Litija (; german: Littai''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 90, 92–93.) is a town in the Litija Basin 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 Litija The Municipality of Litija (; sl, Občina Litija) is a municipality in central Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Litija. The area is part of the traditional Upper and Lower Carniola regions. The entire municipality is now in ...

. It is located in the valley of the Sava River, east of the capital

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

, in the traditional region of

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...

. The entire municipality is now included in the Central Sava Statistical Region; until January 2014 it was part of the

Central Slovenia Statistical Region The Central Slovenia Statistical Region ( sl, Osrednjeslovenska statistična regija) is a statistical region in central Slovenia. Geography This is the second-largest region in terms of territory. It has a total area of 2,555 km², with a ...

. The town is home to about 6,500 people.

Name

Litija was mentioned in written documents in 1256 as ''apud Litigiam'' and ''apud Lvtyam'' (and as ''Lutya'' in 1363, ''Littai'' in 1431, ''Luttey'' in 1444, and ''propre Lutiam'' in 1480). Medieval transcriptions indicate that the name was originally *''Ljutija'', derived from *''Ľutoviďa (vьsь)'' (literally, 'Ľutovidъ's village'). Suggestions that ''-ija'' is a suffix or that the name is derived from German ''Lutte'' '(mining) drain' are less likely. Other pseudoetymologies include

Johann Weikhard von Valvasor Johann Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor or Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor ( sl, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, ) or simply Valvasor (baptised on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, pr ...

's suggestion that the name evolved from ''litus'', the Latin word for 'riverbank'. The town was officially known as ''Littai'' in German until 1918.

History

Litija developed as a trading post between

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

, Ljubljana, and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The town gained

market rights A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in the 14th century. In Roman times mining developed in Litija and remained one of the primary sources of income until the 1965, when the biggest of the mines closed. In 1849 the Austrian Southern Railway reached Litija and boosted its economy. This development, however, also meant a decline in some of the traditional local professions. The Litija post office was opened in December 1852. After the Second World War, Litija annexed the formerly independent settlements of

Podsitarjevec Podsitarjevec () is a former settlement in the Municipality of Litija in central Slovenia. It is now part of the town of Litija. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included with the rest of the municipality i ...

, Gradec,

Grbin Grbin (, german: Gerbin) is a former settlement in the Municipality of Litija in central Slovenia. It is now part of the town of Litija. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included with the rest of the munici ...

, and Podkraj.

Landmarks

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 Saint Nicholas and belongs to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana ( sl, Nadškofija Ljubljana, la, Archidioecesis Labacensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 1970

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Litija include: *

France Bezlaj France Bezlaj (September 19, 1910 – April 27, 1993) was a Slovenian linguist. He was born in Litija.Jakopin, Franc. 1987. France Bezlaj. ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 1. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, pp. 258–259. He received a degree in ...

(1910–1993), linguist * Luka Svetec (1826–1921), politician *Peter Jereb (1867–1951), composer *Viktor Parma (1858–1924), composer *Rudolf Badjura (1881–1963), writer and mountaineer *Mira Pregelj (1905–1966), painter *Milan Borišek (1920–1950), glider pilot

Gallery

File:Litija Turn.jpg, Turn Castle File:SLO-Litija5.JPG, Litija lies on both banks of the Sava River

References

External links

*
Litija on Geopedia
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Litija Cities and towns in Upper Carniola