Anica Černej (3 April 1900, in Čadram,

Oplotnica Oplotnica (; ) is a small town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Oplotnica. It lies on the Oplotniščica River, a left tributary of the Dravinja River, to the north of Slovenske Konjice. The area is part of the traditiona ...

– 3 May 1944, in

Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg (, Low German ''Niegenbramborg'', both lit. ''New Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg'') is a city in the southeast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located on the shore of a lake called Tollensesee and forms the urban c ...

) was a Slovene teacher, author and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. She wrote poems for children, youth and adults, lectured on youth literature, and published a biography of a children's poet, Otto Župančič. Černej died in

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...

after being arrested in 1943. A school and a kindergarten are named after her.

Early life and education

Černej was born in 1900, and her parents were both teachers. She attended school in Griže, Zalec in 1905, and then in 1915 went to

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

, where she attended a private school for school nurses. Graduating in 1919, she worked at a school in Grize before moving a year later to Celje. From 1924 Černej attended the Higher Pedagogical School in Zagreb for two years, learning to teach mathematics and sciences. After teaching for several years, she returned to Zagreb graduating in 1930 with a degree in pedagogy, psychology and mathematics.

Career

Černej worked at a high school and the college of education in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, where her main interests were social and

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

subjects. She was also a writer and pedagogue. Černej wrote poems for children, youth and adults, as well as a biography of Otto Župančič as a children's poet in Popotni. She provided an overview of youth literature for an exhibition called Slovene Books 1918–1938, and gave lectures on the subject. Černej also wrote on pedagogy and psychology for the magazine ''Popotnik''. In the autumn of 1943, she was arrested together with many professors and students by

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 ...

occupying

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. After ten days of interrogation she was sent to

and later on

, where she died shortly thereafter aged 44. Her cause of death was likely tuberculosis. She was cremated at Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Legacy

In Celje a kindergarten is named after Černej and streets in Slovenske Konjice, Slovenski Bistrica, Lisce and Dogoš near Maribor are named after her. The primary school in Makola is also named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cernej, Anica 1900 births 1944 deaths People from the Municipality of Oplotnica Slovenian women poets Slovenian poets Slovenian civilians killed in World War II People who died in Ravensbrück concentration camp 20th-century Slovenian women writers 20th-century Slovenian writers

Early life and education

Career

Legacy

See also

References