Special Feature: The Thirsty Man

The Wise Men are accompanied by a Gottscheer man who, thirsty, drinks from a small barrel known as a putscherle. This small but remarkable detail reveals to visitors a glimpse of everyday life in the Kočevje region centuries ago. Putscherles were produced by the Gottscheers and sold in neighbouring regions and countries. Their importance is further attested by the fact that the renowned polymath Johann Weikhard Valvasor depicted the Gottscheers with putscherles in his extensive work The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (1689).

Other Church Furnishings

The Church of the Three Wise Men stands in the centre of the village of Črni Potok (German: Schwarzenbach), which is listed in the register of cultural heritage as settlement heritage due to its well-preserved village core. The church rises on a small elevation in the middle of the village. Remnants of the former village cemetery wall recall the old cemetery, which was relocated in 1836 to nearby Zajčje Polje (German: Hasenfeld, Gottscheerish: Huəshnbold).

In addition to the main fresco, the church contains other exceptionally well-preserved furnishings. Among these are smaller wall paintings of the Crucified Christ and St. Michael weighing souls on a scale, as well as a late-17th-century altar, which also depicts the Adoration of the Three Wise Men.

Above the clock mechanism in the bell tower hang two iron bells dating from 1923; the smaller one is a donation from the Eisenzopf family from America.

Threats to the Church Due to Structural Damage

Today, the church is unfortunately in very poor condition. Ground subsidence and earthquake damage have caused deep cracks in the structure, threatening both the building itself and the valuable frescoes. Without timely and appropriate measures, there is a serious risk that an important part of the historical and cultural heritage will be lost.

Since 2023, the Putscherle Institute has been working to protect and restore this cultural monument. A significant step forward was made at the beginning of 2025, when the Municipality of Kočevje allocated initial funds for professional analyses. These will precisely determine the necessary restoration measures – but it is already clear that the renovation will be extensive and financially demanding, and we will therefore be grateful for any donation.

The church in Črni Potok is not merely an architectural remnant. It is a bearer of local identity, a silent narrator of regional history, and a symbol of cultural coexistence in the Kočevje region. Preserving such places means preserving memory – and also creates opportunities for the development of cultural tourism in the region. Treh kraljev v Črnem Potoku ni le arhitekturni ostanek. Je nosilka identitete prostora, tiha pripovedovalka lokalne zgodovine in simbol sobivanja kultur na Kočevskem. Ohranitev takšnih krajev pomeni ohranitev spomina – pa tudi priložnost za razvoj kulturnega turizma na Kočevskem.

Sources:

Resman, Blaž in Helena Seražin. 2010. Upravna enota Kočevje: umetnostna topografija Kočevske. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC.

Zupan, Gojko, Ferenc, Mitja in France Dolinar. 1993. Cerkve na Kočevskem nekoč in danes. Kočevje: Župnija, Muzej.

V prejšnji objavi preberite: Turški vpadi: odsev v kočevarskem izročilu

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Podobe trpljenja in težkega življenja

The painter and sculptor Stane Jarm, who left the greatest artistic mark in Kočevsko area with his works, often combined both – nature of Kočevje and its past. Wood served as the basic material for his sculptures. His sculptures, such as the Stations of the Cross at the Pod Krenom burial site and the images of the suffering Christ, depict the suffering that characterised the inhabitants of Kočevska region.

Jarm’s pupil, the amateur sculptor Matija Glad (1912–1995), depicted mainly scenes from everyday life. His sculptures bring to life the coarse faces of charcoal burners, pedlars, dormouse hunters, blacksmiths and other images from the pre-World War II times.

Images of everyday village life are also reflected in the paintings of Martha Hutter from New York. A woman carrying a pail on her head, two Gottscheer women talking in the Gottscheer dialect by the bread oven, or a mother making butter in a churn while children wait for a snack are just a few of them.

Podobe kočevskih vasi

Born in Ovčjak (Schaflein) near Koprivnik, the painter and sculptor Michael Ruppe (1863–1951) is better known in Austria, where he lived and worked for most of his life, than in Kočevje. In Salzburg, they even named a street after him. In August 1928, when he and his wife visited Kočevsko area, he found inspiration for his work in the Kočevje landscape and villages, which he painted on numerous occasions. Images of Kočevje also served as inspiration to Roman Erich Petsche (1907–1993), who depicted them in “lumigraphs” – the name he gave to his mixed collage and pastel painting technique. The artist, who was known for not selling his works, was awarded the title “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Holocaust Memorial Centre in 1982. During the World War II, he saved two Jewish girls from the horrors of a concentration camp.

