Britof (; german: Freithof
[''Intelligenzblatt zur Laibacher Zeitung'', no. 141. 24 November 1849, p. 6.][''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 56.]) is a settlement just northeast of the town of
Kranj
Kranj (, german: Krainburg) is the third-largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 37,941 (2020). It is located approximately northwest of Ljubljana. The centre of the City Municipality of Kranj and of the traditional region of Upper Carniol ...
in the
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...
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 settlement was attested in written sources in 1387 as ''Vreytof'' (and as ''Freithoff'' in 1447). The Slovene common noun ''britof'' was borrowed from
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
''vrîthof'', both meaning 'cultivated fenced area'. The denotation of the common noun in both languages later developed from this original meaning to 'churchyard' and then to 'cemetery'. The settlement was known as ''Freithof'' in German in the past.
History
A linseed oil and varnish factory, Zabret & Comp., was established in Britof in 1905. Before the Second World War it had its own electrical generator and processed 300 train cars of linseed per year, mostly imported from Argentina and India. The oil and varnish were sold in Yugoslavia, and the linseed pomace was exported to Austria and Germany.
[''Krajevni leksikon Dravske Banovine''. 1937. Ljubljana: Zveza za tujski promet za Slovenijo, pp. 60, 234, 626–627.] The factory had 30 workers in the 1930s;
it developed further after the war, and employed 100 workers by the 1960s.
Mass grave
Britof 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 ...
from the period immediately after the Second World War. The Britof Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Britof) was located on the left bank of the
Kokra
The Kokra () is a river of Slovenia. Originating in the Karawanks, the river is long. It flows into the Sava in Kranj
Kranj (, german: Krainburg) is the third-largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 37,941 (2020). It is located approxima ...
River north of the settlement, in a meadow on the edge of the woods. It contained the remains of a civilian man and woman that were taken to the site by the
Partisans in May or June 1945 and murdered. The victims' remains were exhumed in 1994.
Church
The local church is dedicated to
Saint Thomas. It dates to 1512 and was renovated in 1888. The presbytery contains late Gothic frescos and the altar dates to the 17th century.
[''Krajevni leksikon Dravske Banovine''. 1937. Ljubljana: Zveza za tujski promet za Slovenijo, p. 246.]
Gallery
File:Postcard of Britof.jpg, Historical postcard of Britof
References
External links
*
Britof on Geopedia
Populated places in the City Municipality of Kranj
{{Kranj-geo-stub