Žirovnica
Encyclopedia
Žirovnica is a municipality
in Slovenia
. It is located in the historic Upper Carniola
region, on the southern slope of the Karavanke mountain range, close to the border with Austria
. The municipality borders with Jesenice in the west, Bled
and Radovljica
in the south, and Tržič
in the east.
There are ten villages/settlements in the municipality: Breg, Breznica, Doslovče
, Moste, Rodine
, Selo
, Smokuč
, Vrba, Zabreznica
and Žirovnica. The municipal administration is based in Breznica.
A number of figures, important to Slovenes, come from the area of Žirovnica municipality, namely the poet France Prešeren
, the linguist Matija Čop
, the archbishop Anton Vovk
, the pioneering bee-keeper Anton Janša
and the writers Janez Jalen
and Fran Saleški Finžgar
. Bronze busts of all five have been put up in front of the school in Zabreznica. There is a well-marked walk through the villages called 'The Cultural Heritage Route'. This can be followed to visit certain monuments associated with the above figures (e.g. Prešeren's
, Čop's, Finžgar's
and Jalen's birth places, all of which are small museums, Janša's beehive) and a number of other historical and cultural monuments in the area.
On January 13, 2008 the statues of Janez Jalen and Fran Saleški Finžgar from in front of the school, as well as the bronze figure of a hostage from the monument in Moste were stolen. They were found cut into pieces four days later.
In the valley of Završnica, behind the Reber range that overlooks the villages the first public hydro-electric plant in Slovenia was built in 1914 and in 1952, after building a 60 m dam (the highest dam in Slovenia to date) in the Kavčke gorge, a second hydro-electric plant was opened in nearby Moste. This was the first hydro-electric plant to operate on the river Sava.
Municipalities of Slovenia
Slovenia is divided into 211 municipalities , of which 11 have urban status.Slovene is an official language of all the municipalities. Hungarian is a second official language of 3 municipalities in Prekmurje: Dobrovnik , Hodoš and Lendava...
in 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 located in the historic 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, on the southern slope of the Karavanke mountain range, close to the border with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The municipality borders with Jesenice in the west, Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
and Radovljica
Radovljica
Radovljica is a town and a municipality in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km²...
in the south, and Tržič
Tržic
Tržič is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia near the Austrian border . The first settlement was founded near the road that connected Roman city of Emona with Virunum in present-day Carinthia...
in the east.
There are ten villages/settlements in the municipality: Breg, Breznica, Doslovče
Doslovce
Doslovče is one of ten villages in the Žirovnica municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is best known as the birth place of the Slovene writer Fran Saleški Finžgar. His house has been a small museum since 1971.- External links :**...
, Moste, Rodine
Rodine
Rodine is one of ten villages in the Žirovnica municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.There is evidence of Roman settlement in the area of Rodine with the remains of a Roman farm in Ključi. This was partially excavated in 1959, and finds show that it was settled from the late 1st...
, Selo
Selo (Žirovnica)
Selo is one of ten villages in the Žirovnica municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It lies on the slopes of the Reber range between Žirovnica and Zabreznica and is more or less a continuous settlement with the latter. There are open fields to the south of the village...
, Smokuč
Smokuc
Smokuč is one of ten villages in the Žirovnica municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It has a population of 482 ....
, Vrba, Zabreznica
Zabreznica
Zabreznica is one of ten villages in the municipality of Žirovnica in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It is the location of Žirovnica Primary School, which serves the primary education needs of all the villages in the municipality....
and Žirovnica. The municipal administration is based in Breznica.
A number of figures, important to Slovenes, come from the area of Žirovnica municipality, namely the poet France Prešeren
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
, the linguist Matija Čop
Matija Cop
Matija Čop , also known in German as Matthias Tschop, was a Slovene linguist, literary historian and critic.- Biography :...
, the archbishop Anton Vovk
Anton Vovk
Archbishop Anton Vovk was born in the village of Vrba in Upper Carniola in the same house where the poet France Prešeren had been born 100 years earlier . Vovk’s father Jožef Vovk and mother Marija née Debelak died when he was young...
, the pioneering bee-keeper Anton Janša
Anton Janša
thumb|Anton Janša - portraitAnton Janša was a Slovene apiarist and painter. Janša is known as a pioneer of modern apiculture and a great expert in the field. He was educated as a painter, but was employed as a teacher of apiculture at the Habsburg court in Vienna.- Biography :Anton Janša was born...
and the writers Janez Jalen
Janez Jalen
Janez Jalen was a Slovene writer and priest.- Biography :Janez Jalen was born into a rural family. His father awakened in him a great interest in nature early on in his life. After finishing secondary school in Kranj he studied theology in Ljubljana. His first pastoral appointment was to Srednja...
and Fran Saleški Finžgar
Fran Saleški Finžgar
Fran Saleški Finžgar was a Slovene writer, playwright, translator and Roman Catholic priest.Fran Saleški Finžgar was born into a poor peasant family in the Upper Carniolan village of Doslovče , in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
. Bronze busts of all five have been put up in front of the school in Zabreznica. There is a well-marked walk through the villages called 'The Cultural Heritage Route'. This can be followed to visit certain monuments associated with the above figures (e.g. Prešeren's
Prešeren's house
Prešeren's birth house is a house in the village of Vrba in the Žirovnica municipality in Slovenia. It is the house where the Slovene poet France Prešeren was born in 1800. The Slovene theologian and archbishop Anton Vovk was also born in the same house in 1900. The house is a good example of an...
, Čop's, Finžgar's
Finžgar's house
Finžgar's birth house is a house in the village of Doslovče in the Žirovnica municipality in Slovenia. It is the house where the Slovene writer Fran Saleški Finžgar was born in 1871. As well as a museum about the writer, it is a museum of rural architecture and living during the late 19th century....
and Jalen's birth places, all of which are small museums, Janša's beehive) and a number of other historical and cultural monuments in the area.
On January 13, 2008 the statues of Janez Jalen and Fran Saleški Finžgar from in front of the school, as well as the bronze figure of a hostage from the monument in Moste were stolen. They were found cut into pieces four days later.
In the valley of Završnica, behind the Reber range that overlooks the villages the first public hydro-electric plant in Slovenia was built in 1914 and in 1952, after building a 60 m dam (the highest dam in Slovenia to date) in the Kavčke gorge, a second hydro-electric plant was opened in nearby Moste. This was the first hydro-electric plant to operate on the river Sava.