Fotografije Kočevske 

Photographers have also immortalised images of pre-war Kočevska region. The most widespread are photographs of Kočevje taken by a local Josef Dornig Jr. The photographic material from the period before the World War II was eventually “scattered around” various archives and museums in Slovenia, Austria and Germany. Among other things, there they store photographs of the so-called “German minority” researchers Hugo Grothe (1869–1954) and Rudolf Hartmann (1903–2002).

In the USA, John B. Gladitsch, who captured many images from the life of the emigrated Gottschee people and their associations. Photographers Vito Oražem (Germany) and Klavdij Sluban (France), both of whom were inspired by their experience of growing up in Kočevje, also found inspiration for (some of) their works in Kočevsko region. Oražem, in particular, with his keen eye for detail, captured with his works fragments of Kočevje’s reality that were hidden at first glance.

A particularly common motif of contemporary photographers of Kočevje, such as Petra and Stane Draškovič Pelc, Marjan Artnak and members of the Grča Photographic Society, is the Kočevje forests and their animal inhabitants. Every year, a nature photography exhibition is held under the auspices of the association.

Kočevska sodobna umetnost med lokalnostjo in identiteto

Artistic activity in Kočevska area is not only an aesthetic expression, but also a means of preserving identity, questioning the community and promoting dialogue between the past and the present. This is reflected in the work of writer and visual artist Lela B. Njatin, who, among other things, organised the exhibition Kočevje from the series Ljubljana is Making a Bow to Slovenia III at the Vžigalica Gallery in Ljubljana in 2019. She has selected works by some of the artists who have been connected to Kočevsko area, either professionally or residentially, between 2000 and 2019. They are linked into a thematic whole by the presence of death or passing, which have marked the past and present of Kočevje. Each of the works also reflects the content of the locale in the identity of the artist and/or his/her artistic expression, whether in the form of a (primeval)forest or urban infrastructure.

KočevArt: Gottschee (Kočevje) art exhibition

In September 2019, as part of the 5th Days of Gottschee Culture, which took place in Kočevje, the Putscherle Institute opened an exhibition of works made by Gottschee artists – KočevArt. The exhibition is the first broad presentation of artistic (academic and amateur) creation in the Kočevje region from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Visitors were able to look at paintings, sculptures and photographs by 20 academic and amateur artists lent to us by the authors themselves or their relatives.

The works of artists who create or have created in the wider Kočevje region or in Gottscheer communities abroad (Austria, USA and Canada), provide insight into the depth of human perception and depict life in the Kočevje region in different periods, which gives them great ethnological value. The exhibition reflects the social reality in the Kočevje region over a long period of time, as the art work not only depicts everyday life (depicting a conversation in the Kočevje dialect, working in a mine, etc.) but also sheds a light to tragic interwar events (internment in Italian camps), and tells a story about people’s deepest and abstract experience of his their inner world.

With the exhibition, similar as with the exhibition Showcases of memory (in 2016-2018), I wanted to bring the cultural heritage of Gottscheers closer to a wider public and establish a space for connection and cooperation between all who have been shaping the fate of Kočevje region: Gottschee natives, emigrated Gottscheers (from the USA, Canada and Austria) and post-war immigrants. At the same time, the purpose of the project was to promote the Gottscheer culture with amateur and academic art productions in the Kočevje region and in the Republic of Slovenia, while contributing to breaking down stereotypes and promoting intercultural dialogue in the wider Kočevje region.

Exhibited works:
Photographs: Josef Dornig (1904–1983, born in USA, worked in Kočevje until 1942, died in Graz, Austria), John B. Gladitsch (lives in New York, USA, his family originates from Dolnja Briga), and Vito Oražem (grew up in Kočevje, now lives in Germany.
Sculptures: Matija Glad (1912–1995, born in Banja Loka, worked in Kočevje), Marko Glavač (1959–, works in Kočevje), Tomaž Hartman (1957–, works in Kočevje), Matija Kobola (works in Šalka Vas), Anton Križ (born in Tršče, Croatia, works in Dolga Vas), and Matjaž Matko (born in Novo Mesto in 1958, works in Koprivnik).
Carving: Heinrich Putre (1928–1994, born in Kočevska Reka, worked in USA).
Drawing: Martha Hutter (born in Livold, lives in New York, USA).
Paintings: Stane Jarm (1931–2011, born in Osilnica, worked in Kočevje), Irena Kapš (from Občice), Viktor Kobola (1923–, Šalka Vas), Sašo Koprivec (works in Kočevje), Anne Kroisenbrunner (Kitchener, Canada, her family originates from Polom), Elisabeth Pemberger (1948–, works in Kla- genfurt, Austria), Roman Erich Petsche (1907–1998, born in Kočevje, worked in Austria), Michael Ruppe (1863–1951, born in Ovčjak, worked in Austria), and Andrej Trobentar (1951–, worked in Kočevje in 70s and 80s).

