Kostanjevica na Krki (; also ''Kostanjevica ob Krki,'' ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 68.) is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the historic

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 ...

region of southern

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 the seat of the

Municipality of Kostanjevica na Krki The Municipality of Kostanjevica na Krki (; ) is a municipality in the traditional Lower Carniola region of southern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Kostanjevica na Krki. It is part of the Lower Sava Statistical Region. It i ...

. Today it is part of the

Lower Sava Statistical Region The Lower Sava Statistical Region (; until December 31, 2014 ) is a Statistical regions of Slovenia, statistical region in Slovenia. It has good traffic accessibility and is located in the Sava and Krka Valleys, with hilly areas with vineyards and ...

. It is located in the northern foothills of the Gorjanci Hills near the border with

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The center of the settlement is on an island in the Krka River, and it is also promoted as the "

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

of Lower Carniola" in Slovenian ().

Name

The name of the settlement was changed from ''Kostanjevica'' to ''Kostanjevica na Krki'' in 1955. In the past the German name was ''Landstraß''.

History

The town is protected as a cultural and historical monument. Kostanjevica is the oldest town of the region. In the early 13th century, the Carinthian duke

Bernhard von Spanheim Bernhard von Spanheim (or Sponheim; 1176 or 1181 – 4 January 1256), a member of the noble House of Sponheim, was Duke of Carinthia for 54 years from 1202 until his death. A patron of chivalry and minnesang, Bernhard's reign marked the eme ...

established the ''Fons Sanctae Mariae''

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Abbey on the southern frontier of the

March of Carniola March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 ...

, which he claimed against the resistance of the

Patriarchs of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in ...

and the

Dukes of Merania The Duchy of Merania was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire from 1152 until 1248. The dukes of Merania were recognised as princes of the Empire enjoying imperial immediacy at a time when these concepts were just coming into use to distinguish the ...

The monastery, a filial of

Viktring Abbey Viktring Abbey (, ) is a former Cistercians, Cistercian monastery in the Austrian state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. It is now a Roman Catholic parish, since 1973 a district of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt. History Viktring Abbey was est ...

near Klagenfurt, was enlarged in a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style in the early 18th century. It was nevertheless finally disbanded in 1785 by the Habsburg emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

. The settlement of Kostanjevica was first mentioned as a

in 1210 and received

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 1249. During the Late Middle Ages it was an important commercial centre in the

Duchy of Carniola The Duchy of Carniola (, , ) was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire, established under House of Habsburg, Habsburg rule on the territory of the former East Frankish March of Carniola in 1364. A hereditary land of the Habsburg monarc ...

held by the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

archdukes of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. After several devastations by Ottoman military raids in the 15th and 16th centuries, it lost its importance. After the 17th century, it turned into a mostly rural settlement, which however retained its town status. In 2000, it was recognised by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

as a town.

Mass grave

Kostanjevica na Krki is the location of one of two known

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...

associated with the Second World War in the Krakovo Forest. The sites consist of 10 large mounds and contain the remains of an undetermined number of Croatian prisoners of war, civilians, and possibly German soldiers as well. The Krakovo Forest 2 Mass Grave () lies about northeast of the north bridge across the Krka River in Kostanjevica na Krki and about from the bridge across Sajevec Creek. The site is marked by a large mound with a cross next to it. The grave site was created simultaneously with the Krakovo Forest 1 Mass Grave () in neighboring Sajevce. The two sites were created around May 15, 1945, when

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 ...

forces captured about 4,000 Croatian soldiers and civilians at Dobruška Vas fleeing toward Austria. They were held on the left bank of the Krka River and killed in the forest over the course of a few days; eyewitnesses stated that the victims included children, women, and elderly persons.

Sights

A former monastic complex, which was burned by the

Partisans 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 ** Itali ...

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 ...

, has been renovated and now houses the Božidar Jakac Gallery, 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 sculpture park and a permanent exhibition of works by

Božidar Jakac Božidar Jakac (July 16, 1899 – November 20, 1989) was a Slovene Yugoslavian e xpressionist, realist and symbolist painter, printmaker, art teacher, photographer and filmmaker. He produced one of the most extensive oeuvres of pastels and ...

. It is dominated by the

Early Gothic Early Gothic is the term for the first period of Gothic architecture which lasted from about 1120 until about 1200. The early Gothic builders used innovative technologies to resolve the problem of masonry ceilings which were too heavy for the t ...

abbey church built in 1234. The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint James and belongs to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto The Diocese of Novo Mesto (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Novo Mesto in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana, Ljubljana in Slovenia. History * April 7, 2006: Established as ...

. It is an originally 13th century Romanesque building that was largely rebuilt in the

style in the 17th century.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference numbers 264 Kostanjevica Cave (), a popular tourist destination, is nearby.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Kostanjevica na Krki include: * Ivan Belle (1867–1924), viticultural and orchard specialistSavnik, Roman, ed. 1976. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 3. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. p. 145. * Božo Borstnik (?–1974), journalist and translator * Franc Bučar (1926–2000), veterinarian and technical writer * Franc Fabinc (1881–1923), educational writer, journalist, and editor * Jože Gorjup (1907–1932), painter, sculptor, and graphic artist *

Jože Jankovič Jože is a male given name related to Joseph. Notable people with this name include: * Jože Babič (1917–1996), Slovenian film, theatre and television director * Jože Benko (born 1980), Slovenian football striker * Jože Berc (born 1944), Sl ...

(1901–1973), cultural activist * Mirko Kuhelj (1904–1958), writer *

Jože Likar Jože is a male given name related to Joseph. Notable people with this name include: * Jože Babič (1917–1996), Slovenian film, theatre and television director * Jože Benko (born 1980), Slovenian football striker * Jože Berc (born 1944), Slo ...

(1895–1986), writer and enologist * France Lokar (1917–1994), poet * Anton Makovic (1750–1803), surgeon, member of the national awakening movement and founder of formal education for midwives * Franc Marešič (1750–1801), translator and religious writer * Ivan Oražen (1869–1921), physician *

Lenart Pachenecker Lenart may refer to: * Municipality of Lenart, Slovenia * Lenart v Slovenskih Goricah, the seat of the Municipality of Lenart, Slovenia * Lenart Regional Gifted Center, United States, school * Lénárt sphere, an educational model for spherical geom ...

(?–1581), Cistercian monk and author of the first Catholic Slovenian book *

Josef Ressel Josef Ludwig Franz Ressel (; June 29, 1793 – October 9, 1857) was a Bohemia-born Austrian forester and inventor who designed one of the first working ship's propellers. Ressel was born in Chrudim, Bohemia then part of the Holy Roman Empir ...

(1793–1857), Bohemian-Austrian inventor of the screw propeller * Franc Rueh (1887–1968), technical writer and electrical engineer * Niko Sever (1889–?), education specialist *

Ilka Vašte Ilka is a feminine given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Ilka Agricola (born 1973), German mathematician * Ilka Bessin (born 1971), German comedian and actress * Ilka Chase (1905–1978), American actress and novelist * Ilka Ge ...

(1891–1967), writer * Avgust Žabkar (1854–1930), metalworking industrialist * Radoslav Žargi (1918–1993), physician and specialist in infectious diseases

References

External links

*
Kostanjevica na Krki on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostanjevica Na Krki Populated places in the Municipality of Kostanjevica na Krki Cities and towns in Lower Carniola