Dobrova, Dobrova–Polhov Gradec

Dobrova

Dobrova with the parish church (left), the rectory and convent (top right), and Dobrova Hill in the background
Dobrova

Location in Slovenia

Coordinates: 46°3′11.89″N 14°24′52.01″E / 46.0533028°N 14.4144472°E / 46.0533028; 14.4144472Coordinates: 46°3′11.89″N 14°24′52.01″E / 46.0533028°N 14.4144472°E / 46.0533028; 14.4144472
Country Slovenia
Traditional region Upper Carniola
Statistical region Central Slovenia
Municipality Dobrova–Polhov Gradec
Area
  Total 7.93 km2 (3.06 sq mi)
Elevation 310.3 m (1,018.0 ft)
Population (2002)
  Total 913
[1]

Dobrova (pronounced [ˈdoːbɾɔʋa]; German: Dobrawa[2][3]) is a clustered settlement northwest of Ljubljana in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec.[4] It lies on the road from Ljubljana to Polhov Gradec at the point where roads split off to Horjul to the southwest and to Šentvid, Ljubljana to the northeast. It extends along the flat area to the northeast up to the Gradaščica River and encompasses much of Dobrova Hill (Slovene: Dobrovski hrib,[5] 603 m; also known as Vrhe Hill[6] or Jazbina Hill[7]) to the southwest. Bezenica Creek, Broad Creek (Slovene: Široki potok), and Ječnik Creek, left tributaries of the Horjulščica River, flow through the hills west of the settlement.[8][9] Dobrova includes the hamlets of Pod Kotom (Pod kotom) northwest of the main settlement and Graben southwest of the main settlement.[5]

Name

Dobrova was first mentioned in German written sources in 1252 as in Harde (literally, 'in the woods'), in 1354 as cze Hard ('at the woods'), and in 1490 as bey der Hurd ('by the woods'), semantically corresponding to the Slovene name. The name Dobrova is derived from Common Slavic *dǫbrova 'place where there is a deciduous or oak forest', in turn derived from *dǫbъ 'deciduous tree, oak'. Like similar names (e.g., Dobrovce, Dobrovnik, Zadobrova), it originally referred to the local vegetation.[10] In the past it was known as Dobrawa in German.[2][3]

History

The name of nearby Gradišče Hill (cf. grad 'castle') south of Dobrova, across the Horjulščica River, hints at late Roman or even earlier settlement of the area.[5] A school was founded in Dobrova in 1844 in the sexton's house, which was later adapted for school needs.[5]

Second World War

On 8 July 1942 the Partisans attacked an Italian stronghold at the rectory in Dobrova. On the following day the village was burned.[5] On 20 November 1942 the Partisans abducted and killed seven people from the nearby village of Zaklanec in the Broad Creek Gorge.[11][12] On 27 January 1943 the Partisans burned down the newly built six-year school in Dobrova.[13][14]

Church

Assumption Church in Dobrova

The parish church in Dobrova is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and was one of the most important pilgrimage churches in Carniola. A church or chapel has stood at this site since before 1231, when the structure there was enlarged. According to Johann Weikhard von Valvasor, this is one of the oldest church sites in Slovenia, and according to some sources it may even date to as early as 970. The current church was built between 1711 and 1716, largely due to the efforts of Baron Franc Bogomir Polhograjski, at that time the cathedral canon and dean in Ljubljana. The church was designed by the architect Gregor Maček, Sr. (1664–1725). The height of the bell tower was increased in 1752. The interior frescos were painted by Matija Bradaška (1852–1915) and the main altar is a work by Matija Tomc (1814–1885). The church was formerly known as the Our Lady of the Hazels Church (cerkev Marije v leščevju) due to the hazels that still grow there.[15] The church has been protected as a cultural heritage monument since 2009.[16]

Notable people

Notable people that were born in, lived in, or had family connections to Dobrova include:

Gallery

References

  1. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
  2. 1 2 Intelligenzblatt zur Laibacher Zeitung, no. 141. 24 November 1849, p. 20.
  3. 1 2 Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 106.
  4. Dobrova–Polhov Gradec municipal site
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. p. 406.
  6. Vrhe Hill on Geopedia (Slovene)
  7. Klemenčič, Marijan M., & Darko Ogrin (eds.). 2005. Atlas Slovenije. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, p. 121.
  8. Bezenica Creek at Geopedia (Slovene)
  9. Broad Creek at Geopedia (Slovene)
  10. Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, p. 114.
  11. Zaveza no. 62 (21 July 2011) (Slovene)
  12. Graves of the Broad Creek Gorge victims at Find A Grave
  13. Krivda rdeče fronte (Slovene)
  14. Javornik, Mirko. 1944. Črne bukve: o delu komunistične osvobodilne fronte proti slovenskemu narodu. Ljubljana: Slovenski dom, pp. 166, 175. (Slovene)
  15. Hribernik, Mirjam (2006). Možnosti razvoja občine Dobrova-Polhov Gradec s poudarkom na turizmu [Development Opportunities for the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec with an Emphasis on Tourism] (PDF) (in Slovenian). Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. pp. 68–69.
  16. Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage reference number ešd 1771
  17. Orožen, Božena. 1991. Slovstveni in kulturnozgodovinski vodnik: Štajerska z obrobjem. Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za šolstvo in šport, p. 74.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dobrova, Dobrova - Polhov Gradec.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 27, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.