Gače (; ,
[''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 152.][Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji nemški jezikovni otok na kočevskem''. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej, p. 4.] Gottscheerish
Gottscheerish (''Göttscheabarisch'',Maridi Tscherne: Wörterbuch Gottscheerisch-Slowenisch. Einrichtung für die Erhaltung des Kulturerbes Nesseltal, Koprivnik/Nesseltal 2010. , ) is an Upper German dialect which was the main language of c ...
: ''Gatschn''
[Petschauer, Erich. 1980. "Die Gottscheer Siedlungen – Ortsnamenverzeichnis." In ''Das Jahrhundertbuch der Gottscheer'' (pp. 181–197). Klagenfurt: Leustik.]) is a remote abandoned settlement in the
Municipality of Semič
The Municipality of Semič (; ) is a Municipalities of Slovenia, municipality in Slovenia in the traditional region of White Carniola in southeastern Slovenia. The municipality is included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. Its seat is ...
in 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 ...
. 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 ...
. Its territory is now part of the village of
Komarna Vas and it is registered as a cultural heritage site.
[Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage](_blank)
reference number ešd 19520
Name
The origin of the name ''Gače'' is uncertain. Petschauer suggests that the name is derived from Slovene ''kača'' 'snake'.
However, Bezlaj derives this and similar names (e.g., ''
Gačnik'') from Slovene ''gat'' 'weir, dike, barrier', generally referring to a barrier that water spills over. In the past the German name was ''Gatschen''.
History
Gače was a
Gottschee German village. The settlement was not mentioned in the land registries of 1574 or 1770, but it does appear in the
Črmošnjice land registry of 1754.
The settlement had four houses with 18 residents in 1880, and reached its peak population in 1890 (20 people). After this, the population declined to seven in 1900, and only one in 1910.
[Ferenc, Mitja, & Gojko Zupan. 2011. ''Izgubljene kočevske vasi'', vol. 1 (A–J). Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, pp. 142–143.] Gače was abandoned before the First World War.
The ruins of the village mayor's house were partially restored in 1995.
Gače has been used for skiing since before the Second World War, and the Gače ski center now operates at Gače.
Cultural heritage
Two monuments in Gače are registered as cultural heritage:
*A monument to the settlement of the Gottschee Germans stands in a meadow at the former site of the village of Gače. It is a stone pillar with a dedication to the former village that was erected in 1930 in commemoration of the 600th anniversary of Gottschee German settlement. It was restored in 1992.
* A monument to the settlement of the Gottschee Germans on Pogorelec Hill stands in the forest southwest of the former Gottschee German village of
Štale () and south of Gače. It is a stone pillar that was erected in 1930 in commemoration of the 600th anniversary of Gottschee German settlement.
Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 20060
References
External links
Gače on GeopediaPre–World War II list of oeconyms and family names in GačeGače ski center's web pageWeb camera at the ski center at Gače
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gace
Former populated places in the Municipality of Semič