Village of Topli Vrh Today, as we ascend the asphalt road from Črmošnjice towards the Gače ski resort or venture further into the vast forest, we have only telltale signs that we are passing through one of the largest former Gottscheer villages in this part of Kočevski Rog. This is Topli Vrh, situated on the sunny side of Topli vrh Hill. As early as prehistoric times, there was a hillfort…
Culture
The Mala Knežja jama (Fürstloch) and the Jama nad Dolgim vodnjakom caves: archaeological sites in the central part of Kočevski Rog
Human presence in Kočevska Area in prehistoric times It is generally believed that Kočevski Rog was not inhabited until the 14th century, when the Gottscheers were colonised there by the…
crafts Culture Heritage
The Dvor Ironworks: the Story of the Rise (and Fall) of the Auersperg’s Iron Foundry
The first idea of establishing an ironworks in Dvor dates back to 1763, when Prince Heinrich of Auersperg first applied for a concession. He was unable to obtain a permission…
Culture Heritage
Reflection of the Aristocratic World in the Gottscheer Folk Song Tradition
Gottscheer couple (Balthasar Hacquet 1778)…
Culture Heritage
How Did Micika v püngradi come to the Kočevska Region? – Folk Songs of the Prekmurje Region in Kočevska Region
How Did Micika v püngradi come to the Kočevska Region? – Folk Songs of the Prekmurje Region in Kočevska Region
The multicultural character of the wider Kočevska area could be thought of as a single intertwined “culture” or community. It is home to people who have migrated from all over…
Heritage History
Cemetery in Stari Log
The cemetery in Stari Log (Altlag) near Kočevje is one of the best preserved Gottscheer cemeteries. It is not only the eternal resting place of the inhabitants of Stari Log,…
Events Gottscheer Communities
German-speaking community: Reflection on the diversity in the Alpe-Adria region
The Alpe-Adria region, which also includes Austria’s Carinthia and Styria, the Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Slovenia and Istria, is a laboratory of many of the characteristics that both divide and unite the…
Art Culture
Artistic activity in Kočevska region
Artistic activity, both by academic and amateur artists, has a special character in Kočevska region. On the one hand, it is strongly linked to the natural features of the area,…
Heritage History
Kočevje Coal Mine: Turbulent mining history of Kočevje
Kočevska region is known for its natural resources, especially its vast, intact forests. In the (not so) distant past, the area was rich in another natural resource that had a…
Culture Heritage Tourism
A stroll through the village of Občice (Gott. Khrapflern)
“Isn’t even the humblest dwelling magnificent, when it is observed intimately?” I took a walk through the village of Občice occupied with similar thoughts as the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard…
Animals Environment
Lynx, the mysterious feline of Slovenian forests
Most probably you will never spot a lynx in the wild. We may see traces of its footprints in the mud or snow. Yet the very thought of a large…
Heritage History
Franc Volf, a miner from Kočevje: memories of a miner’s life in Kočevje
Unfortunately, there are less and less former miners from Kočevje still alive today. One of the few retired mine workers who still remembers his mining years with great joy and…
Events Gottscheer Communities Heritage Tourism
Student project for the Gottscheer ethnological exhibition in Občice
The Society of Native Gottschee Settlers On the main road through the village of Občice in the municipality of Dolenjske Toplice stands a restored, blue-painted old farmhouse. Since 1998, it…
Heritage History
130 years of the Kočevje railway
Inaugaration of the Kočevje railway »Hey, how it crackled yesterday in Lower Carniola (Dolenjska), down towards Kočevska land! And rightly so. For such a national holiday promoting economic progress will…
Gottscheer Communities
Where do Gottscheers Live around the World? – Part II: Gottscheers in New York
Gottscheers in New Yorku: First stop – Brooklyn Church life played a very important role in the integration of the first immigrants from Kočevje in the USA and for their…