The   building   was   built   in   1857,   which   can   be seen   from   inscription   on   the   wooden   portal above   the   door   of   the   outer   balcony.   Even   as late   as   1930,   the   building   still   functioned   as residential   house   of   the   settlement   Studeno (Brunnsee)   which   then   consisted   of   around   30 people.        Mostly        they        were        Kočevarji (Gotteschers),      residents      of      Kočevska      of German   origin   who   settled   in   the   region   after 1330.

According   to   an   older   resident,   Josip   Broz   Tito,   who   was   then   the   leader   of   Yugoslavia,   also   spent   the night   in   the   lodge   Studeno,   during   one   of   his   bear   hunting   trips.   In   the   late   50s,   an   outbuilding   was built   at   the   side   which   functioned   as   a   stable   for   horses.   For   over   a   decade   the   building   and   stable functioned   as   the   Foresters’   Lodge   Studeno.   Two   cooks   and   several   rangers   lived   in   it.   Usually   they returned   to   civilisation,   meaning   Kocevje,   after   receiving   their   monthly   salaries.   The   lodge   ceased working   around   the   year   1970   due   to   changes   in   foresting   technology   (they   began   using   tractors   to put away the wood). The lodge was bought and renovated in the last decade.

THE STORY ABOUT FOREST COTTAGE STUDENO

THE SURROUNDINGS

The   lodge   is   located   in   the   middle   of   a   forest,   on   the   edge   of   a   bigger   clearing,   ideal   for   watching   the   wildlife   in   the   forest,   meadow,   pond,   wildlife,   …   Directly   next to   the   lodge   is   a   gravel   road   along   which   you   can   set   off   to   explore   the   forests   of   Kočevska.   Next   to   the   lodge   is   a   hut,   “Kožarca”,      covered   with   spruce   bark   where you   can   spend   the   night.   They   were   once   built   by   foresters   when   they   arrived   in   a   new   region   to   cut   down   wood   and   lived   in   them   for   several   months.   There   is also a Boules court.

THE INTERIOR

The      lodge      has      everything      needed      for comfortable    spending    of    your    leisure    time. You     will     be     thrilled     with     the     unusual furnishings,   the   collection   of   lamps   made   out of   different,   unusually   used   materials.   Each door   has   its   own   unique   wooden   handle.   The inner   and   outer   ganks   have   been   built   using over   50   different   types   of   woods,   which   are labelled with their Latin and Slovene names.

After   the   war,   only   this   lodge   was   renovated, and   the   area   surrounding   was   closed   off   for military   purposes.   Nearby   the   remainders   of barriers,   which   had   once   prohibited   entry,   are still   visible.   1.5   km   north   of   the   lodge,   in   the old   village   Svetli   Potok,   there   are   remainders of     a     military     shooting     range.     The     last inhabitants   of   the   building   abandoned   it   soon after   the   war,   when   planes   dropped   concrete bombs    on    the    nearby    range    as    part    of    a military exercise.

In   the   late   part   of   1941,   in   the   middle   of      the Second    World    War,    the    inhabitants    left    the village   and   resettled   in   the   empty   homes   in Posavje    (south-eastern    Slovenia).    After    the war,   they   moved   all   over   the   world.   During   the Roška   Offensive   in   1942,   the   village   was   burnt down    and    de-mined    by    Italian    soldiers    to ensure   that   the   empty   homes   weren’t   being used as hiding places by Partisans.

Wooden portal

Italian army in Svetli Potok, year 1942

The   Stable   (“Štala”)   is   situated   in   the   central   part   of   the cottage,    a    large    area    that    once    housed    up    to    twelve Bosnian     mountain     horses     which     were     used     by     the foresters   as   working   horses.   These   days,   it   serves   as   the main    living    area    of    the    lodge.    There    you    can    find    the bathroom   with   two   sinks,   a   urinal,   a   toilet   and   a   shower. On    the    first    floor,    which    can    be    accessed    through    the inside   or   through   the   outer   balcony,   you   can   find   the   old kitchen   and   bedroom.   In   the   old   kitchen   remain   the   details from   the   past   (wooden   floor,   old   cupboard,   old   stove,   …). Even   the   bedroom,   which   now   houses   two   bunk   beds   and a   single   bed,   allowing   five   guests,   is   the   same   as   it   as   was when   the   foresters   lived   in   it.   In   the   loft,   you   can   sleep   on   a 2x   double   mattress   or   a   single   mattress,   making   five   beds in    total.    If    needed,    more    mattresses    can    be    provided allowing more guests to sleep.

The     building     encompasses     166     m ² .     A contemporarily     furnished     kitchen     (glass stove,    fridge,    dishwasher,    electric    over, microwave   oven   and   an   old   stove   which can   be   used   for   heating   and   cooking)   and “Yugo-nostalgic”   room   with   two   beds   and   a collection    of    useful    and    artistic    objects from   the   period   of   the   former   Yugoslavia are both situated on the ground floor.

(relaxed, unusual, homely)

(a clearing in the middle of a forest)

Josip Broz - Tito

Bosnian working horse

Remains of a barrier

Former center for weapons training

Former shooting range

Signsposts