Borders of the Historical Habsburgian Lands in the Republic of Slovenia

Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a

traditional region A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, the southeastern part of the historical

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

region. Its largest town and urban center is

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...

, with other urban centers including

Kočevje Kočevje (; ; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; ) is a town and the seat of Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. Geography The town is located at the foot of the Kočevski Rog karst plateau on t ...

Grosuplje Grosuplje (; )''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 108. is a town in central Slovenia, in the northwest of the traditional region of Lower ...

Krško Krško (; ) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City Municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain (), which is part of the larger Krka Flat (). The area is divided between t ...

Trebnje Trebnje (, ) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the Temenica River in the traditional region of Lower Carniola, and is the seat of the Municipality of Trebnje. The area was already settled in Antiquity. The modern settlement develo ...

, and Ribnica.

Geography

Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

to the northwest, by the

Kolpa River The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from in Roman times; ) river, a right tributary of the Sava, forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. It is long, with a length of serving as the border between Croatia and Slovenia ...

and the border with

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

with the Gorjanci Mountains to the south and southeast, by the

Sava River The Sava, is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reaches Serbia, fee ...

to the north and northeast, and by Mount Krim, the

Bloke Plateau The Bloke Plateau () is an extensive bowl-like plateau in southern Slovenia, part of the traditional region of Inner Carniola. Geography The Bloke Plateau measures approximately long and wide. It ranges in elevation between and . Together wit ...

, and the Potok Plateau () to the west. The southernmost region down to the border with

on the

is called

White Carniola White Carniola (; ; or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, although with distinctive cultural, l ...

and usually considered part of Lower Carniola. Within the

Kočevje Rog Kočevje (; ; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; ) is a town and the seat of Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. Geography The town is located at the foot of the Kočevski Rog karst plateau on t ...

karst plateau, the mountains reach an elevation of up to . The historic centre of Lower Carniola is

, and other towns include

Mirna Micro ribonucleic acid (microRNA, miRNA, μRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21–23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals, and even some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcri ...

Črnomelj Črnomelj (; in older sources also ''Černomelj'', ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 4.) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It is the ...

Semič Semič (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna. formerly also Semenič) is a settlement in southeastern Slovenia. It is the administrative sea ...

, and

Metlika Metlika (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 10.) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Metlika ...

History

In the 17th century, the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

duchy of

was internally divided into three administrative districts. This division was thoroughly described by the scholar

Johann Weikhard von Valvasor Johann Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor or Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor (, ) or simply Valvasor (baptised on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, present-day Slovenia, and a Li ...

in his 1689 work ''

The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola ''The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola'' (, ) is an encyclopedia published in Nuremberg in 1689 by the polymath Johann Weikhard von Valvasor. It is the most important work on his homeland, the Duchy of Carniola, the present-day central part of Slov ...

''. The districts were known in German as '' Kreise'' (''kresija'' in old Slovene). They were:

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( ; ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, Domžale and ...

with its centre in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

(formerly

Kranj Kranj (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fourth-largest city in Slovenia and the largest urban center of the traditional region of Upper Carniola (northwestern Slovenia) and the Slovene Alps. It is located approximately northwest o ...

), comprising the northern areas of the duchy;

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica (plateau), Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the Goriška, Gor ...

comprising the southwest, with its centre in

Postojna Postojna (; , ) is a town in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.

, and Lower Carniola in the southeast, roughly corresponding to the medieval

Windic March The Windic March (; also known as Wendish March) was a medieval frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Lower Carniola () region in present-day Slovenia. In Slovenian historiography, it is known as the Slovene Mar ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. While the bulk of the population spoke Slovene, the German-speaking exclave of the

Gottschee Germans Gottscheers (, , ) are the German settlers of the Kočevje region (a.k.a. Gottschee) of Slovenia, formerly Gottschee County. Until the Second World War, their main language of communication was Gottscheerish, a Bavarian dialect of German. Hi ...

existed around Kočevje in the south. This division remained, in various arrangements, up to the 1860s, when the old administrative districts were abolished and Lower Carniola was subdivided into the smaller ''

Bezirke The German term (; pl. ; derived from , "circle") translated as "district" can refer to the following types of administrative divisions: * , a subdivision of a city in the sense of a borough (e.g. in Berlin, Hamburg or Vienna), often agai ...

