Jezersko, Slovenia
Encyclopedia
Jezersko is a municipality
in the historic Carinthia region of northern Slovenia
. Since 2005, it has been part of the Upper Carniola statistical region
.
Jezersko is located in the remote Kokra
Valley in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, close to the Seebergsattel
pass and the border with Austria
. The main activities that locals engage in are tourism
, cattle breeding, and forestry
.
near the settlement of Zgornje Jezersko
that dried out during the 15th century, thus the German name Seeland (literally "lake land", first recorded as Seelant in 1496), and its Slovene equivalent , which came into use at the end of the 19th century. A document from 1391 mentions the church of "St. Oswald by the Lake" (Sv. Ožbolt pri Jezeru).
The village was part of the Duchy of Carinthia
until 1918. It was the only settlement already ceded by the Carinthian Landtag
assembly to the newly established State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
, before it was officially adjudicated together with the Meža
Valley and Dravograd
to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain.
Jezersko has a long tourist tradition. There is a 3-star hotel in Jezersko as well as private accommodation in self-catering units at vacation farms. The location of the village offers exceptional views of the surrounding mountains, and it is a starting point for mountain hiking
routes to Grintovec, Kočna, and Veliki Vrh. The Ledine and Češka koča mountain huts are well known to mountain hikers.
Lake Planšar (Sln. Planšarsko jezero) in Zgornje Jezersko is an artificial lake created after the Second World War.
A sheep festival called the Ovčji bal is held annually in mid-August.
In winter skiing is also possible.
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the historic Carinthia region of northern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Since 2005, it has been part of the Upper Carniola statistical region
Gorenjska statistical region
The Upper Carniola statistical region is a statistical region in northwest Slovenia. The region comprises 18 municipalities: Bled, Bohinj, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Gorenja vas-Poljane, Gorje, Jesenice, Jezersko, Kranj, Kranjska Gora, Naklo, Preddvor, Radovljica, Šenčur, Škofja Loka, Tržič,...
.
Jezersko is located in the remote Kokra
Kokra
-References:...
Valley in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, close to the Seebergsattel
Seebergsattel
Seebergsattel , also just Seeberg is a high mountain pass connecting Bad Eisenkappel in the Austrian state of Carinthia with Jezersko in the Slovenian region of Carinthia...
pass and the border with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The main activities that locals engage in are tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, cattle breeding, and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
.
History
The name of the area derives from a glacial lakeGlacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
near the settlement of Zgornje Jezersko
Zgornje Jezersko
Zgornje Jezersko is a settlement that is the administrative centre of the municipality of Jezersko in Slovenia. It is part of the traditional Slovenian Carinthia region and the Upper Carniola statistical region....
that dried out during the 15th century, thus the German name Seeland (literally "lake land", first recorded as Seelant in 1496), and its Slovene equivalent , which came into use at the end of the 19th century. A document from 1391 mentions the church of "St. Oswald by the Lake" (Sv. Ožbolt pri Jezeru).
The village was part of the Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
until 1918. It was the only settlement already ceded by the Carinthian Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
assembly to the newly established State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of the World War I by the resident population of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs...
, before it was officially adjudicated together with the Meža
Meža
The Meža is a long river in Carinthia, Slovenia. It has its source on the Austrian side of the state border near Mount Olševa, becomes subterranean a kilometer from its source, and reappears on the surface in Koprivna near Črna na Koroškem, Slovenia. It is the central river of the Mežica Valley...
Valley and Dravograd
Dravograd
Dravograd is a small town and a municipality in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia)....
to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain.
Tourism
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
routes to Grintovec, Kočna, and Veliki Vrh. The Ledine and Češka koča mountain huts are well known to mountain hikers.
Lake Planšar (Sln. Planšarsko jezero) in Zgornje Jezersko is an artificial lake created after the Second World War.
A sheep festival called the Ovčji bal is held annually in mid-August.
In winter skiing is also possible.
Agriculture
Cattle breeding is extensive in Jezersko, both by private farms and larger corporations. Jezersko is also the place of the origin of the breed of sheep known as the BrillenschafBrillenschaf
The Brillenschaf is a domesticated breed of sheep that originates from Jezersko, Slovenia. It is extensively bred also in Germany and Austria. It is a member of the alpine mountain sheep breeds. It is a cross between the Landschaf with the Bergamasca and Paduaner Schaf...
.