

Titovka of military commander Ivan Goljat

Phial with identification sheet

Phial from the grave of Vili Rappl

Courier bag

Bag of courier Ivan Šmid – Janez

Crutches

Users: Karol Pivk, Vladimir Basle

Personal items

Medical bag

The leather medical bag closes on the front with two metal buckles. On the upper part, a handle is attached with metal hooks and a leather shoulder strap is affixed on the sides. The interior is divided into two large compartments and two pockets are sewn on the front. In the middle, between the pockets is a leather holster, which can be used for holding a pencil, for example. The medical bag was owned by Dr Viktor Volčjak, founder of the Franja Partisan Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1054

Materials: leather, metal

Dimensions: H: 26.50 cm, W: 41.50 cm, D: 9 cm

Personal items

Titovka

Titovka, a characteristic cap of the partisan army soldiers, is made of coarse brown-green fabric. A red star badge from parachute silk is attached to the front of the cap with just a few stitches. During the Second World War, it was worn by Dr Volčjak, founder of the Franja Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-827

Materials: woollen fabric, parachute silk

Dimensions: H: 11 cm, L: 28.50 cm, star diameter approx. 2 cm

Personal items

Army belt with a star

The leather belt is made of one piece of brown cow leather. It fastens with a special brass square buckle with an embedded five-pointed star. It has 5 holes for adjusting the length. During the Second World War and immediately after it, it was worn by Dr Viktor Volčjak, founder of the Franja Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-982

Materials: leather, brass

Dimensions: W: 5 cm, L: 122 cm

Personal items

Blouse

A blouse, white long-sleeved, contoured, buttons up with four white buttons. It is made of the so-called parachute silk – fabric from parachutes used by allied aircraft to drop food parcels. Dr Franja Bojc Bidovec wore it at her wedding in February 1945. The fabric was donated to her by an English military mission, settled in Cerkno at the time.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1051

Materials: parachute silk

Dimensions: W: 43.50 cm, L: 60 cm

Personal items

Medical bag

A brown leather medical bag closes with a flap with two straps for closing. They are fastened by a buckle sewn on the lower part of the front of the bag. The interior is divided into two compartments, and two small pockets are sewn on the side of one. A long shoulder strap is attached on the side. The bag was owned by Dr Franc Podkoritnik – Očka, a physician at the Franja Hospital from 26 July to 3 October 1944.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1052

Materials: leather, metal

Dimensions: H: 23 cm, W: 24 cm, D: 7 cm, L: 24 cm

Personal items

Pistol belt and holster

The belt and holster are made of dark brown leather. The holster is attached to the belt with two metal hooks. It is shaped like a gun and seals with a flap that has a notch into which a brass button is fastened. The leather belt and the gun holster were owned by Dr Franc Podkoritnik – Očka, a physician at the Franja Partisan Hospital from 26 July to 3 October 1944.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1053

Materials: leather, metal

Dimensions: belt L: 105.5 cm; holster H: 27 cm, W: 15 cm, D: 3.50 cm, L: 16 cm

Personal items

Man’s shirt

The military shirt is made of a woollen fabric of olive-green colour, it fastens with buttons, has a classic collar and two large pockets on the front, with flaps with one button each. Stripes are sewn on the shoulders, without any marks. On the sides, the bottom of the shirt is cut in a shape of a semicircle. During the war, the shirt was worn by surgeon Dr Franci Derganc, a member of the Ninth Surgical Corps, who also worked occasionally at the Franja Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1071

Materials: woollen fabric

Dimensions: L: 74 cm, W: 54 cm

Personal items

Army belt

The leather belt is brown, with decorative stitching in the centre and a double prong brass buckle at the wide end for fastening. Small leather rings are attached on the side to which additional belts are fastened. The belt was worn by Mirko Rakušček, a guard at the Franja Hospital during the war.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1038

Materials: leather, brass

Dimensions: H: 5 cm, L: 119 cm

Personal items

Medic bag

A bag of undyed linen cloth contains only one compartment. It is covered with a flap made of the same material with two leather straps for fastening. The bag has two metal buckles and a long leather shoulder strap affixed on the sides. In this bag, the English mission with the Ninth Corps sent treats (chocolate, cigarettes, etc.) to the American pilot Harold Adams, who was treated at Franja from February to April 1944. Later, it was used as a medic bag. The leather parts originated from an Italian medical bag and were sewn on the bag by the Austrian, Alois Trummel, who was treated at Franja and remained there after recovery working as a shoemaker. It was used by Danilo Šuligoj, a male nurse at the Franja Hospital and the surgical team of the Ninth Corps.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1056

Materials: linen, metal

Dimensions: H: 24 cm, W: 25 cm, D: 10 cm

Personal items

Partisan uniform jacket

The jacket is made of olive-green fabric. It is of a short cut, narrow in the waist, with a buckle and two large pockets on the front. During the war, the jacket was worn by Ivo Gabrijelčič, a guard at the Franja Hospital from April to November 1944.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1039

