Ponikve (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 6.Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji nemški jezikovni otok na kočevskem''. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej, p. 4.) 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 Planina.

Name

The Slovenian name ''Ponikve'' is a plural form derived from the word ''ponikva'' ' influent stream' or '

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

' (into which such a stream disappears). In its plural form it refers to a gently rolling landscape consisting of the basins of an influent stream. Like other villages named Ponikve and similar names (e.g., '' Ponikva''), it refers to a local landscape element. The German name ''Sporeben'' was attested as ''Payrs-Eben'' 'Bavarian plain' in 1574. This developed via dialect ''ins Poar Eben'' 'in the Bavarian plain' into the name ''Sporeben'' and refers to a Bavarian ethnic presence among neighboring non-Bavarian settlers.

History

Ponikve was a Gottschee German village. In 1574 the village consisted of four half-farms. It had 12 houses in 1770, but only eight in 1931. The original residents were expelled in the fall of 1941. Italian troops burned the village during the Rog Offensive in the summer of 1942 and it was not rebuilt after the war. After the village was burned, 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 ...

built the Kremen hospital in the nearby forest. The hospital continued to function until February 1945. The Partisan Veterans' Organization restored the headquarters building of the hospital in 1956.Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 51.

References

External links

*
Ponikve on GeopediaPre–World War II list of microtoponyms, oeconyms, and family names in Ponikve
Former populated places in the Municipality of Semič {{Semič-geo-stub