Kostanjevica na Krki
Encyclopedia
Kostanjevica na Krki, also Kostanjevica ob Krki , is a small town
and a municipality
in the historic Lower Carniola
region of southern Slovenia
. It is today part of the Lower Sava statistical region
.
The town is protected as a cultural and historical monument. It is located at the northern foots of the Gorjanci Hills
near the border with Croatia
, entirely on an island of the Krka
River, therefore also promoted as the "Venice
of Lower Carniola" in Slovenian .
duke Bernhard von Spanheim
established the Fons Sanctae Mariae Cistercian Abbey on the southern frontier of the March of Carniola
, which he claimed against the resistance of the Patriarchs of Aquileia
and the Dukes of Merania.
The monastery, a filial of Viktring Abbey
near Klagenfurt
, was enlarged in a Baroque
style in the early 18th century. It was nevertheless finally disbanded in 1785 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II
.
The settlement of Kostanjevica was first mentioned as a town
in 1210 and received market rights in 1249. During the Late Middle Ages it was an important commercial centre in the Duchy of Carniola
held by the Habsburg archdukes of Austria
. After several devastations by Ottoman military raids
in the 15th and 16th centuries, it lost its importance. After the 17th century, it turned into a mostly rural settlement, which however retained its town status. In 2000, it was recognised by the National Assembly
as a city.
, has been renovated and is now an art gallery
with a sculpture park and a permanent exhibition of works by Božidar Jakac
. It is dominated by the Early Gothic
abbey church built in 1234.
The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint James and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
. It is an originally 13th century Romanesque
building that was largely rebuilt in the Baroque
style in the 17th century.
Kostanjevica Cave , a popular tourist destination, is nearby.
The Commission on Concealed Mass Graves in Slovenia
has discovered a World War II
mass grave from 1945 of victims of the Yugoslav Partisans.
(1793–1857) lived in Kostanjevica, working as a forester.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and a municipality
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 Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola was a kreis of the historical Habsburg crown land of Carniola from 1849 till 1919 and is nowadays a traditional region of Slovenia. Its center is Novo Mesto, while other urban centers include Kočevje, Grosuplje, Krško, Trebnje, Mirna, Črnomelj, Semič, and Metlika.-See also:* Upper...
region of southern 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...
. It is today part of the Lower Sava statistical region
Spodnjeposavska statistical region
The Lower Sava statistical region is a statistical region in Slovenia. It is almost identical with the Posavje region. The largest town in the region is Krško. It is the second smallest region in Slovenia, but it has very good traffic connections...
.
The town is protected as a cultural and historical monument. It is located at the northern foots of the Gorjanci Hills
Žumberak
Žumberak or Gorjanci is a range of mountains or hills between Croatia and Slovenia. The highest peak is Sveta Gera on the border between Croatia and Slovenia, being tall....
near the border with Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, entirely on an island of the Krka
Krka (Slovenia)
The Krka is a river in the historic Lower Carniola region of Slovenia, a right tributary of the Sava.It sources at Gradiček near the village of Krka, about southwest of Ivančna Gorica and around southeast of Ljubljana, before flowing southeast...
River, therefore also promoted as the "Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
of Lower Carniola" in Slovenian .
History
Kostanjevica is the oldest city of the region. In the early 13th century, the CarinthianDuchy 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....
duke Bernhard von Spanheim
Bernhard von Spanheim
Bernhard von Spanheim was Duke of Carinthia for 54 years from 1202 until his death.-Family:...
established the Fons Sanctae Mariae Cistercian Abbey on the southern frontier of the March of Carniola
March of Carniola
The March of Carniola was a southeastern state of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, the predecessor of the Duchy of Carniola. It corresponded roughly to the central Carniolan region of present-day Slovenia...
, which he claimed against the resistance of the Patriarchs of Aquileia
Patriarchate of Aquileia (State)
The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an Imperial State in the Friulian region of Northeastern Italy under the control of the Patriarchs of Aquileia.- Foundation :...
and the Dukes of Merania.
The monastery, a filial of Viktring Abbey
Viktring Abbey
Viktring Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Stift Viktring is now the name of the Roman Catholic parish in Viktring, since 1973 a district of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt.-History:...
near Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, was enlarged in a Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style in the early 18th century. It was nevertheless finally disbanded in 1785 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
.
The settlement of Kostanjevica was first mentioned as a town
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
in 1210 and received market rights in 1249. During the Late Middle Ages it was an important commercial centre in the Duchy of Carniola
Duchy of Carniola
The Duchy of Carniola was an administrative unit of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy from 1364 to 1918. Its capital was Ljubljana...
held by the Habsburg archdukes of Austria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
. After several devastations by Ottoman military raids
Ottoman wars in Europe
The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...
in the 15th and 16th centuries, it lost its importance. After the 17th century, it turned into a mostly rural settlement, which however retained its town status. In 2000, it was recognised by the National Assembly
National Assembly (Slovenia)
The National Assembly is the general representative body of the Slovenian nation. According to the Constitution of Slovenia and the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, it is the major part of the distinctively incompletely bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Slovenia. It is unicameral...
as a city.
Sights
The monastic complex, which was severely damaged in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, has been renovated and is now an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
with a sculpture park and a permanent exhibition of works by Božidar Jakac
Božidar Jakac
Božidar Jakac was a Slovene Expressionist, Realist and Symbolist painter, graphic artist, art teacher, photographer and filmmaker. He produced one of the most extensive oeuvres of pastels and oil paintings , drawings and, above all, graphics in Slovenia...
. It is dominated by the Early Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
abbey church built in 1234.
The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint James and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto is a diocese located in the city of Novo Mesto in the Ecclesiastical province of Ljubljana in Slovenia.-History:* April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of Novo Mesto from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana...
. It is an originally 13th century Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
building that was largely rebuilt in the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style in the 17th century.
Kostanjevica Cave , a popular tourist destination, is nearby.
The Commission on Concealed Mass Graves in Slovenia
Commission on Concealed Mass Graves in Slovenia
The Commission on Concealed Mass Graves in Slovenia is an office of the Slovenian government whose task is to find and document mass grave sites from the Second World War and the period immediately after it. It was established on November 10, 2005...
has discovered a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
mass grave from 1945 of victims of the Yugoslav Partisans.
Notable people
In the early 19th century, the Bohemian-Austrian inventor Josef ResselJosef Ressel
Joseph Ludwig Franz Ressel was a Czech-Austrian forest warden who designed a ship's propeller.Ressel was born in the Austrian monarchy in Chrudim, Bohemia. His father was a German native speaker, while his mother's mothertongue was Czech...
(1793–1857) lived in Kostanjevica, working as a forester.