Toško Čelo () is a dispersed settlement on the slope of the hill known as Tošč Face (), part of the

Polhov Gradec Hills The Polhov Gradec Hills (, also , , and ) are a pre-Alpine hilly region of northwestern Slovenia. To the north they border the Škofja Loka Hills, and to the south they border the Ljubljana Basin and the Ljubljana Marsh. The largest watercours ...

, west of the capital

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

in central

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

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 ...

and is now included with the rest of the municipality in the

Central Slovenia Statistical Region The Central Slovenia Statistical Region () is a Statistical regions of Slovenia, statistical region in central Slovenia. Geography This is the second-largest region in terms of territory. It has a total area of 2,555 km2, with a central po ...

. It belongs to the

City Municipality of Ljubljana The Urban Municipality of Ljubljana (), also the City of Ljubljana (, acronym MOL) is one of twelve city and metropolitan municipalities in Slovenia. Its seat is Ljubljana, the largest and capital city of Slovenia. , its mayor is Zoran Janković ...

Geography

The scattered village lies in the hills between the Sava Plain and the Gradaščica Valley. It is accessible by a paved road running along the ridge above the

Kucja Valley The Kucja Valley () is a steephead valley, blind valley on the outskirts of Ljubljana, central Slovenia. Administratively, it belongs to the Dravlje District. The name may be derived from Slovene ''kucelj'' 'hill, rise', referring to the terminus o ...

; the road branches off from the main road between Šentvid and Dobrova and continues as an unpaved road to

Topol pri Medvodah Topol pri Medvodah () is a small settlement in the Municipality of Medvode in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It lies in the hills northwest of the Slovene capital Ljubljana and is a popular destination for short trips with locals. Name The ...

. The core of the village lies at the foot of Peštota Hill (); to the south is Vrh Peak () and further to the north is Kucelj Hill (). The

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

Ravnik Plateau lies west of the village. The soil is stony and there are fields on the nearby slopes. The pastures are named Za Breznom (literally, 'behind the shaft'), Breza ('birch'), and Rupce ('sinkholes'), a meadow area is named Laz (literally, 'clearing'), and the surrounding woods are named Perca, Riglji, and Mlakovž. There is also an abandoned pasture in the Mlakovž Woods. There are several shallow karst shafts on the Ravnik Plateau.

Name

Toško Čelo was attested in written sources in 1376 as ''Vaystem ek'' (and as ''Vaistenekk'' in 1414, ''Vaistn hiern'' in 1453, and ''Na Verhu'', ''Navrchu vel Turskczel'', and ''Taustutschel'' in 1763–87).Snoj, Marko. 2009. ''Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen''. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 432–433. The modern name of the settlement literally means 'Tošč face': the noun ''čelo'' (otherwise 'forehead' in Slovene) refers to a vertical or steep rocky cliff face below a summit and the adjective ''toško'' is related to Mount Tošč (1021 m) to the west (originally based on a dialect form of the adjective 'fat'). The original meaning 'fat' is also reflected in the medieval German names of the settlement, containing 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 ...

word 'fat'.

Second World War

During 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 ...

Partisan 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 ** Ital ...

courier connection operated through Toško Čelo from November 1941 to March 1942, connecting Ljubljana and

. It was maintained by a three-member armed patrol; messages were collected at the checkpoint below Toško Čelo and then relayed to the checkpoint at Medno Hill () on the German side of the border.Pot kurirjev in vezistov
Today a memorial to the Partisan couriers stands below the settlement. Italian forces burned the village to the ground on 19 March 1943. The village was entirely rebuilt after the war.

Gallery

File:Toško Čelo Slovenia - wayside shrine and hayrack.JPG,

Wayside shrine A wayside shrine is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mount ...

and

hayrack A hayrack () is a freestanding vertical drying rack found chiefly in Slovenia. Hayracks are permanent structures, primarily made of wood, upon which fodder for animals is dried, although their use is not limited to drying hay. Other foodstuffs s ...

in Toško Čelo File:Toško Čelo Slovenia - wayside shrine.JPG,

in Toško Čelo

References

External links

Toško Čelo on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tosko Celo Populated places in the Urban Municipality of Ljubljana Dravlje District