Logatec (; , ) is a town in

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 seat of the Municipality of Logatec. It is located roughly in the centre of

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 ...

, between the capital

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

and

Postojna Postojna (; , ) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.

. The town of Logatec has seen rapid industrial development and immigration since the completion of the nearby A1 motorway to the

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

Name

The name ''Logatec'' is of Celtic origin, probably derived from

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

''*longatis'' 'ferryman, boatman', from the Proto-Celtic word ''*longā'' 'ship', thus meaning 'ferrymen's settlement'. The name became ''Longaticum'' in Latin, which was borrowed into Slavic as ''*Lǫgatьcь''. Early attestations of the Slavic name include ''Logach'' in 1265 (and ''Logatzc'' in 1296, ''Logatsch'' in 1307, ''Logacz'' in 1319, and ''de Logas'' in 1354).

History

The earliest mentions of the settlement are from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times (Roman way station ''Mansio Longatico''). The vicinity of trade routes between the interior and the coast has always played an important part in the region. First the Roman road from

Aquileia Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small ( ...

to Emona, and later the road to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

and the Southern Railway. Before the construction of railway line, the majority of the population made a living as

teamster A teamster in American English is a truck driver; a person who drives teams of draft animals; or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union. In some places, a teamster was called a carter, the name referring to the ...

s. The town of Logatec was formed by combining a number of former villages: * Blekova Vas (, ) * Brod. The name of the settlement was changed from ''Brod'' to ''Brod–Logatec'' in 1955. It was joined to Logatec in 1972.''Spremembe naselij 1948–95''. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS. * Čevica (), joined to Logatec in 1972. * Dolenja Vas () * Dolenji Logatec (), joined to Logatec in 1972. * Gorenja Vas (, ). The name of the settlement was changed from ''Gorenja vas'' to ''Gorenja vas pod Režišami'' in 1953. It was joined to Logatec in 1972. * Gorenji Logatec (), formerly Cerkovska Vas (), joined to Logatec in 1972. * Mandrge * Martinj Hrib, joined to Logatec in 1972. The town's

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

was founded in 1913.

Mass graves

Logatec is the site of three known

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, 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 exec ...

from during or after the Second World War. The Šemon Shaft Mass Grave () lies on the southern slope of Strmica Hill north of the town. The entrance to the shaft is marked by two pine trees. The grave contains the remains of civilians from the nearby village of Rovte that were murdered in May or June 1945. The Košovec Shaft Mass Grave () is a shaft located in the middle of a woods about south of Logatec. In addition to human remains, investigators have found German identification tags, gold dentures, a ring, ammunition, and remains of military and civilian footwear in the shaft. The Gradišnica Cave Mass Grave () lies south of Logatec. It contains the remains of two to five unknown victims.

Climate

Churches

Because Logatec is made of what were originally separate settlements, there are a number of churches in what is now the town. 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 ...

is in the Dolenji Logatec area and is dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1526. From 1795 to 1803 a new church was built on the site. The church in the Čevica area is dedicated to

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

, and in Gorenji Logatec to the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

.Logatec parish site
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Gallery

File:Logatec Castle.jpg, Logatec Castle

References

External links

*
Logatec on Geopedia
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Logatec Cities and towns in Inner Carniola