- Kocevski Rog. Beginning in June 2026, we will hold one-day tours to Kocevski Rog. Kocevski Rog is the site of the post-World War II mass executions of fleeing refugees and former soldiers who fled to Austria to request protection from the British, but were sent back to communist Yugoslavia. There are 12 known concealed mass graves in this mountainous region. We will visit two of the largest: Kren and Macesnova Gorica. Kren contains over 3,000 victims, thought to be mostly Serbian and Croatian. This mass grave has still not been exhumed. The second is Macesnova Gorica. In 2022 3,450 Slovenian victims were exhumed. The victims were tortured before being killed without judicial process. The bones are still in an ossuary, waiting to be buried.
The Kočevski Rog forest in southern Slovenia is one of the country’s most remote and striking landscapes—a vast karst plateau of dense fir and beech woods, limestone sinkholes, and deep, silent ravines. Walking here, you encounter an almost primeval stillness: long stretches without settlements, filtered light through tall trees, and the sense of being far removed from modern life. Marked trails and forest roads allow visitors to explore responsibly, and the area is valued for hiking, wildlife observation, and its raw, unspoiled beauty. Yet this tranquility carries a great weight that is not immediately visible, and many visitors come not only for nature but also for reflection and investigation.
Hidden among these woods are numerous post-World War II mass graves, some containing over 3,000 victims each. In June 1945 after the war was over, the new communist government of Yugoslavia killed tens of thousands of people. Former soldiers and civilians associated with anti-communist forces were bound with wire, tortured, executed without trial, and thrown into remote pits and caves. Sites such as the abyss at Jama pod Macesnovo gorico have since become places of remembrance and ongoing historical inquiry. Today, memorials and marked locations invite quiet, respectful visits. Glass shards from the victims can still be found, as well as the caustic lime used to cover up the bodies. Sometimes human bones are found. For prospective visitors, the experience is not one of conventional tourism but of contemplation: a chance to engage with a difficult chapter of European history, honor the victims, and reflect on the consequences of war and its aftermath.
Slovenia has over 800 concealed mass graves from the WWII era, and not all have yet been found. Most of these mass graves are not marked, and they are not easily found. And—in contrast to crimes committed by the Nazis—no one was ever prosecuted or held accountable for this largest crime against humanity committed in Europe after World War II.
It is important to reveal history and truth about such crimes, because exposing crimes against humanity and establishing the truth are essential for a society that wishes to move forward into democracy. Honest acknowledgment of past atrocities restores dignity to victims, builds public trust in institutions, and helps prevent denial, revisionism, and the repetition of violence. Democracies depend on accountability, transparency, and the rule of law; without confronting past abuses, societies remain divided by fear, silence, and unresolved injustice. Truth-telling is therefore not only a moral obligation, but also a foundation for reconciliation, civic confidence, and a stable democratic future.
Specific graves
Kocevski Rog Macesnova Gorica is a mass grave from post-World War II in Slovenia. It contained approximately 3,450 victims, it is one of the largest mass graves in Slovenia. They were mostly Slovenians who had been members of the Slovene Home Guard/Domobranci, who had been forcibly repatriated by the British back to Tito in Yugoslavia. This mass grave was exhumed by Slovenian authorities. The right femur from each victim was removed and has been preserved for future DNA analysis. The bones are currently stored in the ossuary in Dobrova, the large cemetery in Maribor Slovenia.
Kocevski Rog Jama pod Kren is a mass grave from post-World War II in Slovenia. With the approximate number of victims numbering in the thousands, it is one of the largest mass graves in Slovenia. In June 1945, after the end of the war, Yugoslav communist authorities carried out extrajudicial executions of over 100,000 people around Slovenia. The victims of Jama pod Kren have been determined to be mostly Serbian and Croatian, who had been forcibly repatriated by the British back to Tito in Yugoslavia. The victims currently remain in the mass grave and have not been exhumed.
Director: The tour is directed by Maria Velikonja, who has worked in the field of human rights for 50 years. She is a former investigator with the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for the 1990’s war in Bosnia. Velikonja and her family have a long history working in the field of Slovenian culture and human rights. Her relative was Anton Bonaventura Jeglic, Archbishop of Ljubljana, who was widely regarding as a champion of Slovenian national rights and a champion of national education. Her grandfather was Narte Velikonja, a writer and strong advocate for Slovenian culture, who was declared a martyr by the Catholic church after his show trial and execution in 1945.
The tour begins and ends in Ljubljana. It includes transportation to and from Kocevski Rog, visits to several of the mass grave sites, including Jama pod Kren and Macesnova gorico, and lunch at a gostilna in Kocevje.
Hours: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
The tour is available in English. Requests for the tour to be held in Italian or Slovenian should be emailed to slovenianhistoricaltours@gmail.com.
Here are videos from our 8-day tour in October 2025: