Vojnik (; german: Hochenegg''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 44.) is the largest settlement and the centre of the

Municipality of Vojnik The Municipality of Vojnik (; sl, Občina Vojnik) is a municipality in eastern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Vojnik. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja S ...

in eastern

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 lies on the Hudinja River, north of

Celje ) , pushpin_map = Slovenia , pushpin_label_position = left , pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city of Celje in Slovenia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Cou ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of

Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...

. The municipality is now included in the

Savinja Statistical Region The Savinja Statistical Region ( sl, Savinjska statistična regija) is a statistical region in Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Celje. It is named after the Savinja River. The region is very diverse in natural geography; it mainly com ...

. Locals make their living from farming, but there are also many small businesses. Vojnik was first mentioned as a borough in 1306. There were many fires in the town, and the town even burned to the ground in 1839.

Name

Vojnik was first attested in written sources in 1165 as ''de Hoheneke'' (and as ''Hohnec'' in 1173, ''Hohenekke'' circa 1175, and ''Hohenek'' in 1199). The medieval German forms of the name (literally, 'high hill') are the result of

folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

. The name is derived from ''*Xvojьnikъ'', from Slavic ''*xvoja'' 'fir, spruce'. Accentual evidence makes the name's derivation from ''*vojьnikъ'' 'soldier' unlikely. In the past, the standard German name of the town was ''Hochenegg''.

Churches

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 Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

( sl, sveti Jernej) and belongs to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje The Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje ( la, Dioecesis Celeiensis; sl, Škofija Celje) is a diocese located in the city of Celje in the Ecclesiastical province of Maribor in Slovenia. History * April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of Celje from ...

. It is a

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

building dating to 1899. A second church in the settlement is dedicated to

Saint Florian Florian ( la, Florianus; 250 – 304 AD) was a Christians, Christian holy man, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighting, firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Upper ...

. It dates to the mid-15th century and has a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

with a 17th-century

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

Mass graves

Vojnik is the site of three known

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, 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 executi ...

from the period immediately after 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 Višnja Vas 1 Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Višnja vas 1), also known as the Hmezad Mass Grave (), is located north of the settlement, north of the building at Vojnik no. 2, at a new construction site that was the location of a former wooden shed for the Hmezad company. The grave contains the remains of about 100 Croatian soldiers and civilians that were murdered in May 1945 while fleeing towards Dobrna. The Višnja Vas 2 Mass Grave () is located north of the settlement, on the right side of the road from

Celje ) , pushpin_map = Slovenia , pushpin_label_position = left , pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city of Celje in Slovenia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Cou ...

Slovenske Konjice Slovenske Konjice ( or ; german: Gonobitz, in older sources also ''Gannobitz'') is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Slovenske Konjice. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. History and town s ...

, south of the building at Vojnik no. 2 and north of the house at Vojnik no. 5. It contains the remains of Croatian civilians that were murdered in May 1945 while fleeing towards Dobrna. The Vojnik Mass Grave () lies west of the settlement, in the parking lot in front of the cemetery and below the funeral chapel. It contains the remains of 100 to 200 Croatian civilians and soldiers that were murdered in May 1945.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Vojnik include: * (1853–1923), pedagogue, journalist, and political activist * Doroteja Hauser (1877–1946), painter * Karel Henn (1809–1877), founder of a Slovenian spa and promoter of the still mineral water pump *

Anton Novačan Anton Novačan (July 7, 1887 – March 22, 1951) was a Slovenes, Slovene politician, diplomat, author, and playwright. Novačan was born into a modest peasant family in the village of Zadobrova (now part of the Lower Styrian town of Celje), in t ...

(1887–1951), author, politician, and diplomat *

Anton Martin Slomšek Blessed Anton Martin Slomšek (26 November 1800 – 24 September 1862) was a Slovene Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Lavant from 1846 until his death. He served also as an author and poet as well as a staunch advocate of the n ...

(1800–1862), Roman Catholic bishop and orator

References

External links

*
Vojnik on Geopedia
{{Vojnik Populated places in the Municipality of Vojnik