Podbrezje (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 54–55.) is a village in the

Municipality of Naklo The Municipality of Naklo (; ) is one of the municipalities in northwestern Slovenia. Its seat is Naklo. The municipality, established in 1994, lies at an elevation of and has 5,020 residents. It has an area of . Geography The Municipality of N ...

in the

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 ...

region of

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 ...

. It includes the hamlets of Dolenja Vas (, ), Srednja Vas (, ), Britof (), and Podtabor (), which were separate settlements before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The settlement lies on a terrace on the left bank of 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 ...

known as Dobrava. Since the early 19th century Podbrezje has been known for its

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

s, which can still be seen around the village. After the Second World War, a Yugoslav labor camp for political prisoners operated in Podbrezje.

Churches

There are two churches in Podbrezje. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

is located in the hamlet of Britof and is dedicated to Saint James. It was originally a Gothic church that was reworked in the Baroque style in the 17th century. The Baroque altars and sculptures in the church date from the late 18th century and were created by Peter Žiwobski (1752–?). In addition to the main altar dedicated to Saint James, there are two side altars, dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...

. The ceiling fresco was painted by Vinko Tušek (1936–2011). The church's organ was built in 1830 by Johann Gottfried Kunath (before 1790 – after 1846). There is a cemetery on the west wide of the church. Podbrezje Slovenia - Tabor church

The picturesque

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

Tabor Church Tabor Church () is the church of the Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church), Evangelical Tabor Congregation, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church buildin ...

, in the hamlet of Podtabor on a rock above the

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

from

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 Karawanks Tunnel, is a well-known landmark on the route. It was built some time soon after 1471 as a fortification where the locals could escape from Ottoman raids. The worst Ottoman incursions across Upper Carniola and into

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

were in 1476 and 1477. The building of the walls around the church was conditioned by the favourable natural position on an elevation in the middle of a plain, affording a view in all directions. The walls surrounding the church are irregularly shaped and were built on two levels with a roofed walkway, balistraria, and defense tower. The defence tower overlooked the only entrance over a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

. On the western side the church was fortified with a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

and dike. This was also where valuables, food, and

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

were kept. The church is dedicated to

Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

and

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

. One of the paintings in the church is by

Ivana Kobilca Ivana Kobilca (20 December 1861 – 4 December 1926) was a Slovenes, Slovene Painting, painter, and is considered the most prominentpainter and a key figure of Slovene cultural identity. She was a Realism (arts), realist painter who studied and wo ...

, who lived in the village for a while.Naklo municipal web site
/ref>

Gallery

Podtabor.jpg, St. Mary and St. Benedikt Tabor church from the NW.jpg, Tabor Church from the northwest Podtabor crucifix.jpg, Crucifix before Podtabor church

References

External links

*
Podbrezje on Geopedia

{{Naklo Populated places in the Municipality of Naklo