Žiri (; formerly also ''Žir'', locally ''Žier'',Snoj, Marko. 2009. ''Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen''. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 490–491.) is a town in northwestern
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Žiri, created in 1994. Prior to this the town belonged administratively to the area of
Škofja Loka
Škofja Loka (; ) is a town in Slovenia. It is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative center of the Municipality of Škofja Loka in Upper Carniola. It has about 12,000 inhabitants.
Geography
Škofja Loka lies at an elevation of ...
.
Location
The town of Žiri lies in the extreme southwest part of the
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola ( ; ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, Domžale and ...
region on the borders with the
Inner Carniola
Inner Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica (plateau), Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the Goriška, Gor ...
and the
Littoral
The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...
regions in the
Žiri Basin
Žiri (; formerly also ''Žir'', locally ''Žier'',Snoj, Marko. 2009. ''Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen''. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 490–491. ) is a town in northwestern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of ...
() at the end of the
Poljane Valley
Poljane may refer to the following places:
In Croatia:
* Poljane, Brod-Posavina County, a village near Dragalić
* Poljane, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, a village near Opatija
In Kosovo:
* Poljane, Istok, a settlement in the Municipality o ...
(). A number of
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
The name of the settlement was first attested in 1291 as ''Syroch'' (and as ''Seyroch'' in 1307 and ''Syroch'' in 1318). It is probably derived from a plural form of the
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...
*''Žirъ'', and the name would therefore mean 'Žir and his people'. An alternative, less likely theory, connects the name to the Slovene common noun ''žir'' ' beech nuts'. The town was known as ''Sairach'' in German.
History
An Austrian post office was established in Žiri in 1871 as ''Sairach'', district of ''Loitsch'' (
Logatec
Logatec (; , ) is a town in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Logatec. It is located roughly in the centre of Inner Carniola, between the capital Ljubljana and Postojna. The town of Logatec has seen rapid industrial development and ...
). The Slovene name was added to the postal name at the end of the 19th century.
Church
The
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the town of Žiri is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the
Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana (, ) is a Latin ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Slovenia.Leopold Suhodolčan (1928–1980), writerPaternu, Boris, Helga Glušič, & Matjaž Kmecl. 1967. ''Slovenska književnost 1945-1965,'' vol. 1. Ljubljana: Slovenska matica, p. 422.