Bistrica (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 4.Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji nemški jezikovni otok na kočevskem''. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej, p. 4.) is a small settlement in the hills west of

Črnomelj Črnomelj (; in older sources also ''Černomelj'', ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 4.) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It is the ...

in the

White Carniola White Carniola (; ; 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, although with distinctive cultural, l ...

area of southeastern

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 ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in 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 an ...

and is now included in the

Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region The Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region () is a statistical region in southeast Slovenia. It is the largest statistical region. The development of this region is largely the result of industry (the auto industry, pharmaceuticals, and other light ...

. It is located on a rocky terrace with sinkholes along the road from

to the Poljane Valley ().

Name

The name ''Bistrica'' (and German ''Bistritz'') is of Slovene origin.Petschauer, Erich. 1980. "Die Gottscheer Siedlungen – Ortsnamenverzeichnis." In ''Das Jahrhundertbuch der Gottscheer'' (pp. 181–197). Klagenfurt: Leustik. ''Bistrica'' (and its cognates) is a very common Slavic place name; it is a hydronym that was later applied to settlements associated with rivers, creeks, or springs. It is derived from

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...

''*bystrica'' 'quick-flowing river', in turn from ''*bystrъ'' 'quick-flowing, rushing'.

History

Bistrica was an ethnically mixed Slovenian– Gottschee German village until the Second World War.''Krajevni leksikon Dravske Banovine''. 1937. Ljubljana: Zveza za tujski promet za Slovenijo, p. 123. The village was not mentioned in the land registries of 1574 or 1770, and so it may be a more recently founded settlement or it may not have been located within the boundaries of the Dominion of Gottschee. According to oral tradition, the village was founded by people fleeing from bandits. Before the Second World War it had 11 houses and a population of 56. The Gottschee Germans were evicted in the fall of 1941. After the Italian defeat at Kvasica on 22 September 1942, the

Partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

Kordun Brigade () established a field hospital in one of the houses in the village. As a result, Italian forces burned that house, and later the entire village on 6 April 1943. On 14 November 1944 there was an engagement near Bistrica between the State Security Army (, the armed forces of the secret police) and allied German and

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

forces. After the war only four houses in the village were rebuilt.

References

External links

Bistrica on GeopediaPre–World War II map of Bistrica with oeconyms and family names
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bistrica Populated places in the Municipality of Črnomelj