Vuzenica
Encyclopedia
Vuzenica is a town and a municipality
in northern Slovenia
. It lies on the right bank of the Drava
River and extends south into the Pohorje
Hills. The area was part of the traditional region of Styria
. It is now included in the Carinthia statistical region
. Vuzenica was first mentioned as a settlement in written documents dating to 1238, but archaeological evidence
points to much older settlement of the area with a Roman period
burial ground in the town
. Of the 13th-century castle above the settlement, only parts of the walls survive.
The parish church
in the town is dedicated to Saint Nicholas
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. It was built in the mid-13th century on the site of a 12th-century church. It was partly rebuilt and extended in the 14th and 15th centuries. A second church in the town is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and dates to the late 14th century.
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 lies on the right bank of the Drava
Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
River and extends south into the Pohorje
Pohorje
Pohorje is a mountain range in northern Slovenia, near the towns of Dravograd and Maribor. Made of metamorphic rock, it is geologically part of the Central Eastern Alps, though due to its location south of the Drava River it is commonly regarded as a Southern Limestone Alps range.-Peaks:The most...
Hills. The area was part of the traditional region of 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...
. It is now included in the Carinthia statistical region
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....
. Vuzenica was first mentioned as a settlement in written documents dating to 1238, but archaeological evidence
Archaeological 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....
points to much older settlement of the area with a Roman period
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....
burial ground in the town
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. Of the 13th-century castle above the settlement, only parts of the walls survive.
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 Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. It was built in the mid-13th century on the site of a 12th-century church. It was partly rebuilt and extended in the 14th and 15th centuries. A second church in the town is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and dates to the late 14th century.