Velenje
Encyclopedia
Velenje is a town and municipality
in northern Slovenia
. The municipality has 33.331 inhabitants. Staro Velenje (the old part of the town at the foot of the castle) is first mentioned in written doucments dating to 1264 and 1374 as small market town and was a center of handicraft and trade. The lignite
mining industry in the area contributed to the expansion of the town, especially after World War II.
The headquarters of Gorenje
, a manufacturer of household appliances
, are based in Velenje. The town was also the former hometown of Jolanda Čeplak
, a Slovenian middle distance
athlete
and Olympic bronze medalist. It is also the hometown of the Slovenian tennis player Katarina Srebotnik
. The handball club RK Gorenje
and football club NK Rudar Velenje are also based in the town.
The parish church
in the town is dedicated to Saint Martin
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
. It dates to the 13th century with 16th and 17th century additions. To the west of the town on a hill is located the Velenje Castle
.
Velenje also helds the only adventure race in Slovenia. 400 kilometers long adventure race called Adventure race Slovenia is known far across the Europe and is held every weekend in June. It was first organized in 2003 by Lake Dragon Scout group.
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...
. The municipality has 33.331 inhabitants. Staro Velenje (the old part of the town at the foot of the castle) is first mentioned in written doucments dating to 1264 and 1374 as small market town and was a center of handicraft and trade. The lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
mining industry in the area contributed to the expansion of the town, especially after World War II.
The headquarters of Gorenje
Gorenje
Gorenje is the largest Slovenian manufacturer of white goods . With a continent-wide market share of 4%, it is one of the eight largest manufacturers of home appliances in Europe...
, a manufacturer of household appliances
Major appliance
A major appliance, or domestic appliance, is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, or food preservation, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting...
, are based in Velenje. The town was also the former hometown of Jolanda Čeplak
Jolanda Ceplak
Jolanda Čeplak is a Slovenian middle distance athlete. She was born in Celje and lived in Velenje until moving to Monaco.-Running career:...
, a Slovenian middle distance
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
athlete
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and Olympic bronze medalist. It is also the hometown of the Slovenian 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...
. The handball club RK Gorenje
RK Gorenje
RK Gorenje is a team handball club from Velenje, Slovenia. Club honours 50 years of handball tradition in the region. Handball was first played in nearby town of Sostanj, but later moved to Velenje because majority of players were from Velenje and new arena called Red Hall was located there as...
and football club NK Rudar Velenje are also based in the town.
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....
in the town is dedicated to Saint Martin
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje ; is a diocese located in the city of Celje in the Ecclesiastical province of Maribor in Slovenia.-Leadership:* Bishops of Celje ** Anton Stres...
. It dates to the 13th century with 16th and 17th century additions. To the west of the town on a hill is located the Velenje Castle
Velenje Castle
Velenje Castle is a well-preserved castle in Velenje, Slovenia that was owned by the Kunšperk family, followed by their relatives the Ptujs and the Liechtenstein families. The castle houses a museum of art and culture.-Geography:...
.
Velenje also helds the only adventure race in Slovenia. 400 kilometers long adventure race called Adventure race Slovenia is known far across the Europe and is held every weekend in June. It was first organized in 2003 by Lake Dragon Scout group.