In 1989 I decided to separate my memories from reality. My first stop on this journey was visit Kocevje (formerly Gottschee). The house where I was born was gone. The land were the house stood is now occupied by a bus stop. The house where I grew up has been extensively remodeled.

The house where I spent my life from 1934 to 1942.

The castle was replaced by a war memorial, but the church where I was baptized in 1933 is still there.

My father's fishing spot has not changed all that much. The river's shores have been improved. I don't think the kids who live in Kocevje now can look forward to Hochwasser anymore.

I found only stone remnants of my former homeland. The spirits of those who once lived there were nowhere in sight. It was not until I traveled to Graz that I found what I was seeking.

The building on the right is a Gottscheer Memorial. It is located in the outskirts of Graz and was erected by fellow Gottscheers who were displaced in World War II together with all of us.

Inside the memorial I found the spirits of my homeland.

Among them were my relatives, notably the Rom's and the Kresse's.

Note: My father Richard Rom never left Gottschee. The other Roms and Kresses were murdered at war's end. We never found out how, where, or why!

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