Kanal ( or ; it, Canale, german: Kanalburg), frequently referred to as Kanal ob Soči ("Kanal on the Soča"; or ; it, Canale d'Isonzo), is a settlement mostly on the left bank of the Soča River in the Slovene Littoral, the traditional region in southwestern

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, and ...

. It is the seat of the

Municipality of Kanal ob Soči The Municipality of Kanal ob Soči ( or ; sl, Občina Kanal ob Soči) is a municipality in the traditional region of the Littoral in western Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Kanal. Kanal ob Soči became a municipality in 19 ...

. It is an important crossing point over the Soča. At its eastern border, on the left bank of the Soča, runs the Bohinj Railway, the railway track linking the

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

Name

Kanal was attested in historical sources as ''in Canale Isontii'' in 1336 (and as ''in dem Canol'' in 1340 and ''im Kanal'' in 1389). The name is borrowed from the Italian common noun ''canale'' with the meaning 'long deep river gorge', referring to the configuration of the Soča Valley at the location.

History

The first mention of the settlement dates to 1140, the year 1336 mentions the name of Dvor Svete Marije, and bridge in 1350. The center of the town was fortified in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. There are four towers left called

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

s. There used to be a small castle, which was destroyed in 1264 and later rebuilt after the First World War as a residential building. In the 19th century small manufacturing plants were established. From 1900 until 1906, the Bohinj Railway was built.

Cultural heritage

Bridge

The first bridge was built by the Romans. The current bridge was built after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The bridge is around 17 meters tall and there are yearly diving events in mid-August. There are plans for building a new bridge to reduce traffic through the center.

Neptune Fountain

The Neptune Fountain, next to 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 centre of the settlement, was built in 1815.

Parish church

The parish church of Kanal is dedicated to the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...

and belongs to the Diocese of Koper. The current church was built in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style in the 1430s on the site of a 13th-century predecessor. The still preserved Gothic element is the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

, whereas the nave was redesigned from 1632 until 1670 in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

style and the facade was redesigned from 1787 until 1795 in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

. The original bell tower was built in 1632, but demolished in World War I and later rebuilt in the

Renaissance Revival style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

. The left (northern) side chapel, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, was consecrated in 1662, whereas the right (southern) side chapel, dedicated to the Mother of God, was built in 1698.

Economy

There is a small factory called Plastik Kanal in the town.

Notable people

* Ivo Hvalica, politician ( SDS) * Vojeslav Mole, poet and art historian * Author

Josip Ribičič Josip Ribičič (3 November 1886 – 7 June 1969) was a Slovene writer, known as an author of popular children's literature. Life He was born as Josip Ribičić in Baška on the island of Krk (now in Croatia, then part of Austria-Hungary). Hi ...

's mother Marija Ribičić (born Križanič or Križnic) * Ignazio Francesco Scodnik, Garibaldine general *

Valentin Stanič Valentin Stanič or Stanig (12 February 1774 – 29 April 1847) was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, mountaineer, poet, writer, translator, teacher, and cultural activist. He was born in Bodrež and died in Gorizia. Stanič spelled his surn ...

, mountaineer, author and philanthropist * Ivan Čargo, painter and illustrator * Riko Debenjak, academy-trained painter * Anton Nanut, conductor * Josip Kocijančič, composer

Events

* Hiking on the steps of Valentin Stanič ( sl, Pohod po stopinjah Valentina Staniča) in March/April * Diving championship from 25 m (July) * Festival Kontrada (July) * Traditional diving championship from 17 m high bridge (August) * Kogojevi dnevi – festival of modern music (September, October) * Summer party – electronic music festival (August)

References

External links

*
Kanal on GeopediaTIC Kanal
Kanal Tourist Information Centre {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanal, Kanal Populated places in the Municipality of Kanal Populated places in the Soča Valley