Over 600 hikers at the 34th winter hike Arihova peč 2012!
ŠENTJAKOB V ROŽU/CELOVEC, 04 March 2012 – This year's already 34th winter hike Arihova peč, organized since 1979 by the Slovenian Sports Association, Slovenian Mountaineering Association and Slovenian Cultural Association "Rož" in memory of the fallen fighters under Arihova peč, was completely successful. The event this year also took place under the sign of the 70th anniversary of the violent deportation of Carinthian Slovenes to Nazi camps in Germany, attracting over 600 hikers from Carinthia and Styria, Slovenia, Italy and even from Croatia.
Among the participants there were also numerous honorary guests, including Slovenian General Consul in Klagenfurt Dragica Urtelj, the only surviving partisan from the bunker under Arihova peč Bogdan Mohor-Ston (87), president of the Carinthian Partisans' Association and vice-president of the Slovenian Emigrants' Association Dr. Katja Sturm-Schnabl, presidents of the Association of Slovenian Organizations and Slovenian Cultural Association Dr. Marjan Sturm and Dr. Avguštin Brumnik, chairman of the supervisory board of the Bank Association DI Feliks Wieser, provincial deputy KPA from Styria Ernest Kaltenegger, mayor of Ljubno municipality in Savinja valley Franjo Naraločnik. Also the elder of Slovenian mountaineers in Carinthia, honorary member of the Slovenian Sports Association and initiator of the memorial hike Arihova peč, Lubo Urbajs (89), came to Čemernica.
The hike this year again led from the start at Polanc on Čemernica first to the renovated partisan bunker and memorial plaque under Arihova peč, then up the (this year dry) slopes to the mountain hut of the Slovenian Mountaineering Association Klagenfurt at Bleščeča (1,084 m), hikers returned to the valley past Ressmann hut to the festive conclusion at Polanc. And also on this year's hike, which took place in dry weather, there was no lack of sociability - neither at the hut at Bleščeča, where members of the Slovenian Mountaineering Association Klagenfurt led by president Hanzej Lesjak welcomed the hikers, nor at the finish at Čemernica, where a snack, drinks and even music were prepared for the hikers. Every participant also received a diploma for participation in the hike.
On behalf of the organizers, the chairman of the organizing committee Danilo Prušnik and moderator Tatjana Kupper also this year awarded numerous hikers with a gold badge who participated in the hike for the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th time. Fifth time: Ivanka Čulič, Bernard Rutnik... [shortened for brevity, full list same as slo]; ... 30th time: Brigitte Prušnik.
A look at the list of hikers confirmed that more and more (also young) hikers from the entire bilingual area of Carinthia and German-speaking fellow citizens participate in the memorial and at the same time sports-recreational event, participation of hikers from all Slovenia has been at a high level for years – members of mountaineering associations from Styria via Carinthia, Upper Carniola and Ljubljana to Primorska. The strongest groups from Slovenia this year came from Tržič, Celje and Ljubno. This year two strong groups of Slovenian mountaineering associations from Italy also participated, namely from Trieste and Gorizia. The hike was also attended again by Radisav Aleksić, a faithful hiker from Samobor near Zagreb.
In addition to the large number of hikers, over 40 volunteers from the Slovenian Mountaineering Association Klagenfurt, the local cultural association "Rož" and the Slovenian Sports Association contributed to the success of this year's event. As every year, numerous sponsors supported the event, including Bank Association in Klagenfurt, Savings Banks Šentjakob v Rožu, Borovlje-Klagenfurt, Bilčovs, Zila-Beljak, Pliberk, Podjuna and Železna Kapla, ski factory Elan at Brnci, Unser Lagerhaus in Šentjakob, and others.
The jubilee 35th winter hike Arihova peč will be on Sunday, March 3, 2013.
Source: planinci.at