Velika Planina ( ; literally 'big pasture') is a dispersed high-

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

settlement of mostly herders' dwellings on the

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

Big Pasture Plateau in the

Kamnik Alps Kamnik (; german: Stein''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 26–27. or ''Stein in Oberkrain'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is t ...

in 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 ...

History

Velika Planina became an independent settlement in 1985, when it was administratively separated from neighboring Žaga.

Architecture

The mainly wooden huts and barns in the settlement have a particular architecture. They are single-room dwellings with shingled oval roofs extending nearly to ground level, making the space created by the extended roof suitable for sheltering livestock. There are very few permanent residents in the settlement, but in the summer months it still has a sizable population of herdsmen who bring their flocks to the highland

pastures Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

. It is one of very few herders' settlements of this scale preserved in Europe and attracts visitors throughout the year with facilities for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

in the winter and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

in the summer. A number of houses to accommodate visitors have been built nearby.What to see on Velika Planina
/ref> It is easily accessible by

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** Bi ...

from

Kamniška Bistrica The Kamnik Bistrica ( sl, Kamniška Bistrica, ) is an Alpine river in northern Slovenia, a left tributary of the Sava River. It springs from the Kamnik Alps (part of the Southern Limestone Alps) near the border with Austria. It is long. The Kamni ...

Church

Prior to 1939, the architect Jože Plečnik prepared plans to build a church. The church design was modeled on the unique architecture of the surrounding huts. In 1939, the shepherds and dairymaids of Velika Planina used Plečnik's designs and built the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows (''Marija Snežna''). Located just above the settlement, the small church was 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 of ...

. In 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 chapel along with 100 other wooden dwellings were burnt down. The new chapel was built in 1988 and is particularly known for its

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

midnight

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

.Slovenian Tourist Board site
/ref>

Gallery

Image:Hinko Smrekar - Velika planina s pastirskimi stanovi in bajtarji na smučeh.jpg, Velika Planina in the winter - oil on canvas Image:Vel.planina (stanovi pozimi).JPG, Photograph of Velika Planina in the winter Image:Velika planina 031.JPG, Curved roof construction is traditional for the huts on Velika Planina

References

External links

*
Velika Planina on GeopediaVelika Planina site
{{Kamnik Populated places in the Municipality of Kamnik