Marija Gorica () is a municipality in western

Zagreb County Zagreb County ( hr, Zagrebačka županija) is a county in Northern Croatia. It surrounds, but does not contain, the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, the county is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring" ( hr, ...

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 ...

on the border with

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 ...

. According to the 2001 census, there are 2,089 inhabitants, the absolute majority are

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

. The name of the settlement is derived from the patron saint of the parish church, which is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. ''

Marija Marija is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Depending on phonological rules concerning consecutiv ...

'' is a Croatian form of the name

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, while ''Gorica'' means "hill" (and particularly wine-growing hills). The church was founded in the 16^th century as a Franciscan monastery, and its first patron saint had been

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

. The change of patronage happened in the second half of the 17^th century, when a statue of the Virgin from the church altar became famous for its supposed healing powers. Fossilized teeth of the extinct

proboscid The Proboscidea (; , ) are a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic order (biology), order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (biology), family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger ...

Deinotherium ''Deinotherium'' was a large elephant-like proboscidean that appeared in the Middle Miocene and survived until the Early Pleistocene. Although superficially resembling modern elephants, they had notably more flexible necks, limbs adapted to a mo ...

'' (also depicted on the municipal coat of arms) have been found in Marija Gorica. One of the most prolific writers of Croatian Realism,

Ante Kovačić Antun "Ante" Kovačić (June 6, 1854 – March 10, 1889) was a Croatian writer who is best known for his magnum opus work '' U registraturi''. Biography Early life Born to a family of Croatian peasants in Hrvatsko Zagorje, Kovačić mad ...

was born in the neighboring village of Bila Gorica, and started his schooling in the elementary school in Marija Gorica. The school had been built in the 19^th century, in the center of the village, across from the Church of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The elementary school was later named Osnovna škola Ante Kovačića in his honor. The mayor is Marica Jančić, who was born in Žlebec Gorički. One of the events during the last weeks of the World War II, when many armies were retreating towards Austria and Germany, happened on April 24 1945 in the neighboring village of Hrastina, 43 people were murdered. Although the event was only recently sufficiently explored, in 1977 a monument was erected for the remembrance of these people. According to these information, 43 German

Sinti The Sinti (also ''Sinta'' or ''Sinte''; masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintesa'') are a subgroup of Romani people mostly found in Germany and Central Europe that number around 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today o ...

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 ...

and other members of a traveling circus were murdered by Ustase soldiers during the Hrastina Massacre.

Settlements

*Marija Gorica (administrative center) * Kraj Donji * Bijela Gorica * Kraj Gornji * Žlebec Gorički * Oplaznik * Celine Goričke * Hrastina * Trstenik * Križ Brdovečki

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places in Zagreb County Zaprešić Municipalities of Croatia