Slovenska Bistrica (; german: Windisch-Feistritz) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
south of
Maribor 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 is the seat of the
Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica, one of the largest municipalities in Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of
Styria. The town is included in the
Drava Statistical Region.
History
The town was established in the 13th century on the trade road between Maribor and
Celje. It was granted
market rights
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in 1313. It was originally called just Bistrica. The present name of Slovenska Bistrica (german: Windisch-Feistritz, links=no) first appears in records dating from 1565.
Before 1918, the town had a
German-speaking
German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...
majority (in the last
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n census of 1910, 57.7% of the inhabitants declared German as their language of daily communication), while the surroundings were almost exclusively Slovene-speaking.
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Demographics
The town has a population of 8,016 (in 2018). Many locals commute to Maribor for work, less than an hour's drive away.
Landmarks
The town offers several interesting sights, including Bistrica Castle, churches, a Roman road, Ančnik fort (an Ancient Roman fort) and more. It is also a good starting point for people wishing to hike on Mount Boč, a nearby mountain peak and park.
Parish 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 Bartholomew
Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو ...
( sl, sveti Jernej, links=no) and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor ( la, Archidioecesis Mariborensis, sl, Nadškofija Maribor) is an archdiocese located in the city of Maribor in Slovenia.
History
* 1859 : Maribor (then Marburg) became the see of the Diocese of Lavant
...
. It is first mentioned in written documents dating to 1240, but was greatly rebuilt and extended in the Baroque style
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
in the 18th century. The belfry dates to the 19th century.
Notable people
Notable people that were born or lived in Slovenska Bistrica include the following:
* Herta Haas (1914–2010), one of the wives of Josip Broz Tito
References
External links
*
Slovenska Bistrica on Geopedia
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Styria (Slovenia)
Populated places in the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica