Otočec (, german: Sankt Peter) is a settlement on the left bank of the Krka River in the

City Municipality of Novo Mesto The City Municipality of Novo Mesto (; sl, Mestna občina Novo mesto) is a municipality in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The seat of the municipality is the city of Novo Mesto. The municipality of Novo Mesto is part of ...

in 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 Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the n ...

and is now included in the

Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region The Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region ( sl, Jugovzhodna Slovenija statistična regija) is a statistical region in southeast Slovenia. It is the largest statistical region. The development of this region is largely the result of industry (the au ...

Name

The name of the settlement was changed from ''Šent Peter'' (literally, 'Saint Peter') to ''Otočec'' (literally, 'small island') in 1952. The name was changed on the basis of the 1948 Law on Names of Settlements and Designations of Squares, Streets, and Buildings as part of efforts by Slovenia's postwar communist government to remove religious elements from toponyms.

Church

The local

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

is dedicated to

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1406. It was rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries.

Roads

Otočec can be reached by taking the A2 Motorway from

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered ...

, which is part of Pan-European Corridor X.

Otočec Castle

Otočec Castle was first mentioned in documents in the 13th century, and the walls are said to date to 1252. The castle is built on a small

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the middle of the Krka River east of the main settlement of Otočec. Of the 30 small islets in the Krka River in this area, the castle is on the largest

, which was formed by cutting a southern channel around the castle in order to form a moat around it. The islet is linked to both banks of the river by two

wooden bridge A timber bridge or wooden bridge is a bridge that uses timber or wood as its principal structural material. One of the first forms of bridge, those of timber have been used since ancient times. History The most ancient form of timber bridge is ...

s (a northern bridge and a southern bridge) so that it is possible to drive from either the north side or the south side, straight through the islet, to the opposite side of the river. There is parking at the entrance of the northern bridge and on the islet itself, but there is no parking at the entrance to the southern bridge. This castle is the only water castle in

, and it has now been converted into a small

luxury hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 505 It is also a member of

Relais & Châteaux Relais & Châteaux is an association of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. The group currently has about 580 members in 68 countries on five continents. Predominantly represented in Europe, the association is grow ...

, which is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated

s and

restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

Bradt Travel Guides Bradt Travel Guides is a publisher of travel guides founded in 1974 by Hilary Bradt and her husband George, who co-wrote the first Bradt Guide on a river barge on a tributary of the Amazon. Since then Bradt has grown into a leading independent tr ...

calls it "one of the most famous hotels in Slovenia." The castle also has a world–class restaurant on–site. There is also a boat house (located on the southern channel behind the castle), a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

, a castle park, and an

adventure park An adventure park is a place which can contain a wide variety of elements, including but not limited to, rope climbing exercises, obstacle courses, bouldering, rock climbing, target oriented activities, and zip-lines. They are usually intended ...

with a

ropes course A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in tr ...

on the island where Otočec Castle stands.

References

External links

*
Otočec on GeopediaOtocec Castle Hotel WebSite
Populated places in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto {{NovoMesto-geo-stub