In the previous article, read Lynx, the mysterious feline of Slovenian forests.

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According to the legend, the residents of Stara Cerkev and Slovenska vas originally intended to build a church on a hillock between the two villages, yet the stones they had brought there would miraculously appear at the current location every morning. They believed that the stones were moved by angels, so they stopped trying and built the church at the present-day location.

The first church

The original church was a low-built Gothic structure with six altars. It was well known as a pilgrimage church, since every year numerous pilgrims thronged there, particularly on the Assumption on 15 August. In his The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, Valvasor named it “Unserer Lieben Frau zu Altkirchen” (Our Lady of Altkirchen), and an Urbarium from 1574 named it “Liebfrauenkirche zu Mitterdorf” (the Church of Our Lady in Mitterdorf). Until 1788, the church was under the parish of Ribnica and later it became an independant parish.

The second church

Over time, the old church building has become too small as the population has increased, which is why, as was reported in 1822 by the priest Martin Rankel, it has been expanded with two side naves. However, the altar was not visible from there, therefore people sitting in pews chatted during the mass. In 1818, the church was demolished and in just five months, without any proper planning and expert supervision, a second church building was built. Only the belfry remained from the original church. The building constructed in this manner could not serve its purpose in the long run. In 1848, it was already badly dilapidated so that during every storm it was feared that the belfry would collapse, and occasionally pieces of plaster would fall on the faithful during the mass.

The third – present-day church

In 1853, the church was demolished and, according to the plans of the architect Silvestro Venchiarutti, started to erect the third one, i.e. the present-day church. It was blessed on 12 October 1855 and the prince bishop Anton Alojzij Wolf consecrated it on 21 June 1857.

The Fresco of the Assumption

Upon entering the church, the view is mainly attracted by the fresco of the Assumption on the rear wall of the presbytery above the main altar. In 1854, it was painted by Domenico Fabris from Osoppo in Friuli. The fresco depicts Mary, who, accompanied by angels, ascending the sky to God the Father. He is accompanied by two angels who hold the crown and sceptre. The apostles, gathered round the tomb, gaze to the sky. On the arc above the fresco, there is an inscription in German: “Gegrüsset seist du Königin Mutter der Barmherzigkeit” (Hail Thee Queen Mary, Mother of Compassion). The fresco was restored in 2020 by the Restoration Centre under the direction of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS).

German inscriptions are reminiscent of the former inhabitants.

In the interior of the church there are even more German inscriptions that testify to the former multilingualism that characterised the Kočevska region, e.g. at the triumphal arch: “Gelobt sei Jesus und Maria” (Praise Be to Jesus and Mary), under the stained glass windows and paintings of the Stations of the Cross from 1938. On a memorial plaque affixed to the outer north wall of the belfry, there is also a consecration inscription in German to the casualties of the 1st World War. The Assumption of Mary Parish Church in Stara Cerkev is one of the rare churches in Kočevska region that was not destroyed during the post-war ideological turmoil. Moreover, some statues and paintings from the razed surrounding churches were housed in it.

A mysterious little bell

The belfry of the Assumption of Mary Parish Church conceals a mystery that remains unsolved to date. I.e. a mysterious Latin inscription on a small bronze bell that several experts tried to unravel in vain, and which probably reads as follows: “Iuve Maria Consolatrix, Regina sanctorum.” (Help Mary the Comforter, Queen of All Saints). The bell weighs only 33 kg and is supposed to be the oldest in Kočevska region. Some believe that it was brought here by German farmers-tenants in the 14th century, but it is more likely that it originates from the 16th century. Every time a child’s life passed away in the parish, the sad song of the bell – Knell – sounded already in the church building of 1818.

Today the little bell rings no more. Besides it there are three additional iron bells in the belfry that were cast in 1922 in Jesenice. The C bell weighs 1990 kg, the E bell weighs 980 kg and the G bell weighs 712 kg.

