Višnja Gora
Encyclopedia
Višnja Gora is a settlement in the Ivančna Gorica
municipality
in central Slovenia
. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola
. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenian statistical region
.
The settlement, located in Višnjica Valley 20 km southeast of Ljubljana just south of the A2 Slovenian motorway
. The old centre is built on a hill (384 m ) under the ruins of Stari grad (The Old Castle), once home of the Višnja Gora knights. Nearby is the Kosca Valley with the highest waterfall on a travertine foundation in Slovenia.
Regular long-distance bus and rail-lines are connecting Višnja Gora to Ivančna Gorica and Ljubljana
.
Višnja Gora was granted town rights in 1478. In the same period coat of arms showing a masoned 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 for nursing Venetian doge
's son wounded in the Battle of Sisak
(1593) by his relatives. The golden shell has since been lost, but the legend remains.
Josip Jurčič
, author of the first Slovene novel Deseti brat, attented the primary school in Višnja Gora. 13 km long Jurčič path is named after him. Part of the path has been recently turned into forest trail known as Po poteh višnjanskega polža. Ive Krevs, Yugoslavian Olympic athlete, was also born in Višnja Gora.
Ivancna Gorica
Ivančna Gorica is a settlement and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Central Slovenian statistical region....
municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in central Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola was a kreis of the historical Habsburg crown land of Carniola from 1849 till 1919 and is nowadays a traditional region of Slovenia. Its center is Novo Mesto, while other urban centers include Kočevje, Grosuplje, Krško, Trebnje, Mirna, Črnomelj, Semič, and Metlika.-See also:* Upper...
. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenian statistical region
Osrednjeslovenska statistical region
The Central Slovenia statistical region is a statistical region in central Slovenia. It includes the Slovene capital Ljubljana and is the most densely populated area of Slovenia. In terms of size it is the second largest region. It has good traffic connections in all directions and is economically...
.
The settlement, located in Višnjica Valley 20 km southeast of Ljubljana just south of the A2 Slovenian motorway
A2 motorway (Slovenia)
The A2 motorway is a motorway in Slovenia, around 175 km long, connecting Karavanke Tunnel via the capital city Ljubljana to Obrežje . It connects several larger Slovenian cities, including Kranj, Ljubljana and Novo Mesto, and is part of the Pan-European corridor X.The motorway was completed...
. The old centre is built on a hill (384 m ) under the ruins of Stari grad (The Old Castle), once home of the Višnja Gora knights. Nearby is the Kosca Valley with the highest waterfall on a travertine foundation in Slovenia.
Regular long-distance bus and rail-lines are connecting Višnja Gora to Ivančna Gorica and Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
.
Višnja Gora was granted town rights in 1478. In the same period coat of arms showing a masoned 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 for nursing Venetian doge
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
's son wounded in the Battle of Sisak
Battle of Sisak
The Battle of Sisak was fought on June 22, 1593, between Ottoman forces of the Bosnian governor-general, or Beylerbeyi, Hasan-paša Predojević, and forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the supreme command of the Styrian general Ruprecht von Eggenberg...
(1593) by his relatives. The golden shell has since been lost, but the legend remains.
Josip Jurčič
Josip Jurcic
Josip Jurčič was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire and died in Ljubljana, Austria-Hungary...
, author of the first Slovene novel Deseti brat, attented the primary school in Višnja Gora. 13 km long Jurčič path is named after him. Part of the path has been recently turned into forest trail known as Po poteh višnjanskega polža. Ive Krevs, Yugoslavian Olympic athlete, was also born in Višnja Gora.