Stara Loka
Encyclopedia
Stara Loka is a settlement that is part of the town of Škofja Loka
in the Upper Carniola
region of Slovenia
.
It is one of the oldest Slovene settlements first mentioned in documents concerning the lands Emperor Otto II
granted to Bishop Abraham of Freising
in the Duchy of Bavaria
, dating to 973 AD. It was the original settlement of Loka and by 1286 it was already mentioned as Stara Loka (Old Loka).
The Parish Church
of Saint George
is also believed to have been, when it was originally built, one of the first churches in Carniola
and is also one of the oldest Parish
es, first mentioned in 1074, when it covered the entire area of what is now Škofja Loka. It has been rebuilt a number of times, getting its current form in 1863. Tombs from the 16th and 17th centuries can still be seen in some of the side chapels.
Opposite the church is a mansion known as Old Loka Castle or Strahl Castle. It has a partly preserved defence tower from the late 15th century. The moat
around the mansion is now filled in. It gets its name from the Strahl family, its 19th century owners who partially rebuilt it and used it as a residence. It currently houses a Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted as well as a Postal Museum. A unique sundial
that can be read by the blind was built in front of it in 1998.
Škofja Loka
-Art colony:Before the civil war in the former Yugoslavia the Serbian town of Smederevska Palanka and the town of Škofja Loka held art colonies Groharijeva kolonija run by an art teacher from elementary school Olga Milošević in Smederevska Palanka. Now, after the split of SFR Yugoslavia, the two...
in the Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
region of 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 one of the oldest Slovene settlements first mentioned in documents concerning the lands Emperor Otto II
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
granted to Bishop Abraham of Freising
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. It is led by the prelature of the Archbishop of Munich, who administers the see from the mother church in Munich, the Frauenkirche, also known as Munich Cathedral...
in the Duchy of Bavaria
History of Bavaria
The history of Bavaria stretches from its earliest settlement and its formation as a stem duchy in the 6th century through its inclusion in the Holy Roman Empires to its status as an independent kingdom and, finally, as a large and significant Bundesland of the modern Federal Republic of...
, dating to 973 AD. It was the original settlement of Loka and by 1286 it was already mentioned as Stara Loka (Old Loka).
The Parish Church
Parish 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....
of Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
is also believed to have been, when it was originally built, one of the first churches in Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
and is also one of the oldest Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es, first mentioned in 1074, when it covered the entire area of what is now Škofja Loka. It has been rebuilt a number of times, getting its current form in 1863. Tombs from the 16th and 17th centuries can still be seen in some of the side chapels.
Opposite the church is a mansion known as Old Loka Castle or Strahl Castle. It has a partly preserved defence tower from the late 15th century. The moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
around the mansion is now filled in. It gets its name from the Strahl family, its 19th century owners who partially rebuilt it and used it as a residence. It currently houses a Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted as well as a Postal Museum. A unique sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
that can be read by the blind was built in front of it in 1998.