Brežice (; german: Rann ) is a town in eastern

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 ...

in the

Lower Sava Valley The Lower Sava Valley ( sl, Posavje, also ''Spodnje Posavje'' and ''Posavska regija''Ferenc, Tone. 1995. "Posavje". ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'' vol 9. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, pp. 155–156.) is a region in southeastern Slovenia on the border ...

, near the

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n border. It is the seat of the

Municipality of Brežice The Municipality of Brežice (; sl, Občina Brežice) is a municipality in eastern Slovenia in the Lower Sava Valley along the border with Croatia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Brežice. The area was traditionally divided between ...

. It lies in the center of the Brežice Plain ( sl, Brežiško polje), which is part of the larger Krka Flat ( sl, Krška ravan). The area was traditionally divided between

Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...

(territory on the left bank of the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally th ...

River) and

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the no ...

(territory on the right bank of the Sava River). The entire municipality is now included in the

Lower Sava Statistical Region The Lower Sava Statistical Region ( sl, Posavska statistična regija; until December 31, 2014 ) is a statistical region in Slovenia. It has good traffic accessibility and is located in the Sava and Krka Valleys, with hilly areas with vineyards and ...

. Brežice prides itself on a rich historical and cultural heritage. The

Lower Sava Valley Museum Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...

( sl, Posavski muzej Brežice), housed in

Brežice Castle Brežice Castle ( sl, Grad Brežice, german: Schloss Rann) is a 16th-century castle in the town of Brežice, in southeastern Slovenia, at the street address ''Cesta prvih borcev 1''. As with the town, the castle's name derives from the diminutive ...

, contains archaeological and ethnological exhibits, exhibits on the

Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt Croatian may refer to: *Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , ...

, and a modern history collection. It is one of the largest regional museums in the country. A more recent landmark addition to the town is its

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

, as well as the double arches of the 527 m long iron bridge, which spans the Sava and Krka rivers.

History

Celtic graves from the 2nd century BC have been discovered in Brežice, and it has been continuously settled since prehistoric times. A Slavic settlement called ''Gradišče'' was established at the site soon after the arrival of the Slovenes in the area. The castle in Brežice was first mentioned in 1249. The current structure dates to 1529. Brežice was affected by Ottoman raids several times during the 15th and 16th centuries. Peasant uprisings took place during the 16th century; in 1515 peasants attacked the castle in Brežice, burned it, and killed the nobility sheltering in it. The new castle was able to withstand the peasant uprising of 1573. The first school was established in Brežice in 1668, taught by Franciscan friars at the friary. From 1774 to 1780 instruction took place at Baron Moscon's residence, and from 1780 to 1820 at the rectory. A separate school building was built in 1875. A general hospital was established in Brežice in 1872. Its facilities were expanded in 1889. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Brežice and the adjacent countryside to the north and west were known as the

Rann Triangle Rann may refer to: Places *Rann (fictional planet), a fictional planet in the Polaris star system of the DC Comics Universe *Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India **Great Rann of Kutch, a seasonally marshy region located in the Thar Desert **Little Rann ...

(german: Ranner Dreieck), an area intended for the resettlement of Gottschee Germans that had been evicted from the

Gottschee Gottschee (, sl, Kočevsko) refers to a former German-speaking region in Carniola, a crownland of the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Empire, part of the historical and traditional region of Lower Carniola, now in Slovenia. The region has been a coun ...

region in the territory annexed by Italy. Brežice expanded after the Second World War by annexing the neighboring villages of Brezina (german: Bresina), Črnč (), Šentlenart (), Trnje (), and Zakot ().

Churches

Saint Lawrence's Church in Brežice was first mentioned in written sources in the 12th century. It stood on the bank of the Sava (now an old side channel). It and the adjacent cemetery were heavily damaged by flooding in 1781, which also changed the course of the river, and the current church was built in the town center in 1782. Brežice has been the seat of a parish since 1641. Another church in the town, built in the second half of the 17th century, is dedicated to

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...

Main Sights

Brežice Castle

is the dominant feature of the town, standing above the left bank of the Sava. It is now a museum housing several collections and exhibitions. In the castle chapel there is an altar by Luka Mislej.

Water Tower

The Brežice Water Tower is the most prominent structure in the town, and is regarded as its symbol. Built in 1914, it was a key part of the town's water supply system until in was replaced by a new reservoir in 1972, after which it had an auxiliary role until 1983.

