Štanjel (; ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

Municipality of Komen The Municipality of Komen (; ) is a municipality in the Slovene Littoral, Littoral region of Slovenia, near the Italy, Italian border. The seat of the municipality is the town of Komen. The municipality was established on 6 November 1994, when th ...

in the

Littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It is located on the

Karst Plateau The Karst Plateau or the Karst region (, ), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the val ...

overlooking the

Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; , , ) is a valley in the Slovenian Littoral, roughly between the village of Podnanos to the east and the border with Italy to the west. The main towns are Ajdovščina and Vipava. Geography The narrow valley of the Vipav ...

. In the 17th century it was fortified to defend it against Ottoman raids. It was heavily damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and it has been slowly rebuilt since.

History

Because of its geographical location it has been an important settlement in the area since the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. The development of the settlement reached its peak in the Romanesque period, although Gothic elements in architecture have also been preserved. During

the village served as a smaller base for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation units, and was heavily damaged during the Allied bombing at the end of the war. After the war it was gradually renovated. After the war, a notable resident of the village was the graphic artist Lojze Spacal.

Landmarks

Castle

The castle of Štanjel was built in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, its final reconstruction which remains up to this day was made at the end of the 17th century by the Counts of Cobenzl. An

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

with a permanent collection of Spacal's work is in the castle.

Churches

The

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the Prophet Daniel was built in the 15th century as the burial vault of the Counts of Cobenzl. The lemon-shaped church tower was built in 1609. A smaller church dedicated to

Saint Gregory Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rom ...

was also built on the neighboring hill in the 15th century, where

Max Fabiani Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...

's grave is located. The

town walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

that surround most of the village were also built in the 15th century to protect the settlement from the Ottoman raids.

Ferrari Garden

The Ferrari Garden () is a major landmark in the settlement and one of the most visited ones. It was designed by Max Fabiani at the request of the physician Enrico Ferrari in the 1920s. The garden is located below the village, next to a villa, and houses a small pool with an island which is connected by a bridge to the shore. The location is popular among tourists because of its design and the view it offers of the

Karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landscape below. The park has been declared a natural park and a national monument by the Government of Slovenia.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Štanlej include: *

Johann Tautscher Johann Tautscher (Slovenized: ''Janez Tavčar'', 1544 – August 24, 1597) was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop of Ljubljana. Life and work Tautscher was born around 1544 to a peasant family in Štanjel (according to the general belief, or a ...

( 1544–1597), bishop of Ljubljana *

(1865–1962), mayor of Štanjel

Gallery

File:Stanjel2.JPG, Štanjel as seen from below the walls File:Štanjel Burg Innenhof Treppe 06072008 04.jpg, Entrance to the castle File:Stanjel1.JPG, The newer part of the village located below the hill File:Štanjel street.JPG, Old village street

References

External links

*
Štanjel on GeopediaŠtanjel Tourist Information Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanjel Populated places in the Municipality of Komen