'' of Novo Mesto (''Rudolfswert''), Kočevje (''Gottschee''), and Krško (''Gurkfeld''). Nevertheless, the regional identity remained strong also thereafter. Upon the dissolution of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Carniola was incorporated first into the

State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( / ; ) was a political entity that was constituted in October 1918, at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (Prečani (Serbs), Prečani) residing in what were the southernmost parts of th ...

and then into the

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...

and it ceased to exist as a separate political and geographical unit. The Carniolan regional identity soon faded away, but the regional identification with its sub-units (Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and, to a lesser extent, Inner Carniola) remain strong. Since the 1890s, Lower Carniola has become significantly more connected with the surrounding regions through the construction of the Ljubljana–Novo Mesto Railway (1894),

Sevnica–Trebnje Railway The Sevnica–Trebnje Railway () is one of the railway lines that form the Slovenian Railway Network. It is located in Lower Carniola, the traditional region of southeastern Slovenia. Its termini are in Sevnica and Trebnje, and it is long, non- ...

(1908, 1938), and the

Brotherhood and Unity Highway The Brotherhood and Unity Highway (; ; ), officially classed as the M-1 highway, was a highway that stretched over across Yugoslavia, from the Austrian border at Jesenice in the northwest via Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje to Gevgelija ...

(1958) linking Ljubljana and

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. In the early 21st century the Brotherhood and Unity Highway was replaced with the modern

A2 motorway A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...

(completed in 2011).

Culture

Language

People of Lower Carniola speak various dialects with common characteristics, grouped together under the

Lower Carniolan dialect group The Lower Carniolan dialect group (''dolenjska narečna skupina''Smole, Vera. 1998. "Slovenska narečja." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'' vol. 12, pp. 1–5. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, p. 2.) is a group of closely related dialects of Slovene. The ...

. In the 16th century, the Lower Carniolan reformer and writer of the first Slovene book,

Primož Trubar Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Prot ...

, laid the foundation for what later became standard Slovene, giving it additions of his native speech, the Lower Carniolan dialect, combined with the capital Ljubljana's dialect.

Music

Folklore

Lower Carniola has had an important impact on Slovene folk music, with many great local musicians, the most notable being

Lojze Slak Lojze Slak (23 July 1932 – 29 September 2011) was a Slovenian musician. Slak was one of the pioneers of Slovene popular folk music, based on diatonic button accordion and author of several evergreen songs, performed by his Lojze Slak Ensemble ( ...

. Pouring Cvicek.jpg, Lower Carniolan in folk costume pouring Cviček Noša Dobrnič.JPG, A variety of Lower Carniolan folk costume Franz Kurz zum Thurn und Goldenstein - Narodna noša okoli Osilnice pri Kočevju.jpg, Folk costumes from

Osilnica Osilnica (, in older sources also ''Osivnica'', ) is a settlement in southern Slovenia. It is located on the left bank of the Kolpa River next to the border with Croatia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included ...

Franz Kurz zum Thurn und Goldenstein - Narodna noša Poljan (Dolenjska).jpg, Folk costumes from Poljane

Musical events

Since 2013, Woodland Pristava, an annual

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

festival, has been held in

Pristava nad Stično Pristava nad Stično (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 98.) is a small settlement in the hills north of Stična in the Municipality ...

Cuisine

Lower Carniola shares most of the common

Slovene cuisine Slovenian cuisine () is influenced by the diversity of Slovenia's landscape, climate, history and neighbouring cultures. In 2016, the leading Slovenian ethnologists divided the country into 24 gastronomic regions. The first Slovene-language coo ...

, with emphasis on grilled meat and local wine, such as Cviček. Some other regional dishes include ''

matevž Matevž (puréed beans with cracklings) is a Slovene national dish. The dish is typical of central Slovenia, especially of the Kočevje region. It is made of beans and potatoes. Its origins come from the 19th century. Originally, the lower soci ...

