The commemoration of the battle of Dražgoše will be addressed by author Saša Vuga and attended by several senior officials, including PM Miro Cerar, Speaker Milan Brglez and President of the National Council Mitja Bervar.

The event will be the culmination of several hikes along the Partisan routes on the Jelovica hill in the region of Gorenjsko.

Those who go on the longest, 10-12 hour hikes set off already during the night to arrive at the 12 o'clock commemoration.

The event traditionally attracts tens of thousands of people, last year 10,000, and is usually addressed by officials such as prime minister, president, ministers, as well as historians.

The battle of Dražgoše started on 9 January 1942, when the over 200-strong Cankarjev Battalion tried to stop German troops advancing towards the village of Dražgoše.

It was fought in deep snow and below-zero temperatures against some 2,000 Nazi Germans to prevent deportations of locals.

After three days, the German troops reached the village and killed 20 locals and another 20 in retaliation after the Partisans retreated.

The Nazis, who lost over 100 soldiers, completely destroyed the village and drove the survivors out of it. The Partisans lost nine soldiers.

The battle of Dražgoše was the biggest battle in Gorenjsko during WWII and until then the biggest resistance battle in the Third Reich.

Chair of the organising committee Drago Štefe says the rebellion against the Germans and the battle of Dražgoše represented a first significant resistance against the Nazis, who had by them invaded practically entire Europe.