Originally, a marble plaque with the following inscription was carved into the north wall of the cemetery in memory and gratitude of the three fallen partisans:
Eternal glory to the three fallen partisans, killed on 9 May 1945
at Kotmara vas / Köttmansdorf in the fight against fascism
for the freedom of Slovenian Carinthia.
None of the three fallen heroes is known by name or surname. All that is known is that they fell near Humperk / Hollenburg Castle in a battle with the remnants of the SS-Division Prinz Eugen, which was retreating from Yugoslavia together with the White Guards, Chetniks and Ustasha and other servants of the German occupiers. They were reburied from a temporary grave near of Šentkandolf / St. Gandolph to the cemetery of Kotmara vas / Köttmansdorf on 30 March 1947. The priest who performed the solemn funeral service, Dean Kristijan Koschier, spoke the following beautiful words, among others, at the open grave:
"We don't know your names, dear heroic warriors, but we do know,
that you have selflessly fought for our freedom; that is why it was
your suffering was our suffering, your longing our longing,
your goals our goals and your struggle the struggle of us all
for this land of ours in which you will now rest."
Now, in the cemetery of Kotmara vas / Köttmansdorf, a new monument (125cm high, 120cm wide) stands on their grave, made of stone and with an artistic relief on the front. The carved inscription in both regional languages is simple:
To the Fallen Partisans 1941-1945
Three unknown fighters
Remembering Karel Prušnik-Gašper
One of the pioneers and organisers of the Carinthian partisanship, Karel Prušnik-Gašper, is buried in the cemetery in Kotmara vas / Köttmansdorf. He was born on 7 February 1910 in Lepena nad Železno Kaplo / Leppen ober Bad Eisenkappel; he died on 16 March 1980 in Ljubljana. His 70-year life path was that of a nationally and socially conscious proletarian. In December 1942, he joined the first Carinthian partisan company, which, together with other OF activists, opened the doors of homes in the hills around Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel with the Slovenian word and partisan song. As a good expert on the political and social situation in Carinthia, in 1943 he became Secretary of the District Committee of the KPS for Podjuna / Jauntal and a member of the Regional Committee of the OF for Carinthia.
He held these positions until the collapse of Germany. As an organiser, he successfully carried out tasks in all areas of Carinthia in Podjuna / Jauntal, Rož / Rosental and north of the Drava / Drau and Velikovec / Völkermarkt. In September 1944, as a delegate from Carinthia, he attended the assembly of Slovenian political activists in Črnomelj. In October, he had already gone to the north side of the Drava / Drau to help the fighters of the Northern Battalion and the activists on the most difficult and dangerous terrain of Svinška planina / Saualpe. In May 1945, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Regional National Liberation Committee for Carinthia. From the foundation of the Association of Carinthian Partisans until his death in 1980, he was its President. The bronze bust on Gašper's grave is the work of sculptor Stojan Batič.
Location:
The cemetery is located in the middle of Kotmara vas / Köttmansdorf, on the left side of the road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt on a small hill, and the island of remembrance is located in the northern part of the cemetery. Not far from there is the grave of the first president of the Association of Carinthian Partisans, Karel Prušnik-Gašper.
We recommend: Prušnik-Gašper, Karl: Gamsi na plazu. 5. izdaja. Celovec, Drava, 2019.