'', ''

mlinci Mlinci is dish in Croatian cuisine. It is a thin dried flatbread that is prepared by pouring boiled salted water or soup over the ''mlinci''. To prepare homemade ''mlinci'', a dough is made of flour, salt, and water, sometimes also with eggs and ...

'', and '' belokranjska povitica''. Cviček - Gospodična Trdinov vrh - Dolenjska.jpg, Cviček wine Matevž (Slovenian cuisine).jpg, Plate with ''

'' as a side Mlinci Slovenia.jpg, Dry ''

Notable people

(1508–1586), writer of the first book in Slovene *

Jurij Dalmatin Jurij Dalmatin ( – 31 August 1589) was a Slovene Lutheran minister, reformer, writer and translator. He translated the complete Bible into Slovene. Life Born in Krško, Dalmatin came from a Dalmatian family. Until the age of 18, he studie ...

(1547–1589), writer and translator *

Jacobus Gallus Jacobus Gallus (a.k.a. Jacob(us) Handl, Jacob(us) Händl; between 15 April and 31 July 155018 July 1591) was a late-Renaissance composer of presumed Slovene ethnicity.Skei/Pokorn, Grove online Born in Carniola, which at the time was one of the ...

(1550–1591), late-Renaissance composer * Joannes Adamus Gaiger (1667–1722), philologist and lexicographer *

Peter Kosler Peter Kosler or Kozler (16 February 1824 – 16 April 1879) was an Austrian-Slovene lawyer, geographer, cartographer, activist, and businessman. He was of Gottscheer origin, but also identified with Slovene culture and advocated for the peac ...

(1824–1879), lawyer and cartographer *

Fran Levstik Fran Levstik (28 September 1831 – 16 November 1887) was a Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. He was one of the most prominent exponents of the Young Slovene political movement. Life and work Levstik was born in 18 ...

(1831–1887), writer *

Josip Stritar Josip Stritar (6 March 1836 – 25 November 1923) was a Slovene writer, poet, essayist, the first aesthetic critic, playwright, publisher and translator. Life Stritar spent his early childhood in his home village of Podsmreka in rural Lower ...

(1836–1923), writer *

Josip Jurčič Josip Jurčič (4 March 1844 – 3 May 1881) was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (now part of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia)Levec, Fran. 1881. Josip Jurčič. ''Ljubljanski zvon'' 1(6) ...

(1844–1881), writer *

Oton Župančič Oton Župančič (; January 23, 1878 – June 11, 1949; pseudonym ''Gojko'' ) was a Slovene language, Slovene poet, translator, and playwright. He is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in ...

(1878–1949), poet *

Louis Adamic Louis Adamic (; March 23, 1898 – September 4, 1951) was a Slovene American, Slovene-American author and translator, mostly known for writing about and advocating for ethnic diversity of the United States. Background Louis Adamic wa ...

(1898–1951), writer *

Anton Podbevšek Anton Podbevšek (13 June 1898 – 14 November 1981) was a Slovenian avant-garde poet. He was an important influence to the poet Srečko Kosovel. He was one of the participants of the artistic activity known as the Novo Mesto Spring (''Novomeška ...

(1898–1981), poet *

Božidar Jakac Božidar Jakac (July 16, 1899 – November 20, 1989) was a Slovene Yugoslavian e xpressionist, realist and symbolist painter, printmaker, art teacher, photographer and filmmaker. He produced one of the most extensive oeuvres of pastels and ...

(1899–1989), painter *

Leon Štukelj Leon Štukelj (; 12 November 1898 – 8 November 1999) was a Slovene professional gymnast. He was an Olympic gold medalist and athlete who represented Yugoslavia at the Olympics. He is a noted figure in Slovenian sporting history. Štukelj is ...

(1898–1999), athlete *

Tone Kralj Tone Kralj (23 August 1900 – 9 September 1975) was a Slovene sculptor and painter also known for his wall paintings and illustrations. Kralj was born in Zagorica near Dobrepolje in Lower Carniola in 1900. He studied sculpture in Prague bet ...

