Cink (, also ''Frata''; ) is a remote abandoned settlement in the

Municipality of Dolenjske Toplice The Municipality of Dolenjske Toplice (; ) is a municipality near Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia. Its seat is the town of Dolenjske Toplice. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in th ...

in southern

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south an ...

and is now included in the

Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region The Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region () is a statistical region in southeast Slovenia. It is the largest statistical region. The development of this region is largely the result of industry (the auto industry, pharmaceuticals, and other light ...

. Its territory is now part of the village of Podstenice.

History

Cink was a Gottschee German settlement. In 1924 the forest railway for the sawmill at Rog was extended toward Cink. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Partisans established a political school for the

League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals in 1983. It was originally est ...

at the site, which was in operation for nearly a year. From July to August 1942 the command of the

Partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

5th Detachment Group was stationed at Cink after it was relocated from Podstenice, and a party conference was held there from 5 to 7 July or 8 July that year. A logger's cabin now stands at the site and a plaque was installed in the nearby forest in 1953.

Mass grave at Cink cross

After the Second World War, members of the

Slovene Home Guard The Slovene Home Guard (, SD; ) was a Slovenes#World War II and aftermath, Slovene anti-Slovene Partisans, Partisan militia that was founded and supported by the Germans and fought alongside them against the Partisans. It operated during part of ...

and other armed groups subordinate to the German forces were killed and buried in a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...

5 km east of the village known as the Double Shaft by Cink Cross Mass Grave (). The victims are believed to have been transported to the site from the prison in

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...

. The shafts are located at the crossroads to Cink on the road from Podstenice. The opening is long, starting below an old beech grove and continuing along a fence. The bottoms of both shafts are covered by large rocks that fell there from the surface and the entryways to the shafts were dynamited. The grave site is registered as cultural heritage. File:Dvojno brezno pri Cink krizu.jpg, Double Shaft by Cink Cross Mass Grave File:Dvojno brezno pri Cink krizu ograja.jpg, Double Shaft by Cink Cross Mass Grave

References

External links

Cink on Geopedia
{{Dolenjske Toplice Former populated places in the Municipality of Dolenjske Toplice