Podbrezje (; german: Birkendorf''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 54–55.) is a village in the

Municipality of Naklo The Municipality of Naklo (; sl, Občina Naklo) is one of the municipalities in northwestern Slovenia. Its seat is Naklo. The municipality, established in 1994, lies at an elevation of and has 5,020 residents. It has an area of . Geography The ...

in the Upper Carniola region of

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 ...

. It includes the hamlets of Dolenja Vas ( sl, Dolenja vas, german: Unterbirkendorf), Srednja Vas ( sl, Srednja vas, german: Mitterbirkendorf), Britof (german: Freithof), and Podtabor (german: Tabor), which were separate settlements before 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 opposin ...

. The settlement lies on a terrace on the left bank of the

Sava River The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

known as Dobrava. Since the early 19th century Podbrezje has been known for its

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s, which can be seen around the village to this day. After the Second World War, a Yugoslav labor camp for political prisoners operated in Podbrezje.

Churches

There are two churches in Podbrezje. The

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 located in the hamlet of Britof and is dedicated to Saint James. It was originally a Gothic church that was reworked in the Baroque style in the 17th century. The Baroque altars and sculptures in the church date from the late 18th century and were created by Peter Žiwobski (1752–?). In addition to the main altar dedicated to Saint James, there are two side altars, dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) ( cs, Jan Nepomucký; german: Johannes Nepomuk; la, Ioannes Nepomucenus) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was the saint of Bohemia (Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus IV ...

. The ceiling fresco was painted by Vinko Tušek (1936–2011). The church's organ was built in 1830 by Johann Gottfried Kunath (before 1790 – after 1846). There is a cemetery on the west wide of the church. Podbrezje Slovenia - Tabor church

The picturesque

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Tabor Church Tabor Church (german: Taborkirche) is the church of the Evangelical Tabor Congregation, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church building is located in Wrangelkie ...

, in the hamlet of Podtabor on a rock above the

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

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 the Karawanks Tunnel, is a well-known landmark on the route. It was built some time soon after 1471 as a fortification where the locals could escape from Ottoman raids. The worst Ottoman incursions across Upper Carniola and into

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

were in 1476 and 1477. The building of the walls around the church was conditioned by the favourable natural position on an elevation in the middle of a plain, affording a view in all directions. The walls surrounding the church are irregularly shaped and were built on two levels with a roofed walkway,

balistraria An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch bolts. The interio ...

, and defense tower. The defence tower overlooked the only entrance over a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

. On the western side the church was fortified with a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

and

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

. This was also where valuables, food, and

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

were kept. The church is dedicated to

Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

and Our Lady of Sorrows. One of the paintings in the church is by

Ivana Kobilca Ivana Kobilca (20 December 1861 – 4 December 1926) is the most prominent Slovenes, Slovene female Painting, painter and a key figure of Slovene cultural identity. She was a Realism (arts), realist painter who studied and worked in Vienna, Munich ...

, who lived in the village for a while.Naklo municipal web site
/ref>

Gallery

Podtabor.jpg, St. Mary and St. Benedikt Tabor church from the NW.jpg, Tabor Church from the northwest Podtabor crucifix.jpg, Crucifix before Podtabor church

References

External links

*
Podbrezje on Geopedia

{{Naklo Populated places in the Municipality of Naklo