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…
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 to construct it because of opposition from the owners of other ironworks in Carniola, who feared competition. After 31 long years, it was only his son, Prince Wilhelm of Auersperg of Kočevje, who managed to do so. The reasons for…
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Culture Heritage
The Folk Ballad of the Infanticide: Slovenian and Gottscheer Versions
The motif of the illegitimate mother who murders or casts out her child and is punished for it is known in folk song tradition almost throughout Europe, including Slovenia. In Slovenian folk tradition, the motif is used in four ballad form. In the first, an illegitimate mother deliberately commits a crime so that she can get married as a virgin bride. When her cast-out babe turns up on her wedding…
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Culture Heritage
Reflection of the Aristocratic World in the Gottscheer Folk Song Tradition
Gottscheer couple (Balthasar Hacquet 1778)…
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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 and the integral cultural diversity imbues its everyday life. Comings and goings have been part of this space for centuries. They are, of course, part of every place, but this is particularly pronounced in the Kočevska region. And that is…
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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, 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…
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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 significant impact on the lives of the inhabitants – lignite. Kočevje is one of the Slovenian towns that can boast a rich mining tradition. Although the Kočevje Coal Mine closed its doors in 1978, the memory of mining history has…
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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 (1884–1962), who dedicated his work The Poetics of Space to the relationship towards the perception of houses and spaces. This clustered settlement along the so-called “Partisan main line”, seven kilometres from Dolenjske Toplice, despite its smallness, offers visitors a glimpse…
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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 pride is Franc Volf from Šalka vas. He came to work at the Kočevje Mine directly after completing his compulsory military service in 1968. He also worked as a mine rescue worker at the coal mine, where he remained until…
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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 has housed the Society of Native Gottschee Settlers. The society was founded in 1992 and promotes and preserves the cultural heritage of the Gottschee region. The main activities of the society include a folklore and singing group, the publication of…
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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 not be celebrated soon by the local generation there, present or future, as yesterday was the day when the Iron Road was solemnly inaugurated /…/ It was a joyful day for the whole land of Carniola, but it was especially…
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