Devil’s Tower (Hudičev turn) in Soteska and Point 20 (Baza 20) in Kočevski Rog

Route Description

Here is a very interesting and extremely instructive family trip. Visit the Devil’s Tower (Hudičev turn) in Soteska and Point 20 (Baza 20) in Kočevski Rog. Explore Slovenia’s history together with your children. Go on a family trip like we did and see many beautiful sights in this part of Slovenia.

On your way to Baza 20, stop by the Devil’s Tower. The most interesting jewels of Slovenia's landscape are very often those that are shrouded in a veil of mystery. One such place is the Devil's Tower in Soteska, a little village between two forested plateaux. The tower has stood here for over three hundred years and was a place of entertainment and sinful pleasure.

This building’s history is linked to the princes of Auersperg who had a great manor house in Soteska and, not far away, a garden pavilion: a Baroque tower with a trefoil ground plan, surrounded by a stone wall pierced by three stone portals, a place in which you can escape from reality into mysticism.

The Devil's Tower is divided into two storeys connected by a spiral stone staircase. The entire interior of the building is richly decorated with trompe l'oeil compositions. On the ground floor the motif is of fountains and portals, while the vaulting shows a mythological scene of Zeus abducting Ganymede.

The building, which has excellent acoustics, is today used as a venue for concerts and art exhibitions, leading visitors into the universe of medieval or modern music and art (Source: see above). After a family photoshoot, our family ventured forth to the Baza 20 and concluded our trip at the Berryshka Distillery and Chocolate Shop. 

From April 1943 to December 1944, Baza 20 (“Base 20”, originally called “Point 20”) was home to the political leadership of the Slovene national liberation movement. An important monument of Slovene statehood, it is the only still preserved secret headquarters of any European resistance movement built in such a manner. Due to the extraordinary safeguard measures and general secrecy, Baza 20 was never discovered. Preserved in its entirety, it has been protected as a monument of national significance.

The parking lot is landscaped very nicely and the walking trail has terrain that is suitable for a baby stroller. We recommend that you visit the Baza 20 in the light of the morning, as the path runs under the thick canopy of trees and the exploration takes up quite a bit of time.

Members of the Executive Committee of the Liberation Front, the Supreme Plenum of the Liberation Front, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia, the Anti-Fascist Council of the National Liberation (AVNOJ), the Agitation and Propaganda Commission, newspaper editors and others lived and worked in Baza 20. One hundred and eighty people inhabited the 26 buildings.

Today, Building no. 16 (“Propaganda Building”) houses a permanent exhibition on the role and significance of Baza 20. The exhibition presents the military and political leadership of the resistance and describes the events and activities most influenced by the leadership in Baza 20. Among these, the session of the Assembly of the Delegates of the Slovene Nation in Kočevje, and the session of the Slovene National Liberation Council (SNOS) in Črnomelj were the two most significant events of the wartime building of Slovene statehood. On display are some newspapers of that time, mass organizations, cooperation with the Allies, etc.

Building no. 22 (“New Building of the Executive Committee of the Liberation Front”) houses a presentation of the scope and diversity of the partisan activity in the Kočevski rog area. A special emphasis is put on hospitals and workshops, the beginnings of which date back to the spring of 1942.

Among European World War II resistance movements, the Slovene Central War Partisan Hospital is the pinnacle of organized care for the wounded. Secret hospitals were built in hidden locations, and were, considering the war circumstances, fairly well equipped and supplied. Under medical supervision and away from the constant exertions of fighting units, the wounded recovered faster. While there were as many as 24 hospitals in the wider area of Kočevje, only the hospitals of Jelendol and Zgornji Hrastnik have been preserved to this day.