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Cemetery

Jakob Aljaž

The cemetery is situated around St Michael’s church POVEZAVA. The old and the new parts of the graveyard both belong to the local cultural heritage. Here lie the graves of local people important for our villages and their history, sports and mountaineering. 

Jakob Aljaž,  priest 

You can find the grave of Jakob Aljaž by the entrance to the vestry of the church.

Jakob Aljaž, priest of Dovje, started his job in 1889 and died still working as Dovje priest in 1927. He was also a composer (song 'Oj Triglav moj dom'), a singer, a mountain worker and the originator of many alpine huts and trails.

His walking stick which he used in the mountains is on display in the Slovenian Alpine Museum POVEZAVA in Mojstrana.

Klement Jug, alpine climber

You can find the grave of this important climber on the west side of the cemetery by the south wall.

Klement Jug was a climber and a philosopher who set the foundations of modern Slovenian alpine climbing. Climbing was a challenge to test one's physical and mental abilities. The principle he followed was 'if there’s a will, there’s a way'. During his short life (1898 -1924) he became one of the leading Slovenian climbers. A climbing route on the Triglav North Face bears his name, the Jug Column, because he died there in an accident while attempting a solo climb.

A hut in the valley Lepena is also named after Klement Jug.

Janez Polda, ski jumper

His grave is on the west side of the cemetery by the wall.

Janez Polda was awarded a 'Golden Heron', a rare honorary sign, in 1979. An international ski jump memorial competition was organized under his name from 1965 to 1980 at Planica. There is also a road named after him in Mojstrana.

He was a ski jumper from 1947 to 1956. He was the national champion, a participant in the world championships and twice an Olympian (USA: Lake Placid, Sweden: Falun). In 1949 he jumped a record 86m, which he held until March 15 1964. In 1948 he jumped 120m at Planica, which was the longest ski jump at that time, but unfortunately he slightly touched the ground with his hand when he landed so the record was not allowed.

Fanny Susan Copeland, teacher of English, admirer of Slovene mountains

Her grave is in the new part of the cemetery close to the entrance, on the right side.

Fanny Susan Copeland was a pioneer of Slovene-Scottish friendship. In 1921 she started a job in Slovenia as an English language lecturer at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. During the Second World War, when the Italians occupied Slovenian territory, Miss Fanny (her nickname) moved back home, but she returned in 1953. She died in 1970 when she was 98 years old, and it was her wish to be buried in Dovje.

She praised Slovenian mountains in English newspapers as an original and unspoilt natural world. Together with Mara Mirka Debelak, she prepared a contemporary guidebook A Short Guide to the Slovene Alps for British and American Tourists.

Zvone Kofler

Zvone Kofler, alpine climber

His grave is on the west side of the cemetery between the church and the western wall. Zvone was a member of the golden team of 'Mojstrana squirrels', together with Janko Ažman, Klavdij Mlekuž, and Janez Brojan. He lost his life in 1971 travelling back by car from the Hindu Kush after he had climbed Istor-o-Nal. Our local Mountain Rescue Service organizes a memorial ski competition every April in the Vrata valley.

A memorial plaque to a soldier of Austro-Hungarian army

You can find the plaque on the south cemetery wall along the road. It dates from 1813 when the soldier was killed fighting against the French army.

 

Mountaineers' graves

It is interesting to visit the old graves of the mountaineers and climbers who lost their lives when climbing or hiking in the Slovenian Julian Alps.