Krško
Encyclopedia
Krško is a town and municipality
in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria
(territory on the left bank of the Sava) and Lower Carniola
(territory on the right bank of the Sava). The whole municipality is now included in the Lower Sava statistical region
.
Slovenia's only nuclear power plant
, the Krško Nuclear Power Plant
, lies to the southeast of the town.
shows that the area was settled in prehistoric times. Along the Sava River, numerous Bronze
and Iron Age
sites as well as Roman
finds show continuous occupation. After the Medieval period the area was a Habsburg
possession. It was affected by Ottoman raids
from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
in the town centre is dedicated to John the Evangelist
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
. It is an originally late 15th-century building that was largely rebuilt in 1899. A second parish is the Parish of Videm-Krško in the southern part of the town. Its parish church is dedicated to Saint Rupert
. It was built in 1893 to 1897 in the Neo-Romanesque
style. The church in the Stara vas area of the town, dedicated to Saint Michael
, belongs to this parish. It was built in 1768 to replace an older structure. The church on the right bank of the Sava is dedicated to the Holy Spirit
and was built in 1777 according to plans by the Austrian architect
Johann Fuch.
The Capuchin
monastery
with its church is in the centre of town on the right bank of the Sava. It was built from 1640 to 1644 and was altered at various stages in its history.
Krško Castle
is a 12th-century castle ruin above the old center of the town. Further to the south is Šrajbarski Turn Castle
, built in the 16th century.
Natural sights in the municipality include Kostanjevica Cave at the foot of the Gorjanci
hills and the Krakovo Forest, the only virgin forest in Slovenia where Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) grows and provides a habitat for several rare and endangered animal species.
lived the final years of his life. He died there in 1693. Other important figures in Slovene history
linked with Krško are Adam Bohorič
, a grammarian and early schoolmaster, born in Brestanica
in 1520, and his pupil Jurij Dalmatin
, who translated the entire Bible
into Slovene in 1584, born in Krško in around 1547.
, metalworking
, paper
, textiles, wood processing
, agriculture
, trade
, and transportation, while tourism
continues to develop.
The fertile flatlands to the southeast of the town along the banks of the Sava, known as the Krško-Brežice Plain (Krško - brežiško polje), are used for vineyards as well as apple
, pear
, peach
, apricot
, and plum
orchards. Local vineyards produce wines such as Cviček
, Laški Rizling
, and Modra Frankinja
, as well as less well-known local wines such as white and red Sremičan and others matured in local wine cellars.
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 eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
(territory on the left bank of the Sava) and 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...
(territory on the right bank of the Sava). The whole municipality is now included in 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...
.
Slovenia's only nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
, the Krško Nuclear Power Plant
Krško Nuclear Power Plant
The Krško Nuclear Power Plant is located in Krško, Slovenia. The plant was connected to the power grid on October 2, 1981 and went into commercial operation on January 15, 1983...
, lies to the southeast of the town.
History
Archaeological evidenceArchaeological record
The archaeological record is the body of physical evidence about the past. It is one of the most basic concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record....
shows that the area was settled in prehistoric times. Along the Sava River, numerous Bronze
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
sites as well as Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
finds show continuous occupation. After the Medieval period the area was a Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
possession. It was affected by Ottoman 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 :...
from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
Main sights
The Krško parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the town centre is dedicated to John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
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 late 15th-century building that was largely rebuilt in 1899. A second parish is the Parish of Videm-Krško in the southern part of the town. Its parish church is dedicated to Saint Rupert
Rupert of Salzburg
Rupert of Salzburg is a saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and a founder of the Austrian city of Salzburg...
. It was built in 1893 to 1897 in the Neo-Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style. The church in the Stara vas area of the town, dedicated to Saint Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, belongs to this parish. It was built in 1768 to replace an older structure. The church on the right bank of the Sava is dedicated to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
and was built in 1777 according to plans by the Austrian architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Johann Fuch.
The Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
with its church is in the centre of town on the right bank of the Sava. It was built from 1640 to 1644 and was altered at various stages in its history.
Krško Castle
Krško Castle
Krško Castle is a 12th-century castle ruin above the old center of the town of Krško, Slovenia. The castle and town are both named after the nearby river Krka, Germanized as "Gurck."-History:...
is a 12th-century castle ruin above the old center of the town. Further to the south is Šrajbarski Turn Castle
Šrajbarski Turn Castle
Šrajbarski Turn Castle is a 16th century castle located in the municipality of Krško in central Slovenia.-History:Two manors on the site are first mentioned in 1436, held by baron Johann Dürrer concurrently with the Counts of Celje, and later sold to the latter. The formidable castle was taken...
, built in the 16th century.
Natural sights in the municipality include Kostanjevica Cave at the foot of the Gorjanci
Žumberak/Gorjanci
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....
hills and the Krakovo Forest, the only virgin forest in Slovenia where Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) grows and provides a habitat for several rare and endangered animal species.
Prominent residents
To the south of the Church of The Holy Spirit is a town house built in 1607 in which the 17th century scholar and polymath Janez Vajkard ValvasorJanez Vajkard Valvasor
Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...
lived the final years of his life. He died there in 1693. Other important figures in Slovene history
History of Slovenia
The history of Slovenia chronicles the period of the Slovene territory from the 5th Century BC to the present times. In the Early Bronze Age, Proto-Illyrian tribes settled an area stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste. The Holy Roman Empire controlled the land for nearly 1,000...
linked with Krško are Adam Bohorič
Adam Bohoric
Adam Bohorič was a Slovene Protestant preacher, teacher and author of the first grammar of Slovene.Bohorič was born in the market town of Rajhenburg in the Duchy of Styria, on the border between Lower Carniola and Lower Styria...
, a grammarian and early schoolmaster, born in Brestanica
Brestanica
Brestanica is a small town in the Municipality of Krško in eastern Slovenia. Until 1953 the town was called Rajhenburg . It lies in the valley at the confluence of the Sava River with a minor tributary called the Brestanica. The area was traditionally part of Styria...
in 1520, and his pupil Jurij Dalmatin
Jurij Dalmatin
Jurij Dalmatin was a Slovene Lutheran minister, writer and translator.Born in Krško in around 1546, Dalmatin became a preacher in Ljubljana in 1572. He was the author of several religious books, such as Karšanske lepe molitve , Ta kratki würtemberški katekizmus , and Agenda...
, who translated the entire Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into Slovene in 1584, born in Krško in around 1547.
Economy
Industries of Krško include constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, textiles, wood processing
Wood processing
Wood processing is an engineering discipline comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, and transportation, while 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...
continues to develop.
The fertile flatlands to the southeast of the town along the banks of the Sava, known as the Krško-Brežice Plain (Krško - brežiško polje), are used for vineyards as well as apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
, apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
, and plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
orchards. Local vineyards produce wines such as Cviček
Cvicek
Cviček is a Slovenian wine from the Lower Carniola region of Slovenia, composed of various grapes: Modra Frankinja , Žametna Črnina and Kraljevina, and occasionally Laški Rizling is also added...
, Laški Rizling
Welschriesling
Welschriesling is an ancient variety of white wine grape, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. The origin of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name "Welschriesling" literally means 'Romanic Riesling', and most of the synonyms in Central Europe are...
, and Modra Frankinja
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...
, as well as less well-known local wines such as white and red Sremičan and others matured in local wine cellars.