Materials: woollen fabric

Dimensions: L: 56 cm, W: 42 cm

Personal items

Partisan uniform trousers

The trousers are made of olive-green fabric. They have two pockets on the front, one smaller and one larger, fastened with a button, two side pockets and a back pocket. They are buttoned up with brass buttons, several of which are sewn on the back at the waist. An oval stamp bearing the inscription: N.Z.D. 26 APL 1944 is imprinted on the inside of the waist.
During the war, the trousers were worn by Ivo Gabrijelčič, a guard at the Franja Partisan Hospital from April to November 1944.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1040

Materials: woollen fabric

Dimensions: L: 111 cm, W: 41 cm

Personal items

Bag

The leather bag is hand-sewn. It closes with a flap on which the closing strap is sewn. The strap is fastened by a buckle attached to the lower part on the front. A longer shoulder strap is sewn on the back. It has only one compartment. The bag was used by Franc Konobelj – Slovenko, assistant political commissar at the Franja Hospital from November 1944 to April 1945.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-969

Materials: leather, metal

Dimensions: H: 25 cm, W: 23 cm

Personal items

Spoon

The aluminium spoon is simple, with no decorations and a handle that slightly broadens towards the end. The spoon was used by Franc Konobelj – Slovenko during the Second World War, from 1943 until the end of the war, when he was assistant political commissar at the Franja Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-970

Materials: aluminium

Dimensions: W: 4 cm, L: 19 cm

Personal items

Ammunition bag

The narrow leather bag is hand-sewn. It closes with a flap on which the closing strap is sewn. The strap is fastened by a buckle attached to the lower part on the front. A longer shoulder strap is sewn on the back. Inside there are three compartments. Two hold empty clips for English machine gun ammunition. The bag was used by Franc Konobelj – Slovenko, assistant political commissar at the Franja Hospital from November 1944 to April 1945.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-971

Materials: leather, metal

Dimensions: H: 26 cm, W: 9.50 cm, D: 4.50 cm; handle W: 2 cm, L: 101 cm

Personal items

Kitchenware and cutlery

The cutlery consists of a spoon, a knife, a fork and an Italian billy-can. It was the property of a former combatant, patient Franc Ferjančič, a machine gunner from the Gradnik Brigade, who was treated in the Franja Partisan Hospital in October 1944.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:PBF-973, 974, 975, 980

Materials: aluminium, steel, wood

Dimensions: Knife L: 23 cm, W: 1.20 cm, Fork L: 19 cm, W: 2.20 cm, Spoon L: 20.50 cm, W: 4.50 cm, Billy-can H: 14 cm, W: 19.5 cm, D: 12.5 cm

Personal items

Partisan scarf

The red triangular scarf has an embroidered five-pointed star on each end and an emblem sewn in the colours of the Slovenian flag. Five lime leaves are embroidered in the middle of the scarf next to the inscription VSI SLOVENCI V BOJ ZA SVOBODO! (All Slovenians into the Fight for Freedom!). The scarf was the property of Ivan Goljat, military commander at the Franja Partisan Hospital from December 1943 to September 1944, and from February to May 1945.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:PBF-1066

Materials: cotton

Dimensions: H: 52 cm, W: 115 cm

Personal items

Titovka

Titovka, the characteristic cap of the partisan army soldiers, is made of coarse brown-green fabric. A brass five-pointed star is attached at the front, the red colour of which has almost entirely peeled off. Titovka was owned by Ivan Goljat, military commander at the Franja Hospital from December 1943 to September 1944, and from February to May 1945.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:PBF-1067

Materials: woollen fabric, brass

Dimensions: H: 11 cm, W: 29 cm, D: 2.50 cm

Personal items

Phial with identification sheet

A phial for medicines made of brown glass has a green plastic cap with an embossed inscription S.A. BRACCO GIA ITALMERCK MILANO and a factory symbol. The phial with the identification sheet inside was found on 11 April 2012 along with the remains of Vili Rappl at the former cemetery of the Franja Hospital.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:PBF-1050

Materials: glass, plastic

Dimensions: H: 10.5 cm, W: 6 cm, D: 4 cm

Personal items

Courier bag

The leather bag is hand-sewn. It closes with a flap on which the closing strap is sewn. The strap is fastened by a buckle attached to the lower part on the front. On the front left-hand side, two leather holsters for pens are attached. A longer shoulder strap is sewn on the back. It has only one compartment. The bag was donated to the museum by Ivan Šmid – Janez, a courier of Ward D of the Franja Hospital. He wore it from April 1944 to May 1945.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:PBF-843

Materials: leather

Dimensions: H: 23 cm, W: 19 cm, D: 3–4 cm; handle W: 2.30 cm, L: 115 cm

Personal items

Crutches

A pair of wooden crutches are quite high, reaching to the armpit, with a curved crutch pad and a hand grip in the middle. The inscription “PIVK” has been carved on one of the crutches with a sharp object, probably a knife. The other appears to have been shorter and later extended at the bottom. A 17.5 cm extension piece was attached to the top with two metal plates and screws. The crutches were donated to the museum by Vladimir Basle, who was treated at the Franja Partisan Hospital during the war. Before that, they had been used by Karol Pivk, who cut his signature into one of them.

Collection of the Franja Partisan Hospital

ID: 510:IDR;PBF-1070

Materia: wood

H: 131 cm, W: 19.5 cm, D: 3.5 cm

Franja Partisan Hospital Collection

Personal items

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