Hrastnik (,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Hrastnigg'') is a town in the

Central Sava Valley The Central Sava Valley ( sl, Zasavje) is a valley in the Sava Hills and a geographic region along the Sava in central Slovenia, now constituting the Central Sava Statistical Region. The region consists of three municipalities: Zagorje ob Savi, ...

in central

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. It is the seat of the

Municipality of Hrastnik The Municipality of Hrastnik (; sl, Občina Hrastnik) is a municipality in central Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Hrastnik. The area is part of the traditional Styria region. The entire municipality is now included in the ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

. The entire municipality is now included in the

Central Sava Statistical Region The Central Sava Statistical RegionBoršič, Darja, & Alenka Kavkler. 2009. Modeling Unemployment Duration in Slovenia Using Cox Regression Models. ''Transition Studies Review'' 54(1): 145–156, p. 148. ( sl, Zasavska statistična regija) is a s ...

History

In the past, the majority of locals were employed in the glass, coal, or chemical industry. Today the glass and chemicals factories still operate, but many people also go to work in neighbouring towns such as

Trbovlje Trbovlje (; german: Trifail''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 58.) is Slovenia's tenth-largest town, and the seat of the Municipality o ...

Zagorje ob Savi Zagorje ob Savi (; german: Sagor,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 96. ''Seger an der Sau'') is a town in the Central Sava Valley in ce ...

. Coal started being mined in Hrastnik in 1822. Production was limited until 1849, when the town was connected to the

Austrian Southern Railway The Austrian Southern Railway (german: link=no, Österreichische Südbahn) is a long double track railway, which linked the capital Vienna with Trieste, former main seaport of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, by railway for the first time. It now ...

. Hrastnik is also known for

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...

manufacturing. The first school was opened in Hrastnik in 1860. It was originally operated for miners' children at the miners' restaurant but became a public school in 1872. A separate school building was built in 1879. A German-language school was established in 1907 and operated until the end of the First World War.

Mass grave

Hrastnik is the site of a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

associated with the Second World War. The Senica Ravine Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Senicatov graben) is located below an orchard by the house at Pot na Kal no. 2. It contains an undetermined number of victims.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the settlement is dedicated to

Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of ...

and belongs to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje The Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje ( la, Dioecesis Celeiensis; sl, Škofija Celje) is a diocese located in the city of Celje in the Ecclesiastical province of Maribor in Slovenia. History * April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of Celje from ...

. It was built in 1936. A second church in the south of the settlement, belonging to the same parish, is dedicated to

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...

. It dates to the 16th century with major 17th-century adaptations.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 3014

Twin Towns

Montigny-en-Gohelle Montigny-en-Gohelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Montigny-en-Gohelle is former coalmining town, nowadays a light industrial and dormitory town, east of Lens, on the D46, D39e ...

References

External links

*
Hrastnik at Geopedia

Hrastnik municipal site
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Hrastnik Cities and towns in Styria (Slovenia)