Brezovica pri Borovnici (; german: Bresowitz''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 116.) is a settlement south of Borovnica in the

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( sl, Notranjska; german: Innerkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. The settlement includes the hamlets of Kapitov Grič, Prod, and Vrbljene.Savnik, Roman, ed. 1968. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 449.

Geography

Brezovica is a clustered village at the southeast end of the Borovnica Valley. It lies along Prušnica Creek and its tributaries: Šumik Creek, which flows from below Krimšček Hill (941 m), and Izber Creek. The soil is sandy and partially

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

Name

The name of the settlement was changed from ''Brezovica'' to ''Brezovica pri Borovnici'' (literally, 'Brezovica near Borovnica') in 1955. The name ''Brezovica'' and names like it are relatively common in Slovenia and in other Slavic countries (e.g.,

Březovice Březovice is a municipality and village in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, Brezovica in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, etc.). The name ''Brezovica'' is derived from the word ''breza'' '

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

'. Like similar toponyms in Slovenia (e.g., '' Brezova, Brezovec, Brezovci''), it originally referred to the local vegetation. In the past the German name was ''Bresowitz''.

History

In 1884, Brezovica had a population of 180 people living in 29 houses. The population remained relatively stable for decades, with 173 people in 32 houses in 1900, and 181 people in 28 houses in 1961. In 1942, the regional committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia took up positions in a bunker along Šumnik Creek north of Brezovica pri Borovnici. The bunker was attacked by

Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia The Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia ( it, Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista, MVAC; sl, prostovoljna protikomunistična milica, also or , pejorative, meaning 'white guard'; sh, script=cyrl, italic=no, Добровољачка антикомун� ...

forces on December 14, 1942.

Mass grave

Brezovica pri Borovnici is the site of a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

associated with the Second World War. The Krim Cave Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Krimska jama) lies in the woods south of the settlement. It contains the remains of an unknown number of Slovene civilians from neighboring villages murdered by a battalion of the

Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

Krim Detachment in 1942. Some sources estimate the number of victims to be around 300. The cave was used during the war by the Partisan Ljubo Šercer Battalion to dispose of other victims liquidated by the Partisans. It was investigated by Home Guard forces on 9 September 1942, and again with a journalist and a photographer on 23 March 1945, confirming the presence of human remains in the cave."Krimska jama – simbol revolucije." ''Zaveza'' 25 (15 June 2011).

(maps, photos) After the war, the entrance to the cave was dynamited in 1947, and again in September 1948.

Gallery

File:Brezovica pri Borovnici Slovenia - Prod.JPG, Main settlement and hamlet of Prod File:Brezovica pri Borovnici Slovenia - Vrbljene.JPG, Hamlet of Vrbljene

References

External links

*
Brezovica pri Borovnici on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brezovica Pri Borovnici Populated places in the Municipality of Borovnica