Dry Carniola ( sl, Suha krajina, german: Dürrenkrain) is a small area in the northwest part of

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the no ...

Geography

Dry Carniola is centered around the town of

Žužemberk Žužemberk (; german: Seisenberg), is a town located southeast of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žužemberk. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now includ ...

, its largest settlement. The Krka River flows through the area, and Regional Road 216 (R1-216) passes through the area. It has an area of .Zupančič, Jernej, & Tone Ferenc. 1998. Suha krajina. ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 12, pp. 369–371. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga.

Name

The name ''Suha krajina'' (literally, 'dry

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

') refers to dryness of the region.Snoj, Marko. 2009. ''Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen''. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC. There is a general lack of surface water in the area, which lies on permeable karstified limestone and dolomite, through which most precipitation disappears into the ground and makes its way to the Krka River. The German designation ''Dürrenkrain'' (and in turn the English name ''Dry Carniola'') is the result of a

hypercorrection In sociolinguistics, hypercorrection is non-standard use of language that results from the over-application of a perceived rule of language-usage prescription. A speaker or writer who produces a hypercorrection generally believes through a mi ...

based on the adjective ending ''-krajnski'' (understood as a dialect metathesis of *''-kranjski''), as happened for

White Carniola White Carniola ( sl, Bela krajina; german: Weißkrain or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, alth ...

History

The region is one of the least developed in Slovenia, and its population is sparse and decreasing. Its weak economic position is a result of its unfavorable natural conditions combined with historical circumstances. Mining and foundry work were important in the area until the 19th century, but died out around 1900 due to the area's poor transport accessibility. The construction of the Lower Carniola Railroad along the Temenica River to the east left the Krka Valley economically isolated. During the Second World War, Dry Carniola was part of the territory annexed by

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Much of the population in the area rejected the communist-led

Liberation Front Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

movement due to

Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

murders of civilians and the efforts of local priests. In March 1944, German aircraft bombed the villages of Ambrus and Zagradec, and in April the Partisans murdered Franc Kern, the curate in Hinje, and evicted 30 families. In 1945, Partisan forces burned the villages of Hinje and Žvirče.Kranjc, Joseph G. 2013. ''To Walk with the Devil.'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 204. Today, Dry Carniola is primarily an agricultural area, with most of the population engaged in farming. Nonetheless, only about 15% of the farms are full-time farms, and the majority of other farmers have additional sources of income from non-agricultural activities. Because there are few non-farming jobs in the area, much of the population commutes to larger industrial centers outside the area. The connection to these was facilitated in recent years by the freeway connection between

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

and

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered t ...

References

External links

Dry Carniola at Geopedia
{{coord, 45, 47, 10, N, 14, 55, 30, E, scale:500000_region:SI, display=title Geography of Lower Carniola