Goriče () 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 ...

near

Golnik Golnik ( or ; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 66.) is a village in the Municipality of Kranj in the Upper Carniolan region of Sloveni ...

in the Municipality of Kranj in the

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( ; ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, Domžale and ...

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 ...

Geography

Goriče stands at the foot of Mount Križe (, 1,473 m), also known as Mount Zalog (). It has a sunny exposure in a somewhat damp area along Sevnica Creek, which is subject to flash flooding during storms.

Name

Goriče was attested in written sources in 1221 as ''Gorschach'' (and as ''Görczah'' in 1353 and ''Nider Goertschach'' in 1415). Like the structurally similar name ''

Goričane Goričane (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 110.) is a settlement northwest of Ljubljana in Slovenia. It lies on the right bank of th ...

'', the name ''Goriče'' was originally a plural

demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...

, ''*Goričane'' 'residents of Gorica', derived from the common place name ''Gorica'' (literally, 'small mountain') and referring to the local topography.

History

The local topographic name ''Na gradišču'' (literally, 'at the fortress') and the related farming surname ''Gradiščar'' hint that there was prehistoric settlement in the area. In addition to mention of the village in written sources in 1221, viticulture was recorded in Gradiče in 1376, preserved today in the microtoponym ''V vinogradu'' (literally, 'in the vineyard'). There were formerly a brick works and lime kiln in Goriče, but these have been abandoned. During the Second World War, five unknown hostages were shot in the village on 10 July 1942.

Mass grave

Goriče is the site of a

mass grave 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 ...

from the period immediately after the Second World War. The Goriče Mass Grave () lies outside the old part of the village cemetery, next to the former cemetery wall, and is marked by a visible mound. The grave contains the remains of 40 German soldiers. The remains were discovered wrapped in tarpaulins while razing the old cemetery wall in 1973.

Church

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 ...

in the settlement is dedicated to

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

.Družina RC Church in Slovenia journal web site
/ref> It contains paintings dating to 1852 by Gašpar Luka Goetzl (1782–1857) and Franc Pustavrh (1827–1871).

References

External links

*
Goriče on Geopedia
Populated places in the Urban Municipality of Kranj {{Kranj-geo-stub