(1900–1975), sculptor and painter *

Edvard Ravnikar Edvard Ravnikar (4 December 1907 – 23 August 1993) was a Slovenian architect. Ravnikar was born in Novo Mesto and was a student of architect Jože Plečnik. Later, he led the new generation of Slovene architects, notable for developing ...

(1907–1993), architect *

Bojan Adamič Bojan Adamič a.k.a. Master (; 9 August 1912 – 3 November 1995), Slovene Partisans nom de guerre Gregor, was a well-known Slovene composer of jazz, the Slovenian song festival music, and particularly film scores. He was also an avid photograph ...

(1912–1995), composer *

Tone Pavček Tone Pavček (; 29 September 1928 – 21 October 2011) was one of the most influential Slovene people, Slovene poets, translators, and essayists from the first post-World War II, war generation. He published numerous collections of poetry, we ...

(1928–2011), poet *

(1932–2011), pioneer of ensemble music *

Lojze Peterle Alojz "Lojze" Peterle (born 5 July 1948) is a Slovenian politician. He is a member of New Slovenia, part of the European People's Party. He served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from 1990 to 1992, Leader of the Christian Democrats from the found ...

(born 1948), politician *

Janez Janša Ivan Janša (; born 17 September 1958), better known as Janez Janša (), is a Slovenian politician who served three times as a prime minister of Slovenia, a position he had held from 2004 to 2008, from 2012 to 2013, and from 2020 to 2022. Since ...

(born 1958), former prime minister of Slovenia *

Nina Pušlar Nina Pušlar (born October 25, 1988, in Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter. Biography She won the contest ''Bitke talentov 2005'' and released her debut album ''Nina Pušlar'' in 2006. She participated in Slovenian Nati ...

(born 1988), musician

Image gallery

File:Novo Mesto View.JPG,

File:Otocec (2) (3996068970).jpg,

Otočec Castle Otočec Castle (, in older sources ''Otočič'', , ''Burg Wördl'') is a castle hotel on a small island in the middle of the Krka River in Otočec, Slovenia. It is the only water castle in Slovenia. The name ''Otočec'' means 'small island'. T ...

File:2015-7-Žužemberk (14).JPG,

Žužemberk Žužemberk (; ), is a town located southeast of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žužemberk. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Southeast ...

File:Kostanjevica na Krki, Galerija Božidarja Jakca.jpg,

Kostanjevica na Krki Kostanjevica na Krki (; also ''Kostanjevica ob Krki,'' ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 68.) is a small town in the historic Lower Ca ...

Monastery File:Pleterje (11) (3981017305).jpg,

Pleterje Charterhouse Pleterje Charterhouse (; , also ''Pleterjach'',Trebnje Trebnje (, ) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the Temenica River in the traditional region of Lower Carniola, and is the seat of the Municipality of Trebnje. The area was already settled in Antiquity. The modern settlement develo ...

File:Pogled na Višnjo Goro 3.jpg,

Višnja Gora Višnja Gora (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 96, 99. also ''Weichselburg'', ''Weichselberg'') is a town in the Municipality of ...

File:MokriceGrad.JPG,

Mokrice Castle Mokrice Castle (; , ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 71.) is a medieval castle southeast of Brežice, Slovenia, located on a hill in ...

File:Sticna Abbey.JPG,

Stična Abbey Stična Abbey (, also ; , Latin: ''Sitticum'') is the oldest monastery in Slovenia. It is the only Cistercian order, Cistercian monastery in the country still operating (the other was Kostanjevica Abbey in Kostanjevica na Krki). Its mother house ...

File:Soteska - Hudičev turn.jpg, Devil's Tower File:Šentrupert kozolci (17).JPG, Hayrack Museum in

Šentrupert Šentrupert (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 84.) is a village in the traditional Lower Carniola region in southeastern Slovenia. ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Subdivisions of Carniola Historical regions in Slovenia