Vilikle Summit: Geographical Overview

The summit of Vilikle, at an elevation of 695 m, lies southwest of the village of Ramsrigelj. To the northwest rises the slightly higher Dekličina gora, also known as Verdrenška gora or Ferderbška gora (809 m), which forms an elongated ridge. The area consists of hilly karst terrain south of the Kočevje–Črnomelj regional road. Today, it is virtually uninhabited and covered by forest.

What Airborne Laser Scanning Data and Archaeological Field Survey Reveal

Visualisations of the airborne laser scanning data for Vilikle reveal traces of terracing along the slopes. In the field, north of these levelled areas, a collapsed stone embankment can also be observed, although it is not visible in the laser scanning visualisations. The site is well preserved, as the summit itself has remained virtually untouched since the location was abandoned, and even forestry tracks do not cut across it.<br/>Archaeological sites at similar elevations, featuring embankments and terraced slopes, are known from various periods in Slovenia, most commonly from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Late Antiquity. In Late Antiquity, sites that had already been inhabited in prehistoric times were often selected for reuse.

Fragments of pottery and burnt clay can be found on the ground at the summit. Their condition is poor due to exposure to the elements, and they do not allow the site to be dated more precisely. Based on their general characteristics, they can tentatively be assigned to a period before the modern era, possibly prehistory, Late Antiquity or the Middle Ages. More precise dating would require archaeological excavations.<br/>Rich finds are not expected at sites of this kind. Nevertheless, even somewhat larger pottery sherds could help establish when the location was first inhabited and when it was abandoned, as well as provide insights into the lives of the people who called this place home centuries or even millennia ago.

In the immediate vicinity of the summit, numerous traces of the use of the forested terrain can be observed. These are most likely later than the site on Vilikle and probably date to the early modern period or later. Charcoal-burning platforms are common. They were used for charcoal production and are scattered across the hillsides and in dolines. In airborne laser scanning visualisations, they appear as circular or oval platforms, or levelled areas, measuring approximately 5–15 m across.<br/>Several lime kilns can also be found in the area. These were used for lime production and appear in the laser scanning visualisations as raised, ring-shaped structures. They most commonly measure 5–10 m across, with the greatest concentration found at the bottoms of dolines.<br/>A group of three lime kilns and a pile of stones north of Vilikle is particularly interesting. The stone pile may represent a prepared lime kiln that was never fired. Cuts in the limestone bedrock, where stone was extracted for lime production, are also visible in this area.

What Happened at Vilikle?

Apart from the question of dating the site on Vilikle, many other questions remain unanswered. It is not yet known whether the site was a settlement occupied over an extended period, a military outpost used only intermittently, or something else entirely.<br/>The location appears unfavourable for permanent settlement. The terrain is dry and rocky, with a shallow soil layer, and no traces of cultivated land have been identified around the hill. On the other hand, the location offers certain strategic advantages. Although the ridge of Dekličina gora blocks the view to the west, the terrain is open towards the east and southeast, overlooking the Spodnja Loška dolina, as well as towards the north and northeast.<br/>The terrain is somewhat lower in these directions, and a road now runs through this area, connecting Bela krajina with the Kočevje Field via Knežja Lipa, Rajndol and Mozelj. If an earlier route between Bela krajina and the Kočevje Field followed the same natural corridor, the location on Vilikle would have provided an opportunity to monitor it.

The stone embankment north of the terraced area raises the question of whether the summit was fortified in the past. If the embankment served a defensive purpose, the inhabitants of the Kočevje region at the time must have anticipated a threat against which they sought protection. Since this part of the region has remained almost entirely unexplored archaeologically, any interpretation of what actually took place here in the past must, for now, remain hypothetical.

Dekličina gora (German: Mädchenberg)

Looking beyond Vilikle itself, the nearby Dekličina gora is also of archaeological interest. A pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary was built on its northern part in 1636, during the tenure of parish priest Hess. It featured a Late Gothic sanctuary with a ribbed vault and Gothic windows, a wooden ceiling and three altars. The church was destroyed by fire in 1882. Following its restoration, a porch was added, and a new altar was made by H. Jonke in 1891. The church also had a small bell tower containing two bells.<br/>After the Second World War, between 1952 and 1955, the church was demolished. One of its bells survived. In 1955, a priest from Zdihovo concealed it by burying it in an agricultural outbuilding (Zupan, Ferenc, Dolinar 1993, 169–171).

What prompted the Gottscheers to build a church on Dekličina gora, and why the hill held special significance for them, might be revealed by archival sources or oral tradition. Whether the choice of this location also reflects an earlier significance of the site remains unknown. In this context, the unusual place names Dekličina gora and Vilikle are also of interest.

Do you have any information about Vilikle Hill?

Modern technologies have given this seemingly monotonous, forested landscape an entirely new dimension. They have revealed the remains of a site that had been completely forgotten for centuries or even millennia. Many questions about the site and its significance remain unanswered. Some, such as the question of its precise dating, could be addressed through archaeological excavations. Others, including the significance of Dekličina gora and the origins of the place names, might be investigated through archival research and oral sources. If you know of any stories associated with Vilikle or Dekličina gora, please contact us or leave a comment below the article.

Sources:

• GURS: https://www.e-prostor.gov.si/ (citirano 24. 9. 2026).
• Triglav Čekada, M. in Bric, V. (2015). Končan je projekt laserskega skeniranja Slovenije = The project of laser scanning of Slovenia is completed. Geodetski vestnik, 59(3), 586–592.
• Zupan, G., Ferenc, M. in Dolinar, F. M. (1993). Cerkve na Kočevskem nekoč in danes = Die Gottscheer Kirchen einst und heute. Kočevje: Muzej; Župnija.

In the latest post, read about the Church of the Three Wise Men in Črni Potok.

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