Gradec (; sometimes ''Zagradec''; german: Grodetz, ''Groditz'',Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji nemški jezikovni otok na kočevskem''. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej, p. 4. or ''Grodez'';''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 38.

Gottscheerish Gottscheerish (''Göttscheabarisch'',Maridi Tscherne: Wörterbuch Gottscheerisch-Slowenisch. Einrichtung für die Erhaltung des Kulturerbes Nesseltal, Koprivnik/Nesseltal 2010. german: Gottscheerisch, sl, kočevarščina) is an Upper German ...

: ''Grodetz''Petschauer, Erich. 1980. "Die Gottscheer Siedlungen – Ortsnamenverzeichnis." In ''Das Jahrhundertbuch der Gottscheer'' (pp. 181–197). Klagenfurt: Leustik.) is a remote abandoned settlement in the Municipality of Črnomelj in the

White Carniola White Carniola ( sl, Bela krajina; german: Weißkrain or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, alth ...

area of southeastern

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 area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.Črnomelj municipal site
/ref> Its territory is now part of the village of

Rožič Vrh Rožič Vrh (, in older sources ''Rožičev verh'', german: Roschitschwerch) is a settlement in the hills west of the town of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carnio ...

.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 27053

Name

The toponym ''Gradec'' is relatively common in Slovenia and is derived from the Slovene common noun ''gradec'' 'small walled settlement' (which only later developed the contemporary meaning 'castle, chateau'). However, the linguist

Anton Breznik Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

(1881–1944) proposed that in this case the name is derived from the Slovene noun ''grod'' 'rib, ridge', referring to the location of the settlement on a ridge.Simonič, Ivan. 1935. "Kočevarji v luči krajevnih in ledinskih imen." ''Glasnik Muzejskega društva za Slovenijo'' 16: 61–81 and 106–123, p. 63. The German name ''Grodetz'' is derived from the Slovene name.

History

Gradec was a Gottschee German village. It was not mentioned in the land registry of 1574 or in the census of 1770, and so it was presumably founded later. Before 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 ...

it had six houses and a population of 33.''Krajevni leksikon Dravske Banovine''. 1937. Ljubljana: Zveza za tujski promet za Slovenijo, p. 217. The residents were evicted in the fall of 1941 and the area was burned by Italian troops during the Rog Offensive in the summer of 1942.Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 37. After the war a logger's cabin was built at the site, which is accessible by a forest road. The former village is registered as a cultural heritage site.

Mass grave

Gradec is the site of a mass grave associated with the Second World War. The Zagradec Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Zagradec) is located in a sinkhole below a forest trail and hay meadow southeast of the settlement. The grave contains the remains of 61

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

from

Kanižarica Kanižarica () is a settlement southwest of the town of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. ...

that were murdered on 21 July 1942.

Church

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

, dedicated to the Holy Cross, stood in the village. It served as a pilgrimage destination. According to oral tradition, the church was built between 1550 and 1580.

References

External links

Gradec (Zagradec) on GeopediaPre–World War II map of Gradec with oeconyms and family names
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gradec, Crnomelj Former populated places in the Municipality of Črnomelj