Sources:
– Gottscheer Zeitung
– Gottscheer Kalender
– Eppich, Josef. 1930. Kirchen- und Pfarrgründungen im Gottscheer Gebiete; Josef Erker, ur. Jubiläums-Festbuch der Gottscheer 600-Jahresfeier: aus Anlaß des 600-jährigen Bestandes des Gottscheer Landes, str. 47–67. Gottschee: Festausschuss der Gottscheer 600-Jahrfeier.
– Resman, Blaž in Seražin, Helena. 2010. Umetnostna topografija Slovenije: Upravna enota Kočevje: Občine Kočevje, Kostel in Osilnica. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC.
– Rus, Jože. 1939. Jedro kočevskega vprašanja; Janko Mačkovšek, ur. Kočevski zbornik: razprave o Kočevski in njenih ljudeh. str. 131–173, Ljubljana: Vodstvo Družbe sv. Cirila in Metoda.
– Simonič, Ivan. 1939. Zgodovina kočevskega ozemlja; ur. Janko Mačkovšek, ur. Kočevski zbornik: razprave o Kočevski in njenih ljudeh, str. 45–130, Ljubljana: Vodstvo Družbe sv. Cirila in Metoda.
– Zupan, Gojko, Ferenc, Mitja in M. Dolinar, France. 1993. Cerkve na Kočevskem nekoč in danes. Kočevje: Župnija in Muzej.

Are you interested in the cultural activities of Gottscheers? Read our previous post, in which Urška Kop writes about the beginnings of the Gottscheer folklore group of the of the Society of Native Gottschee Settlers.

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Stanislav (Stane) Jarm was born in a carver’s family in 1931 in Osilnica. The grandfather on his father’s side, the father and brother were fine artists, and the grandfather on his mother’s side was a church painter, and that is why Jarm became fascinated with carving already as a child. Having finished the studies in sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and sculpture specialization in 1956 his path brought him back to Kočevje, where he taught art class at the elementary school, and for several years also art history at the Kočevje Grammar School. He was one of the initiators who established Kočevje Art Salon where he exhibited his works on several occasions. In particular he was active in the fields of sculpture, graphics and drawing. He has received numerous awards and honorary titles for his work.

Art techniques

After returning to Kočevje, Stane Jarm first devoted himself to producing clay statues and he soon dedicated himself wholeheartedly to wood. He first worked it with a chisel and he moved on to using an axe and later a chainsaw that was to become his main tool of trade. It was the very use of carpenter’s tools that marked his expressionistic and recognisable style. In a 2002 interview, Stane Jarm said: “The chosen tool influences the character of the produced artwork. I am keen on using the chainsaw because it is fast and efficient. With it, I can quickly follow my own ideas and flashes of imagination, sensations. I wasted a lot of time in work, but then I wanted to do what the “free” could do slowly and peacefully. I am always in a hurry, so I had to adapt the tool of choice. I had the strength from the time I spent at home. I liked to cut grass with a scythe. I like to work with the chainsaw because it leaves raw, rough strokes on the wood, the same way suffering and hardships leave traces on people.” (Jarm in Gregorčič, 2002).

Suffering as a motif and source of inspiration

He found the motifs that pervaded his work in his native Kolpa valley, in the forests, life and hardships of the local inhabitants – particularly mothers, widows, children and people taken hostage during the 2nd World War. He was also very upset by post-war atrocities. “My motifs can be traced back to experiences from my childhood environment. The motifs I use include war, cruelty of violence, suffering of people, death as well as youth and song. This is something I went through myself or sensed it in people in my close surroundings and felt it as part of the human destiny. I respect human suffering, sorrow and delight. I would like to help to make the world a place that isn’t filled with so much woe. However, I cannot do it otherwise than by talking through my wooden figures.“ (Jarm in Gregorčič, 2002).

Mr Jarm’s view on suffering is captured in his sculptures depicting the suffering Christ: “»For me, Christ is not just the character as portrayed in Christianity, but is rather a semblance of a suffering human being … Observing Christ’s suffering I thought that the suffering people go through is similar.” (Jarm in Ognjišče, 2011). Jarm’s works are not only suffused by the aesthetic value, but also carry with them a deep message. He expressed the pain he felt in connection with the post-war events in his work Suffering of Slovenians depicted through the Way of the Cross which stands on the path towards the graves under Kren in Kočevski Rog, and at the same time he wanted to appeal to forgiveness of injustice and atrocities that occurred with the mass post-war massacres in Kočevski Rog. It is right in the appeals for reconciliation where the greatness of Stane Jarm, not only as an artist but also as a human being, can be felt.

