Spodnje Pirniče (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 114.) is a village on the left bank of the

Sava River The Sava, is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reaches Serbia, fee ...

in the Municipality of Medvode 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 ...

Name

Spodnje Pirniče (literally, 'Lower Pirniče') and neighboring Zgornje Pirniče (literally, 'Upper Pirniče') were attested in written sources in 1392 as ''Pernekk'' (and as ''Pernek'' in 1394 and ''utrumque Bernh'' in an 18th-century copy of a document from 1118). The original form of the name may be reconstructed as the 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, ...

''*Pyrьničane'', ultimately derived from the common noun ''*pyro'' '

spelt Spelt (''Triticum spelta''), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein and may be considered a health food. Spelt was cultivated from the Neolit ...

', referring to a local cultivar and meaning 'people living where spelt is grown'. Another possibility is that the name developed from a plural demonym derived from the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

name ''Ber(i)nhard'' or the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

name ''Pern(a)hart''.

Church

The local church is dedicated to the Feast of the Holy Cross.Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, 26 January 1990, p. 263
/ref>

Notable residents

* Franc Rozman

References

External links

*
Spodnje Pirniče on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Medvode {{Medvode-geo-stub