Ortnek (; german: Ortenegg)''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 50. is a settlement in the Municipality of Ribnica in southern

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 railway line from

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

to Kočevje runs through the settlement and the village has a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.

Strategic petroleum reserve

A major storage site for Slovenia's strategic petroleum reserves is located in a valley immediately west of Ortnek. In the past, it was used as a military petroleum reserve. The Ortnek facility is one of Slovenia's largest petroleum storage sites, the total stockpiles of which are envisaged as sufficient to supply Slovenia's needs for three months. Diesel fuel and gasoline are stored at the site, as well as kerosene at times. In addition to the visible reservoirs, there are seven underground reservoirs built into the surrounding hills. Access to the site is strictly controlled.

Ortnek Castle and Ortnek Manor

The ruins of

Ortnek Castle Ortnek Castle ( sl, Ortneški grad; also known as the Old Castle ()) is a 12th-century castle ruin in the vicinity of the town of Ribnica, Slovenia. The ruin stands on Big Žrnovec Hill (), near the village of Hudi Konec. History In 1161, Count ...

stand on Big Žrnovec Hill ( sl, Veliki Žrnovec) southwest of the settlement. The castle was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1355, but it was built in the 13th century on a site that has also yielded

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

artefacts. The castle was abandoned in the 19th century. Ortnek Manor stands along Zastava Creek, east of the road from Ljubljana to Kočevje. It is a three-story structure with a four-sided roof that was built at the end of the 17th century on the site of a former manor farm. After the Kosler family abandoned Ortnek Castle in 1884, the manor was reworked into a residence for them. In addition to the manor, the grounds include outbuildings and a park.

Church

The best-preserved part of the Ortnek Castle complex is the 17th-century

castle chapel Castle chapels (german: Burgkapellen) in European architecture are chapels that were built within a castle. They fulfilled the religious requirements of the castle lord and his retinue, while also sometimes serving as a burial site. Because the ...

, dedicated to

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

( sl, sveti Jurij). The church stands on Big Žrnovec Hill southeast of the ruins of Ortnek Castle. Its nave is divided into three sections by pilasters, the chancel is walled on three sides, and the bell tower stands to the northwest. The church's furnishings—three altars, paintings from 1641 by Master HGG, and the pulpit—were restored between 1999 and 2003, and they are stored in various locations.

References

External links

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Ortnek on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Ribnica {{Ribnica-geo-stub