Education

Brežice Upper Secondary School

The Brežice Upper Secondary School ( sl, Gimnazija Brežice) opened in 1945, is built on the site of a Franciscan friary. The school was renovated in 1966, when an extension was also added. 690 students attend the school.

Brežice Faculty of Tourism

The Faculty of Tourism was founded in December 2009 and is part of the University of Maribor, Slovenia's second-largest university. It is located in the center of the town on the main street, ''Cesta prvih borcev''. In the 2012–2013 academic year it enrolled the first class of students in two three-year undergraduate programs in tourism: a vocational program and a bachelor's program. The faculty will also offer a master's program in tourism starting in the 2014–2015 academic year.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Brežice include: *

Jurij Rovan Jurij Rovan (born 23 January 1975) is a Slovenian pole vaulter. He competed at the 2002 European Indoor Championships, the 2002 European Championships, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2005 World Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games without re ...

(born 1975), pole vaulter * Ivo Benkovič (1875–?), politician *

Albin Bregar Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

(?–1894), religious writer * Vojko Černelč (born 1934), editor and journalist *

Mirjan Damaška Mirjan Damaška (born October 8, 1931) is an American and Croatian jurist and legal scholar, known for his works in the sphere of comparative criminal justice and international criminal law. He was a professor at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, w ...

(born 1931), jurist *

Vanda Gerlovič ''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among ...

(1925–2001), opera singer * Anton Gvajc (1865–1935), painter *

Vera Horvat Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarrag ...

, (1906–?), painter *

Primož Kozmus Primož Kozmus (born 30 September 1979 in Novo Mesto) is a Slovenian hammer thrower. His gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin made him the first ever Slovenian athlete to win both titles. ...

(born 1979), Olympic and world hammer throw champion * Anton Krošl (1905–1945), historian * Jože Krošl (1894–1978), theologian and sociologist * Franc Kruljc (1873–1954), theologian *

Dušan Kuščer Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Душан) is a Slavic given name primarily used in countries of Yugoslavia; and among Slovaks and Czechs. The name is derived from the Slavic noun ''duša'' "soul". Occurrence In Serbia, it was the 29th most popular name ...

(1920–), geologist * Boris Lipužič (1930–), geographer * Janez Mencinger (1838–1912), writer, translator, and lawyer * Avgust Munda (1886–1971), ichthyologist *

Tomaž Petrovič Tomaž Petrovič (born 17 April 1979) is a Slovenian football manager. Managerial career Petrovič began his coaching career at Olimpija in 2002, coaching various youth selections. In 2006 he joined the newly founded Bravo, where he was director ...

(born 1979), football manager * Leopold Poljanec (1872–1944), natural history expert * Ljudmila Poljanec (1874–1948), poet *

Miloš Poljanšek Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian f ...

(born 1923), Slavic studies specialist * Karel Přibil (1877–1944), education expert and translator * Georgius de Rain ( sl, Jurij iz Brežic) (14th century – 1416), religious writer *

Radoslav Razlag Radoslav () is a common Slavic names, Slavic masculine given name, derived from ''rad-'' ("happy, eager, to care") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "eager glory". It is known since the Mi ...

(1826–1880), poet and politician *

Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian mobster, politician, sports administrator, paramilitary commander and head of the Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard du ...

(1952–2000), Serb paramilitary leader, also known as "Arkan" * Lavoslav Schwentner (1865–1952), publisher * Marjan Sidaritsch (1895–1925), agricultural geographer * Boris Sikošek (born 1922), geologist and tectonics expert * Gvidon Srebre (1839–1926), lawyer and politician * Franjo Stiplovšek (1898–1963), painter and graphic artist * Viktor Tiller (1878–1961), local historian and geographer * Andrej Urek (1836–1904), poet *

Jaka Žorga Jaka is a Slovenian given name, the Slovenian form for Jacob and James, and is also a Javanese name, the standard spelling for Joko. Notable people with the name include: *Jaka Ankerst (born 1989), Slovenian ice hockey player *Jaka Bizilj (born ...

(1888–1942), politician

Gallery

File:Brezice town, Slovenia.jpg, Brežice File:Brezice, Slovenia.jpg, Brežice

References

External links

*
Brežice on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brezice Populated places in the Municipality of Brežice Cities and towns in Styria (Slovenia)