Prem (; it, Primano) is a village above the left bank of the

Reka River The Reka (literally, 'river' in Slovene), also the Inner Carniola Reka ( sl, Notranjska Reka), is a river that starts as Big Creek ( hr, Vela voda) in Croatia, on the southern side of Mount Snežnik, and flows through western Slovenia, where it ...

northwest of

Ilirska Bistrica Ilirska Bistrica (; german: Illyrisch Feistritz; it, Villa del Nevoso, before 1927: ''Bisterza,'' Hungarian: ''Illírbeszterce'') is a town in the Inner Carniola region of southwestern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality ...

in the

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( sl, Notranjska; german: Innerkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the ...

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 ...

Name

The village was first attested in written sources as ''Prem'' in 1213 (and as ''Primo'' in 1234 and ''Prême'' in 1276). The name may be derived from the Slavic noun ''*prějьmъ'' 'that which is received'. If so, the meaning of the name would be similar to '

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

'; that is, land received for use from a superior feudal lord.

History

The early history of Prem is closely connected with Prem Castle, where a district administration and court were active until 1840. During the Second World War, the Partisans attacked an Italian antiaircraft installment near Prem in 1941. A Partisan rally attended by about 1,700 people was held in Prem in 1944. Toward the end of the war, German artillery caused extensive damage to the village on April 29, 1945. A road from

Dolnja Bitnja Dolnja Bitnja (; in older sources ''Bitinje'', it, Bittigne di Sotto) is a small settlement northwest of Ilirska Bistrica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: ...

to Prem was built by a youth labor brigade in 1956/57.

Mass graves

Prem Ilirska Bistrica Slovenia - Nogradec 2 Grave 1

Prem is the site of a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

and a formerly unmarked grave from the end of

World War II 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 ...

. They both contain the remains of German soldiers from the 97th Corps that fell at the beginning of May 1945. The Nogradec 1 Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Nogradec 1) lies next to the road by the cemetery, in a former roadside trench. It contains the remains of 23 soldiers, as well as animals and military equipment. The Nogradec 2 Grave () lies next to the first and contains the remains of a German officer.

Prem Castle

Prem Castle was first mentioned in written sources in 1213 as the property of Udo de Prem. It probably stands on the site of an old Roman fortification called ''Castra prima'', which was used as a watchpoint during campaigns against the

Iapydes The Iapydes (or Iapodes, Japodes; el, Ἰάποδες) were an ancient people who dwelt north of and inland from the Liburnians, off the Adriatic coast and eastwards of the Istrian peninsula. They occupied the interior of the country between the ...

. The castle came under the ownership of the

Patriarchate of Aquileia The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see in northeastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of Aquileia situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Italian seacoast. For many centuries it played an important part in histor ...

in the 13th century, and it was later owned by the Lords of

Duino Duino ( sl, Devin, german: Tybein) is today a seaside resort on the northern Adriatic coast. It is a ''hamlet'' of Duino-Aurisina, a municipality (''comune'') of the Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. The settlement, picturesque ...

, the

Lords of Walsee The Lords of Walsee were a German noble family between the 13th and 15th centuries. Taking their name from Bad Waldsee in Upper Swabia, they were originally ministerials (unfree knights) in the service of the abbey of Weissenburg and the Staufe ...

, and then the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

Church

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, ...

in the settlement is dedicated to

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

and belongs to the Koper Diocese.Koper Diocese list of churches

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Prem include: *

Dragotin Kette Dragotin Kette (19 January 1876 – 26 April 1899) was a Slovene Impressionist and Neo-Romantic poet. Together with Josip Murn, Ivan Cankar, and Oton Župančič, he is considered the founder of modernism in Slovene literature. Life Kette was ...

(1876–1899), poet *

Karel Lavrič Karel Lavrič, also spelled Laurič or Lauritsch (1 November 1818 – 3 March 1876), was a Carniolan Liberalism, liberal politician and lawyer from the Austrian Littoral. He was of Slovenes, Slovene descent and was one of the most prominent activ ...

(1818–1876), politician

References

External links

*
Prem on Geopedia
{{Ilirska Bistrica Populated places in the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica