A walk along the wire, a memory of courage

Many children decided to walkt the Path Along the Wire this weekend. 

Why it is important to continue with the tradition? Eight grader Kaja Trontelj from OŠ France Bevk reports.

The path along the wire – the path of memories and comradeship

The path along the wire or path of memories and comradeship is a post-war monument to mark the times when Ljubljana was surrounded by a barbed wire.

This is a 32.5 km long, undemanding route around Ljubljana, which attracts more than 30,000 people every spring, from pre-school children to older and experienced hikers.

Students in particular are often not aware of the importance of this walk around Ljubljana.

The path follows the line of the barbed wire which during the Second World War separated the city of Ljubljana from the rest of the country.

Since few towns were completely occupied, the occupation of Ljubljana has an important place in history.

Ljubljana was fenced in by the Italian army for more than three years. This later became a symbol of defiance of the occupiers, as the Partisans and other people crossed the wire using secret passages.

At our school, too, each year at the beginning of May students from the 1st to 9th grades follow the path along the wire, but start the journey at different locations.

Our goal is to walk the whole path over nine years.

Despite the importance of this event, many of my classmates are not really aware of what we remember on this day, what we mark, and we also do not talk about the meaning of the path along the wire.

[Instead] this day is an opportunity to talk and socialise with friends, and we also look forward to the walk, because then there are no lessons.

We should have thought many times about the wire that cut off Ljubljana and prevented people from living the free life that we live today.

We should remember the people who did not want to live inside the wire in constant fear of the occupiers, the people who decided to fight back in their own way and thereby create a symbol of resistance and defiance.

This is the true meaning of the path along the wire: never to forget those lives without freedom, in fear, as well as their defiance and courage.

The walk along the wire is therefore much more than just a hike. It is a time when we remember the occupation of Ljubljana and the rebellion of people who wanted to live their lives without wires that would limit their freedom.

Kaja Trontelj, an 8thgrade student from OŠ Franceta Bevka, Ljubljana

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The original version of this article was published on May 4th.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.