Memorial Monument to Franc Jeza

Franc Jeza was born in Spodnja Hajdina, at today’s Brlek homestead, on December 30, 1916. Throughout the post-war period, he advocated the need for an independent Slovenian state. He was perhaps the most resourceful, and maybe also the most persistent. In fact, he was the only political emigrant who settled in the Trieste area after the Second World War. Although between 1941 and 1945 he supported the Liberation Front, he later published books and collections on the subject of Slovenian independence at his own expense. When columns of Yugoslav shoppers streamed into Trieste from across the border, Jeza also began a propaganda campaign, placing leaflets under the windshield wipers of cars coming from Slovenia. These clearly stated: “We want a Slovenian state!” With them, he sought to convince Slovenians to put strong pressure on the then communist elite to break free from Belgrade’s dominance. For this reason, the Municipality of Hajdina decided to erect a memorial to Franc Jeza, as part of the fountain and square in front of the municipal building, designed by local academic sculptor Viktor Gojkovič, thus immortalizing his name in his hometown as well.