Kačji Potok (;
[''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 38.][Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji nemški jezikovni otok na kočevskem''. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej, p. 4.]) is a settlement in the
Municipality of Kočevje
The Municipality of Kočevje (; ) is a Municipalities of Slovenia, municipality in southern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the city of Kočevje. Today it is part of the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. In terms of area, it is t ...
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 ...
.
Geography
Kačji Potok lies in a valley southeast of
Mozelj below the east slope of the Šibje Ridge and Štajdoh (or Štavdoh) Hill (). Hribček Hill () stands to the northwest, and the
losing stream
A losing stream, disappearing stream, influent stream or sinking river is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bo ...
sharing the name of the village, Snake Creek (''Kačji potok''), lies to the southeast. The village is surrounded by woods where many blueberries grow.
Name
The name ''Kačji Potok'' means 'snake creek'. The village was attested in historical sources in 1574 as ''Otterpach'' (literally, 'otter creek' < German ''Otter'' 'otter' + ''Bach'' 'creek'), presumably named after otters living there. The Slovenian name ''Kačji Potok'' is a later (mis)translation of the German name (cf. German ''Otter'' 1. 'otter', 2. 'adder, viper').
History
Kačji Potok was historically a
Gottschee German village. In the land registry of 1574 the village consisted of 12 half-farms. Before the Second World War, the village had 22 houses. Italian forces burned the village in the summer of 1942, leaving only one house standing. During the war, a nearby abandoned mill was used as a field hospital 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 ...
—a forerunner to a later facility at
Staro Brezje. After the war, the remaining house in the village was torn down and the Kočevje Collective Farm (KGP Kočevje) built two barns for cattle at the site.
Church
The village church, dedicated to
Saint Stephen
Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity.["St ...]
, was a 15th-century structure and was mentioned in historical sources around 1526. It was refurbished in the 18th and 19th century, but was demolished after the
Second World War
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 ...
.
reference number ešd 2780
References
External links
Kačji Potok on GeopediaPre–World War II map of Kačji Potok with oeconyms and family names
Populated places in the Municipality of Kočevje
{{Kočevje-geo-stub