Yugoslav-era phone spying hub opposite Postojna caves opened to public
Postojna, 2 April - Visitors of the famous Postojnska Jama caves will be able to access yet another well hidden secret as of today, but this time of a very different kind. A museum of eavesdropping will open at Jama Hotel right next to the caves after a "non-existing" phone surveillance nest of the communist secret police was discovered during renovation works.
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation. Pictured is Postojnska Jama CEO Marjan Bategelj.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation. Pictured is the door leading to the secret rooms.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
Postojna
A museum of eavesdropping opens at Jama Hotel in Postojna after secret rooms were discovered in it a few years ago during renovation.
Photo: Rosana Rijavec/STA
The premises of the complex, which looks very much like a former spying hub, number several rooms and can also be accessed from the caves. They were discovered only in 2017, as they were reportedly not drawn in the hotel's original plans.
Jama Hotel was built during a Yugoslav boom period in 1971 and welcomed many a political leader from around the world. It was left to dilapidate after the breakup of Yugoslavia but was saved and reopened a few years ago.
According to Marjan Batagelj, the general manager of tourism firm Postojnska Jama, one of the side entries to the hotel oddly stood out after renovation, since its door had failed to get replaced.
Hiding behind the door was a world from the past, equipped with furniture from the 1970s, boxes for storing tapes, and phone tapping terminals connected to the hotel's lines and way beyond.
The police were the first to examine the premises, followed by employees of the Slovenian national intelligence agency SOVA and of the national archives.
The equipment and furniture were left behind, while the documentation was taken to the archives with copies made for the needs of the museum.
Visitors will be able to listen to selected recordings and to an audio guide about what is believed to have happened in these rooms. Only six people will be able to visit at a time.
"It is not up to us to look for the truth. We decided to bring in experts and let them explain how this equipment works. If we have no evidence - with the exception of a single army tape - we cannot say that these rooms were used for eavesdropping," Batagelj told the press on Monday, adding visitors would be able to reach a conclusion on their own.