The event was held on the specially marked 33-km gravel path that runs along what used to be a barbed wire surrounding Ljubljana when it was occupied first by Italian and then German forces.

The barbed wire around Ljubljana was put up in 1942 by the Italian occupying forces in order to stop supplies to the Partisan resistance movement.

Ljubljana was the only European city at the time to be locked out in such a way, a regime lasting for 1,170 days until the end of WWII in 1945.

Put up within three days in the length of almost 30 kilometres, the wire was lined with bunkers and minefields and patrolled by 2,500 troops.

Prime Minister Miro Cerar told the press as he attended today's march that he could vividly remember participating in the event as a schoolboy.

He is glad that Slovenians are commemorating the times of their fierce struggle against fascism and Nazism, which no-one wants to be repeated.

According to Cerar, it is right to remember these times and to raise the awareness that the foundations of Slovenia's statehood had been set back then.

The hike was also attended by Speaker Brglez and other senior members of the ruling Modern Centre Party (SMC), including official spokesperson Lilijana Kozlovič.

Kozlovič said that the Walk along the Wire bore the values of comradeship and solidarity and told that it was possible to beat what was considered unbeatable.

Also joining the event were coalition Social Democrats (SD) president and Agriculture Minister Dejan Židan, Labour minister Anja Kopač Mrak and other members of the party.

The Walk along the Wire events started with kindergarten children braving a part of the path on Thursday. Around 9,000 primary and and secondary school children followed them on Friday.

A novelty introduced this year at the initiative of the WWII Veterans' Association is the Let's Hug Ljubljana moment.

The participants of the hike held their hands today at noon at the sound of the civil defence siren to form a human chain around the capital.

The events also included runs along the path of three-member teams in the distance of 12.5 and 29 kilometres, and a run of three-member teams from primary and secondary schools in the distance of 3 kilometres.