Kranjska Gora (; german: Kronau) is a town in northwestern

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 ...

, on the Sava Dolinka River in the

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) 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 Jeseni ...

region, close to the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

borders. It is the seat of the

Municipality of Kranjska Gora The Municipality of Kranjska Gora (; sl, Občina Kranjska Gora) is a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. The seat of the municipality is the town ...

Name

Kranjska Gora was first mentioned in written sources in 1326 as ''Chrainow'' (and as ''Chrainau'' and ''Chrainaw'' in 1363, as ''Cranaw'' and ''Chranaw'' in 1390, and as ''Kraynaw'' in 1456–61, among other names). The Slovene name ''Kranjska Gora'' is a reworking of the German name, influenced by German ''Krainberg'' 'Karawanks'. The settlement was also called ''Borovska vas'' (or ''Borovska ves'' or ''Borovška ves''''Krajevni leksikon Dravske Banovine''. 1937. Ljubljana: Zveza za tujski promet za Slovenijo, p. 540.) in Slovene in the past.

History

Kranjska Gora is believed to have been settled in the 11th century by Slovenes from Carantania. It was a fief of the

Counts of Ortenburg The Counts of Ortenburg (german: Grafen von Ortenburg) were a comital family in the mediaeval Duchy of Carinthia. Though they had roots in Bavarian nobility, an affiliation with the Imperial Counts of Ortenburg, a branch line of the Rhenish Fra ...

in the 12th century. A trade route to

Tarvisio Tarvisio (German and fur, Tarvis, sl, Trbiž) is a comune in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy. Geography The town is in the Canal Valley (''Val Canale'') between the Carnic Alps and Karawanks rang ...

already led through the town in the 14th century. In 1431 the

Counts of Celje The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...

built a castle at Villa Bassa (now part of Tarvisio), which belonged to the town until 1848. Kranjska Gora came under Ottoman attack in 1476. A railroad connection was built to Kranjska Gora in 1870. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in 1916, Russian prisoners of war built a wooden chapel above the settlement commemorating their comrades killed in an avalanche while building a road over the

Vršič Pass The Vršič Pass (; sl, prelaz Vršič, it, passo della Moistrocca, german: Werschetzpass), with an elevation of , is a high mountain pass across the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It is the highest pass in Slovenia, as well as the high ...

. There is a small cemetery nearby. Commemorations take place at the chapel every year.

Mass grave

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 ...

from the end of 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 opposi ...

is found in the eastern part of the town. The Savsko Naselje Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče v Savskem naselju), also known as the Rušar Meadow Mass Grave (), contains the remains of up to 35 German soldiers killed in an engagement with the Partisans in May 1945.

Postwar period

Tourism developed further in Kranjska Gora after the Second World War. Various ski lifts were built on Mount Vitranc west of the town in 1949, 1962, 1964, and 1965, and a freight cableway was installed in 1958.

Church

The Counts of Ortenburg established a church dedicated to Our Lady on the White Gravel ( sl, Marija na belem produ) in the 14th century, referring to the bank of the Pišnica River, which has since changed course. The current church, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, is late Gothic in style and has typical Carinthian rib vaulting. It contains two sculptures from the second half of the 15th century and paintings by Leopold Layer (1752–1828).

Recreation

Kranjska Gora is best known as a

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...

town, being situated in the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large p ...

. It annually hosts an event in the

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

series, also known as the Vitranc Cup, for the slalom and giant slalom events. The well-known ski jumping hill

Planica Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking ...

is located in the nearby Tamar Valley.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Kranjska Gora include: * Franjo Kogoj (1894–1983), dermatologist * Josip Lavtižar (1851–1943), storyteller and local historian * Janez Mencinger (1819–1909), writer * Simon Robič (1824–1897), natural scientist * Janez Smolej (1873–1938), translator and journalist *

Josip Vandot Josip Vandot (15 January 1884 – 11 July 1944) was a Slovene writer and poet who wrote mainly for young readers. Biography Vandot was born in Kranjska Gora in Upper Carniola, then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Slovenia. Under the interwar K ...

(1884–1944), children's writer

Twin towns — sister cities

Waasmunster Waasmunster () is a municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Waasmunster proper. In 2021, Waasmunster had a total population of 10,912. The total area is 31.93 km2. ...

, Belgium *

Santa Marinella Santa Marinella is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about northwest of Rome. It includes the beach resort of Santa Severa (the ancient Pyrgi), and a medieval castle. History In a ...

, Italy

Gallery

File:Julian Alps with Prisojnik and Razor.jpg, View from Kranjska Gora File:Jasna Lake (9516999811).jpg, Lake Jasna at Kranjska Gora File:KranjskaGora-centrocitta.JPG, Main street File:Kranjska Gora, straatzicht met kerktoren foto4 2011-07-19 10.07.jpg, Street scene File:3266kranjskaGoraCentre.jpg, Fountain

References

External links

*
Kranjska Gora on GeopediaOfficial Website
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Kranjska Gora Ski areas and resorts in Slovenia