Višnja Gora (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 96, 99. also ''Weichselburg'', ''Weichselberg'') is a town in the

Municipality of Ivančna Gorica The Municipality of Ivančna Gorica (; ) is a municipality in the traditional region of Lower Carniola in central Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Ivančna Gorica. Ivančna Gorica became a municipality in 1995. Settlements I ...

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 ...

. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Slovenia. The area is part of the historical 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 ...

. The municipality is now included 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 includes the hamlets of Žabjek, Na Štacjonu, and Grintavec,Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971. ''Krajevni leksikon Slovenije'', vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, pp. 160–161. as well as the former hamlet of Suhi Malen ().

Geography

The town is located in the Višnjica Valley southeast of Ljubljana just south of the A2 Slovenian motorway. Nearby is the Kosca Valley with the highest waterfall on a travertine foundation in Slovenia. Regular long-distance bus and rail lines connect Višnja Gora to Ivančna Gorica and

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

History

Višnja Gora was granted town rights in 1478. In the same period, a coat of arms showing a masonry wall with doors and two roofed towers was adopted. The snail representing a local legend was added later. The citizens of the town were given a golden

snail shell The gastropod shell is part of the body of many gastropods, including snails, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium ...

for nursing the Venetian doge's son wounded in the

Battle of Sisak The Battle of Sisak was fought on 22 June 1593 between Ottoman Bosnian forces and a combined Christian army from the Habsburg lands, mainly the Kingdom of Croatia and Inner Austria. The battle took place at Sisak, central Croatia, at the confl ...

(1593) by his relatives. The golden shell has since been lost, but the legend remains. During the Second World War, Višnja Gora was bombarded by German forces on 22 September 1943. At the end of October 1943,

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 ...

forces burned Turn Castle, the courthouse, and the school in the town.

Castles

The old centre is built on a hill (384 m) under the ruins of Višnja Gora Castle (), generally known as Old Castle (), once home of the Višnja Gora knights. A second castle, Turn Castle (), stood west of the town center. It was also later known as the Codelli Manor () and was burned by the Partisans in October 1943.

Recreation

The 12 km Jurčič Trail is named after

Josip Jurčič Josip Jurčič (4 March 1844 – 3 May 1881) was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (now part of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia)Levec, Fran. 1881. Josip Jurčič. ''Ljubljanski zvon'' 1(6) ...

, author of the first Slovene novel, ''Deseti brat'', who attended primary school in Višnja Gora. Part of the trail has been recently turned into a forest trail known as ''Po poteh višnjanskega polža'' (The Višnja Gora Snail Trail).

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Višnja Gora include: *

(1844–1881), author *

Ive Krevs Ivan Krevs (21 November 1912 – 24 October 1990) was a Yugoslav long-distance runner. He competed in the men's 5000 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and offici ...

(1912–1990), Yugoslav Olympic athlete *Pashkal Skerbinz (1780–1824), religious writer

Gallery

File:Višnja Gora town hall.jpg, Town hall

References

External links

*
Višnja Gora on Geopedia.si

Višnja Gora (The Official Website)

* ttp://www.burger.si/VisnjaGora/VisnjaGoraENG.html Višnja Gora (images at burger.net) {{DEFAULTSORT:Visnja Gora Populated places in the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica Cities and towns in Lower Carniola