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, at the same time it bears witness to the events that shaped Stari Log and its surroundings, as well as the wider Kočevska region. As a witness to the past and a meeting place bringing together different remembrances, the cemetery…
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…
Gottscheer Communities History
Where do Gottscheers Live around the World? – Part I: Gottscheers in Cleveland
Especially in the summer months, increasing number of cars with foreign registration plates can be seen driving on Kočevska roads, sometimes even some buses. In addition to visitors attracted to…
Gottscheer Communities Sport
A “Gottscheer” Star among the Heroes of the World Cup
The most high-profile sporting event of 2022 was undoubtedly the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The most important sideshow in the world has been the central theme for…
History Sport
Soccer in Kočevska Region from the Beginnings to the World War II
Soccer is by far the most popular and widespread sport worldwide. In fact, one might even say it is the only sport that is played professionally or on amateur level…
Culture
Pilichmandle – protector of the dormouse
The forests of Kočevje (Gottschee), with their beauty and mysteries, have often stirred human imagination. People have made up stories about natural phenomena and unusual events that they could not…
History
A childhood stolen: memories of the (post)war period in the Dragarska valley (Suchenertal) and the surrounding villages
On the way to Dragarska valley (Suchenertal) As I follow the road south of the Hrib – Loški Potok settlement, surrounded by peaceful green surroundings, enlivened in this autumn season…