Slovenj Gradec
Encyclopedia
Slovenj Gradec is a town and a municipality
in northern Slovenia
. It is part of the historic Lower Styria
region, since 2005 it belongs to the NUTS-3
statistical region
of Carinthia
. The town is located in the valley of the Mislinja River at the eastern end of the Karavanke mountain range, about 45 km (28 mi) west of Maribor
and 65 km (40.4 mi) northeast of Ljubljana
.
. From 1180 until 1918 it belonged to the Duchy of Styria
, since 1804 a crown land of the Austrian Empire
. It was the ancestral seat of the Windisch-Graetz
noble family first documented in 1220. Upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary
in 1918, with the rest of Lower Styria, it was included in the newly established Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
.
Between the mid-19th century and 1945, the town was a German-speaking island in a Slovene-speaking area. In a 1880 census, the town of Slovenj Gradec, or Windischgrätz (see: Wends
) as it was called to distinguish it from the Styrian capital Graz
, was 75 percent German-speaking and 25 percent Slovene-speaking, but among the German-speaking population there were allegedly those - like the family of the composer Hugo Wolf
- of mixed ethnic origin.
After the end of World War I
, many of the local German-speaking inhabitants emigrated to Austria
; those that remained were gradually assimilated to or re-integrated into the Slovene-speaking majority. After World War II
, all remaining ethnic Germans were expelled from Yugoslavia
and Slovenj Gradec lost its traditional presence of German speakers.
in the town is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1235. Right next to it is a Gothic
chapel
dedicated to the Holy Spirit
with fresco
s dating to the mid-15th century.
In 2003, an archeological excavation uncovered the remains of what is believed to be the oldest church in all of Styria, dating to the Carolingian
period.
was born in the town. The house in which he was born is now a music school.
Slovenj Gradec is also the birthplace of skier Tina Maze
, tennis player Katarina Srebotnik
, Slovenia national football team
footballers Marko Šuler
and Mirnes Šišić
, top handball player Iztok Puc
, critical theorist Renata Salecl
and writer, theatre critic and literary historian Lado Kralj
.
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 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...
. It is part of the historic 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...
region, since 2005 it belongs to the NUTS-3
Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics
The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes...
statistical region
Statistical regions of Slovenia
The statistical regions of Slovenia are 12 administrative entities created in 2007 for legal and statistical purposes.-History:As of February 2007 there are 12 statistical regions , which are grouped in two cohesion regions ....
of Carinthia
Koroška statistical region
The Carinthia statistical region is a statistical region in northern Slovenia along the border with Austria. It includes parts of the traditional regions of Slovenian Carinthia and Lower Styria and has a total area of 1041 km²....
. The town is located in the valley of the Mislinja River at the eastern end of the Karavanke mountain range, about 45 km (28 mi) west of Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
and 65 km (40.4 mi) northeast of Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
.
History
Gradec, Slovene for 'little castle', was first mentioned in a 1091 deed, then part of the Imperial March of StyriaMarch of Styria
The March of Styria was originally broken off the Duchy of Carinthia before 970 as a buffer zone against the Magyars. Originally it was known as the Carantanian march , after the former Slavic principality of Carantania, a predecessor of the Carinthian duchy...
. From 1180 until 1918 it belonged to the Duchy of Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
, since 1804 a crown land of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. It was the ancestral seat of the Windisch-Graetz
Windisch-Graetz
The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, was a princely family in the Austrian Empire, serving the Habsburg dynasty.The name derives from the town of Windischgrätz in the Duchy of Styria, which is today Slovenj Gradec in the Carinthia region of Slovenia...
noble family first documented in 1220. Upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in 1918, with the rest of Lower Styria, it was included in the newly established Kingdom of the 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...
.
Between the mid-19th century and 1945, the town was a German-speaking island in a Slovene-speaking area. In a 1880 census, the town of Slovenj Gradec, or Windischgrätz (see: Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
) as it was called to distinguish it from the Styrian capital Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, was 75 percent German-speaking and 25 percent Slovene-speaking, but among the German-speaking population there were allegedly those - like the family of the composer Hugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but utterly unrelated in...
- of mixed ethnic origin.
After the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, many of the local German-speaking inhabitants emigrated to Austria
First Austrian Republic
The Republic of Austria encompasses the period of Austrian history following the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of September 1919, the settlement after the end of World War I which put an end to the Republic of German Austria, continuing up to World War II...
; those that remained were gradually assimilated to or re-integrated into the Slovene-speaking majority. After 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...
, all remaining ethnic Germans were expelled from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Slovenj Gradec lost its traditional presence of German speakers.
Main sights
The 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 is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1235. Right next to it is a 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....
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
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...
with fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s dating to the mid-15th century.
In 2003, an archeological excavation uncovered the remains of what is believed to be the oldest church in all of Styria, dating to the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
period.
Notable residents
In 1860, the composer Hugo WolfHugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but utterly unrelated in...
was born in the town. The house in which he was born is now a music school.
Slovenj Gradec is also the birthplace of skier Tina Maze
Tina Maze
Tina Maze is a renowned Slovenian alpine ski racer. She is the current world champion in giant slalom.Maze first competed in the 2001 World Championships at age 17 and in the 2002 Winter Olympics the following year. She started her career as a giant slalom specialist but later expanded and...
, tennis player Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30...
, Slovenia national football team
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
footballers Marko Šuler
Marko Šuler
Marko Šuler is a Slovenian footballer who plays with KAA Gent and the Slovenian national team.Šuler usually plays as a central defender. He is known for his speed, good heading skills and his leadership on the pitch....
and Mirnes Šišić
Mirnes Šišic
Mirnes Sead Šišić is a Slovenian footballer of Bosnian descent who is currently playing for OFI Crete in Greek Super League.-Early career:...
, top handball player Iztok Puc
Iztok Puc
Iztok Puc was a Slovenian handball player who was one of the world's top players of the 1980s and 1990s. During his career he has played professionally for RK Borac, RK Zagreb, RK Celje and RD Prule 67 and won a total of 18 domestic trophies. He was also a member of the RK Zagreb squad which won...
, critical theorist Renata Salecl
Renata Salecl
Renata Salecl is a Slovenian philosopher, sociologist and legal theorist. She is a senior researcher at the Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana...
and writer, theatre critic and literary historian Lado Kralj
Lado Kralj
Lado Kralj is a Slovene writer, theatre critic and literary historian. From 1987 to 2005 he worked as a professor in comparative literature at the University of Ljubljana and has published and contributed to numerous books on literature and theatre.Kralj was born in Slovenj Gradec in northern...
.