Jarm’s Year

As an homage to Jarm’s creativity, the Municipality of Kočevje in 2011, the year in which he was to celebrate his 80th birthday, proclaimed Jarm’s Year. Unfortunately the artist passed away before reaching his jubilee. From 2012, the Municipality of Kočevje awards the Girl with a Whistle award to the people that achieve top-notch results with a national or international renown and essentially contribute to the artistic, scientific and cultural development of Kočevska region. The award got its name after Jarm’s sculpture Girl with a Whistle that stands besides the Parish Church of St. Fabian and St Sebastian and St Bartholomew Church in Kočevje. The first Girl with a Whistle award posthumously went to Stanislav Jarm.

The statue of a girl with a whistle

Jarm sculpted Girl with a Whistle in 1959 at the request of Janez Rigler, the then Kočevje Mayor. However, the Mayor did not obtain the approval from all political notables before he ordered the statue, thereby the girl statue had to wait to be put on display for four years. In 1963, they incorporated it in the fount with a shallow basin to which water has flown from her whistle in arches. It stood in front of the “single’s home” for more than 30 years, but then it had to be removed because of the damage it suffered through vandalism. It was returned to its place when the architect Beno Urh created a special base for it to finally save her from the clutches of hooligans. In addition, The girl with a whistle has a twin sister that has been standing in front of the Prešeren Theater in Boljunec near Trieste. A copy of the statue has been donated to the Municipality of Dolina by the twin Municipality of Kočevje in 1988.

Stane Jarm Trail

At the proclamation of Jarm’s year (2011), the Municipality of Kočevje or the Kočevje Provincial Museum also designed a project for the arrangement of the Stane Jarm Trail. They prepared a leaflet with a trail map and descriptions of twelve public Jarm’s statues. Nine of them are situated in the town of Kočevje and the rest can be found in three locations outside the town. The more curious can venture a little further off to see Jarm’s works in Kočevska Reka and Osilnica. The show covering the Stane Jarm Trail was prepared by TV Kočevje.

Sources:
– Blatnik, S. Stane Jarm: Akademski kipar. Diplomska naloga. Ljubljana: Univerza Edvarda Kardelja v Ljubljani, Pedagoška akademija v Ljubljani, 1983.
– Gregorčič, I., V lesu lahko zašepeta in zašumi ves gozd: Pogovor z akademskim kiparjem Stanetom Jarmom. Rast, št. 1(79), feb. 2002.
– Jarm, S. in Urh, B. Mestni vodnjak Kočevje. Kočevje: Občina Kočevje, 1996.
– Kovačič, N. Spomeniki Staneta Jarma na Kočevskem. V: Stane Jarm – kipar, 2012, str. 78–109. – Kovačič, N. Pot Staneta Jarma: The Stane Jarm path. Kočevje: Občina Kočevje, 2014.
– Kozina, G., Mignacca, A. in Benčič Serio, F. Projekt Deklica s piščalko: šolsko leto 2013-2014 = Progetto La ragazza con il flauto: anno scolastico [2013-2014]. Boljunec; Boršt; Pesek: Celodnevna osnovna šola s slovenskim učnim jezikom “Fran Venturini”, 2014.
– K.R. Umrl je Stane Jarm: Umrl je akademski kipar Stane Jarm (r. 1931), častni občan Kočevja in ribniške občine. Delo(online). Ljubljana, 3.10.2011 (citirano 10.10.2017) Dostopno na: http://www.delo.si/kultura/dediscina/umrl-je-stane- jarm.html.
– Ognjišče. Kipar Stane Jarm. Ognjišče (online). 11.2011 (citirano 10.10.2017) Dostopno na: http://revija.ognjisce.si/revija-ognjisce/67-pricevanje/2354- kipar-stane-jarm.
– Uredništvo. Slovo Stanislava Jarma. E-Utrip (online). Kočevje, 3. 10. 2011 (citirano 10.10.2017) Dostopno na: https://www.e-utrip.si/slovo-stanislava- jarma/.
– Pinter, Tihomir (2000). Stane Jarm. URN:NBN:SI:IMG-46S0CU93 from http://www.dlib.si.

Do you want to learn more about the wider Kočevska (Gottschee) area? Read also: A bow to Nature: The Krokar Primeval Forest.

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