Mežica (;

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 **Ge ...

: ''Mießdorf'') is a town in northern

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 Mežica The Municipality of Mežica (; sl, Občina Mežica) is a municipality in the traditional region of Carinthia in northern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Mežica. Mežica became a municipality in 1994. Settlements In addit ...

. It lies on the

Meža The Meža ( Slovene) or Mieß (German; ) is a river in the Austrian state of Carinthia and in Slovenia, a right tributary of the Drava. It is long, of which are in Slovenia. Its catchment area is , of which in Slovenia. Name The Meža River was ...

River in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia) near the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n border. The town developed close to a

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

mine under Mount Peca. Mining began in 1665 and ended in 1994. Today the mine is only open for tourist visits. The town once had a small ski area on Mount Peca, but this closed soon after the mining operations ceased to operate. 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 James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints * James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater ** Saint James Matamo ...

. It is a single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

building built in 1840 to replace an earlier smaller building.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number 3174

References

External links

Mežica on Geopedia

Peca Underground
tourist mine and museum (in Slovene, English and German)
Mežica na spletu
Local information portal Populated places in the Municipality of Mežica Cities and towns in Carinthia (Slovenia) {{Mežica-geo-stub