Kostanjevica na Krki

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Kostanjevica na Krki
—  City and Municipality  —
Location of the Municipality of Kostanjevica na Krki in Slovenia
Kostanjevica na Krki is located in Slovenia
Kostanjevica na Krki
Location of Kostanjevica na Krki in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°51′N 15°25′E / 45.85°N 15.417°E / 45.85; 15.417Coordinates: 45°51′N 15°25′E / 45.85°N 15.417°E / 45.85; 15.417
Country  Slovenia
Region Lower Carniola
Municipality Kostanjevica na Krki
Government
 • Mayor
Elevation 150.4 m (493.4 ft)
Population (2002)[1]
 • Total 751
Time zone CET (UTC+01)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+02)
Postal code 8311
Website kostanjevica.si
Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, census of 2002.

Kostanjevica na Krki, also Kostanjevica ob Krki (German: Landstraß), is a small town and a municipality in the historic Lower Carniola region of southern Slovenia. It is today part of the Lower Sava statistical region.[2] It is located in the northern foothills of the Gorjanci Hills near the border with Croatia, entirely on an island of the Krka River, and is also promoted as the "Venice of Lower Carniola" in Slovenian (Slovene: Dolenjske Benetke).

Contents

[edit] Name

The name of the settlement was changed from Kostanjevica to Kostanjevica na Krki in 1955.[3]

[edit] History

The town is protected as a cultural and historical monument.[4] Kostanjevica is the oldest city of the region. In the early 13th century, the Carinthian duke Bernhard von Spanheim established the Fons Sanctae Mariae Cistercian Abbey on the southern frontier of the March of Carniola, which he claimed against the resistance of the Patriarchs of Aquileia and the Dukes of Merania.

Kostanjevica Abbey

The monastery, a filial of Viktring Abbey near Klagenfurt, was enlarged in a Baroque style in the early 18th century. It was nevertheless finally disbanded in 1785 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II.

The settlement of Kostanjevica was first mentioned as a town in 1210 and received market rights in 1249. During the Late Middle Ages it was an important commercial centre in the Duchy of Carniola held by the Habsburg archdukes of Austria. After several devastations by Ottoman military raids in the 15th and 16th centuries, it lost its importance. After the 17th century, it turned into a mostly rural settlement, which however retained its town status. In 2000, it was recognised by the National Assembly as a city.[5]

[edit] Sights

The monastic complex, which was severely damaged in World War II, has been renovated and is now an art gallery with a sculpture park and a permanent exhibition of works by Božidar Jakac. It is dominated by the Early Gothic abbey church built in 1234.[6]

The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint James and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto. It is an originally 13th century Romanesque building that was largely rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th century.[7]

Kostanjevica Cave (Slovene: Kostanjeviška jama), a popular tourist destination, is nearby.

The Commission on Concealed Mass Graves in Slovenia has discovered a World War II mass grave from 1945 of victims of the Yugoslav Partisans.[8]

[edit] Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Kostanjevica na Krki include:

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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