Pokojišče () is a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the Municipality of Vrhnika in the Inner 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 ...

Geography

Pokojišče lies on the karst Menišija Plateau at a point where various routes intersect to Verd,

Laze pri Borovnici Laze pri Borovnici () is a settlement west of Borovnica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordere ...

, Padež, and

Cerknica Cerknica (; , german: Zirknitz''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 120.) is a town in the Karst region of southwestern Slovenia, with a p ...

. The land is heavily karstified and there are several caves in the area, including the Cukala Shaft (''Cukalovo brezno'', deep), Kobi Shaft (''Kobijevo brezno'', deep), and Pizdica Shaft ( deep).

Name

Pokojišče was mentioned in written sources in 1763–87 as ''Pokoinik''. The name of the village comes from the common noun ''pokojišče'' 'resting place' and refers to the physical location of the village at a level point along the route between Borovnica and the Menišija Plateau, which offered a place for rest during the ascent.

History

A transport route to Cerknica already passed through Pokojišče in the distant past, traversing land owned by the monastery in Bistra. A house in the village with the oeconym ''Colnar'' (literally, 'toll collector') is reminiscent of the route, and a plaque bearing the coat of arms of the 17th-century provincial clerk Wolfgang Markowitsch is built into the structure. During the Second World War, on September 26, 1942, Italian forces burned all but the largest house in the village. In June 2010, part of the settlement of

Dobec Dobec () is a small village in the hills north of Begunje in the Municipality of Cerknica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia. History Dobec was first mentioned in 1262, and again in 1292, as a property belonging to the Carthusian monastery ...

in the Municipality of Cerknica merged with Pokojišče, which increased its area by .

Mass grave

The Cukala Shaft Mass Grave () is located about west of the village. It contains the remains of undetermined victims;

spelunkers Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

found a human skull in the cave.

Church

The local church in the settlement is dedicated to

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

and belongs to the

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Borovnica.Družina RC Church in Slovenia Journal website
/ref> It dates from the beginning of the 17th century.

References

External links

*
Pokojišče on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Vrhnika {{Vrhnika-geo-stub