Velika Planina
Encyclopedia
Velika Planina is dispersed
high-altitude
settlement of mostly herders' dwellings on the karstified
mountain plateau
Velika planina
in the Kamnik Alps
in Upper Carniola
region of Slovenia
.
The mainly wooden huts and barns in the settlement have a particular architecture. They are single-room dwellings with shingled
oval roofs extending nearly to ground level, making the space created by the extended roof suitable for sheltering livestock. There are very few permanent residents in the settlement, but in the summer months it still has a sizable population of herdsmen who bring their flocks to the highland pastures. It is one of very few herders' settlements of this scale preserved in Europe and attracts visitors throughout the year with facilities for skiing
in the winter and hiking
in the summer. A number of houses to accommodate visitors have been built nearby. It is easily accessible by cable car
from Kamniška Bistrica
.
Prior to 1939, Slovene architect
Jože Plečnik
prepared plans to build a church. The church design was modeled on the unique architecture of the surrounding huts. In 1939, the shepherds and dairymaids of Velika Planina used Plečnik's designs and built the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows. Located just above the settlement, the small church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary
. In the Second World War the chapel along with 100 other wooden dwellings were burnt down. The new chapel was built in 1988 and is particularly known for its Christmas Eve
midnight mass
.
Dispersed settlement
A dispersed settlement is one of the main types of settlement patterns used by landscape historians to classify rural settlements found in England and other parts of the world....
high-altitude
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
settlement of mostly herders' dwellings on the karstified
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
mountain plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
Velika planina
Velika planina
Velika planina is a karstified mountain plateau in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps to the northeast of Kamnik. It measures and has the average elevation of above sea level. Its highest point is Gradišče with . There are numerous herders' dwellings that comprise several settlements: Velika Planina, Mala...
in the Kamnik Alps
Kamnik Alps
The Kamnik–Savinja Alps are a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps in north Slovenia and at the border with Austria. Its western part, the Kamnik Alps, is in the basin of the Kamniška Bistrica and is named after the town Kamnik. Its eastern part is in the basin of Savinja and is...
in 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...
.
The mainly wooden huts and barns in the settlement have a particular architecture. They are single-room dwellings with shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
oval roofs extending nearly to ground level, making the space created by the extended roof suitable for sheltering livestock. There are very few permanent residents in the settlement, but in the summer months it still has a sizable population of herdsmen who bring their flocks to the highland pastures. It is one of very few herders' settlements of this scale preserved in Europe and attracts visitors throughout the year with facilities for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
in the winter and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
in the summer. A number of houses to accommodate visitors have been built nearby. It is easily accessible by cable car
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
from Kamniška Bistrica
Kamniška Bistrica, village
Kamniška Bistrica is a small dispersed settlement close to the source of the River Kamniška Bistrica in the Kamnik municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.There is a mountain hut and a small artificial lake close to the source of the river...
.
Prior to 1939, Slovene 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...
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
prepared plans to build a church. The church design was modeled on the unique architecture of the surrounding huts. In 1939, the shepherds and dairymaids of Velika Planina used Plečnik's designs and built the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows. Located just above the settlement, the small church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
. In the Second World War the chapel along with 100 other wooden dwellings were burnt down. The new chapel was built in 1988 and is particularly known for its Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
midnight mass
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
.