Path of Remembrance and Comradeship

The path marked in red on an openstreetmap of Ljubljana

One of the many avenues along the path, near the Bežigrad district

Remains of an Italian military bunker in the Šiška district

The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship (Slovene: Pot spominov in tovarištva, acronym PST), also referred to as the Path along the Wire (Pot ob žici), the Path around Ljubljana (Pot okoli Ljubljane) or the Green Ring (Zeleni prstan), is an almost 33-kilometre long and 4-metre wide gravel-paved recreational and memorial walkway around the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The walkway leads past Koseze Pond and across the Golovec Hill.

During World War II the Province of Ljubljana, occupied by Fascist Italy, was subjected to brutal repression after the emergence of resistance and the occupying forces put the barbed wire fence - which is now Path of Remembrance and Comradeship - around Ljubljana in order to prevent communication between the city's underground Liberation Front activists in Ljubljana and the majority of Slovene Partisans in the surrounding countryside.

The path was completed in 1985 and is waymarked by signposts, information boards with the map of the path, plaques and metal markers, as well as signposts at the turn-offs. One hundred and two octagonal memorial stones, designed by the architect Vlasto Kopač, have been laid at the former positions of the bunkers. Along the green area adjacent to it, 7,400 trees of 49 tree species have been planted.

The path is used by many residents of Ljubljana each day. The most popular form of recreation on it is walking and jogging. Cycling is also permitted on condition that pedestrians are not endangered. During snowy winters, cross-country ski tracks are provided at some of its sections. Each year since 1957, on the weekend closest to 9 May, the traditional recreational March along the Path around Ljubljana (Pohod po Poti okoli Ljubljane) takes place to mark the liberation of Ljubljana on 9 May 1945. Those who walk the entire distance and collect stamps at all 8 checkpoints receive a memorial badge and a medal.

References

• "Pot spominov in tovarištva/The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship". Ljubljana Tourist Board. April 2006. http://www.ljubljana-tourism.si/file/559602/2006-april-POT-SPOMINOV-IN-TOVARITVA-_2.pdf. 

See also

• Province of Ljubljana

External links

• Ljubljana: The Green Ring of Ljubljana. VR panorama (surround photography). Boštjan Burger. 8 May 2009 – 9 May 2009. (Rich media - may be viewed with QuickTime). Accessed on 19 February 2012.