Katzenstein Mansion

Katzenstein Mansion stands in the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem, a few kilometres from Radovljica, at the foot of the Karavanke, and it is one of the most important places of remembrance of the Second World War in Slovenia. The building is a large country house, surrounded by a park, and it was originally a residence of a wealthy family. In April 1941, after Germany occupied the Gorenjska region, the mansion and the neighbouring buildings of the former prison were taken over by the Gestapo, who used them as a prison and place of interrogation for members and suspected supporters of the resistance. Thousands of people passed through during the occupation, and many of them were later sent to concentration camps or executed, so the place is remembered as one of the darkest sites in the history of the region.

Today, the grounds have been laid out as a memorial park. Statues, plaques and monuments record the names and stories of the people who were held, and many were taken from here to be shot as hostages, a practice by which the occupiers tried to deter resistance. The park is quiet and carefully kept, with paths, trees and benches that invite reflection, and the contrast between the pleasant landscape and the history it recalls is striking. Every year, an event is held to mark the liberation of the prison at the end of the war, in May 1945, and relatives, veterans and young people gather to remember.

Inside the mansion, the Museum of Hostages presents the history of the prison and of the occupation in Gorenjska through documents, photographs, personal belongings and testimonies. It tells the story of individuals as well as of events, which gives it a human dimension, and it places the experience of Begunje in the wider context of the war in Slovenia, where the country was divided among three occupiers. A visit is thought-provoking and moving, and it takes an hour or two, but visitors should check the opening arrangements in advance, since they vary by season, and may need to book groups.

Begunje is also known for a very different reason: it is the home village of the Avsenik brothers, whose polka and folk music made the Slovenian sound famous across Europe. The village is a pleasant place to stop, and Radovljica, with its beautiful old town, is nearby. Radovljica offers the Gingerbread Museum, the Museum of Apiculture, Linhart Square, Radovljica Manor and various museums and galleries, so visitors can combine a serious morning at Katzenstein with a gentler afternoon in the old town.