Crnomelj
Encyclopedia
Črnomelj is a town and municipality
in southeastern Slovenia
. It lies on the left bank of the Lahinja
and Dobličica rivers. The municipality is at the heart of the area of White Carniola
, the southeastern part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola
. It is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region
.
Archaeological evidence has shown that the area has been settled since from late bronze age
onwards with the settlement gradually developing through the iron age
. The exact year of the destruction of the iron age settlement by Romans is not known. The evidence allows the presumption, that it was destroyed either during the Octavians campaign against the Illyrians
between 35-33 BC, Tiberius
's campaign in Pannonia in 12-9 BC or in the Great Illyrian revolt
of 6-9 AD; that is, in the time span between 35 BC and 9 AD.
It was first mentioned as Schirnomel in written documents dating to 1228, specifically a charter issued by the Patriarch of Aquileia. Before 1277 it was granted market rights
and developed into a regional center. It is mentioned as a town in 1407, so it supposedly gained town privileges
prior to that, but it is regularly mentioned as a market even after that. During the 16th century it held an important military position as one of the centers for organization of supply for the military frontier. After the establishment of Karlovac
in what is now Croatia
in 1579, it lost that position.
Črnomelj was also the home of a powerful noble family of von Tschernembl. Mentioned for the first time in 1267 they gradually achieved important posts in the Habsburg
nobility of Carniola
. During the 15th century they expanded their influence and one of the heads of the family, Georg von Tschernembl, held the positions of Captain of Triest and Captain of Styria, one of the most important lands of Habsburgs. In 16th century they joined the Protestant nobility of Inner Austria and in 1564 Hans von Tschernembl sold their numerous holdings in Carniola and moved to Upper Austria
. There the most important and known member of the family was born in 1567, Georg Erasmus von Tschernembl, an important political leader of the Protestant nobility of Upper and Lower Austria
. After his death in 1626 the family turned Catholic again and regained their lost possessions in Upper Austria. The last male member of the family died in 1667 but through numerous female members their blood continued into some of the royal houses of today's Europe.
They served as an example of ruined nobility of 18th century for the German writer Gottlieb August Cruwell and his work Schoenwiesen, Ein Schauspiel, printed in Berlin in 1911.
The town is home to Slovenian football club Bela Krajina Črnomelj
.
The parish church
in the town is dedicated to Saint Peter
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
.
The current building was built in the 17th century on the site of a 13th century church. There are two other churches in the town. One, dedicated to Saint Sebastian, is mentioned as a chapel
in the early 16th century, but was extended into a church in 1646 after an outbreak of the plague
. It was restored in 1904 and in 1963. The second is dedicated to the Holy Spirit
and is a Gothic
building first mentioned in documents dating to 1487, but frequently restyled, most recently in 1895. It is built on top of prehistoric and Roman
occupation layers.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in southeastern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It lies on the left bank of the Lahinja
Lahinja
Lahinja is a river in White Carniola, the extreme southeastern part of Slovenia. It is long and originates from several karstic sources at the end of a steephead valley between the villages of Knežina, Belčji Vrh, and Mali Nerajec....
and Dobličica rivers. The municipality is at the heart of the area of White Carniola
White Carniola
White Carniola is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia and is the most southern part of the historical and traditional region of Lower Carniola. Its major towns are Metlika, Črnomelj, and Semič, and the principal river is the Kolpa, which also forms part of the...
, the southeastern part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola was a kreis of the historical Habsburg crown land of Carniola from 1849 till 1919 and is nowadays a traditional region of Slovenia. Its center is Novo Mesto, while other urban centers include Kočevje, Grosuplje, Krško, Trebnje, Mirna, Črnomelj, Semič, and Metlika.-See also:* Upper...
. It is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region
Jugovzhodna Slovenija statistical region
The Southeast Slovenia statistical region is a statistical region in the south-east of Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Novo Mesto. It is the largest region in Slovenia. It has the highest share of young people with 15.8%...
.
Archaeological evidence has shown that the area has been settled since from late bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
onwards with the settlement gradually developing through the iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. The exact year of the destruction of the iron age settlement by Romans is not known. The evidence allows the presumption, that it was destroyed either during the Octavians campaign against the Illyrians
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
between 35-33 BC, Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
's campaign in Pannonia in 12-9 BC or in the Great Illyrian revolt
Great Illyrian revolt
The Great Illyrian Revolt, was a major conflict between an alliance of indigenous communities from Illyricum and Roman forces that lasted for four years beginning in AD 6 and ending in AD 9.-The war:...
of 6-9 AD; that is, in the time span between 35 BC and 9 AD.
It was first mentioned as Schirnomel in written documents dating to 1228, specifically a charter issued by the Patriarch of Aquileia. Before 1277 it was granted market rights
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and developed into a regional center. It is mentioned as a town in 1407, so it supposedly gained town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
prior to that, but it is regularly mentioned as a market even after that. During the 16th century it held an important military position as one of the centers for organization of supply for the military frontier. After the establishment of Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
in what is now Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
in 1579, it lost that position.
Črnomelj was also the home of a powerful noble family of von Tschernembl. Mentioned for the first time in 1267 they gradually achieved important posts in the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
nobility of Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
. During the 15th century they expanded their influence and one of the heads of the family, Georg von Tschernembl, held the positions of Captain of Triest and Captain of Styria, one of the most important lands of Habsburgs. In 16th century they joined the Protestant nobility of Inner Austria and in 1564 Hans von Tschernembl sold their numerous holdings in Carniola and moved to Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. There the most important and known member of the family was born in 1567, Georg Erasmus von Tschernembl, an important political leader of the Protestant nobility of Upper and Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. After his death in 1626 the family turned Catholic again and regained their lost possessions in Upper Austria. The last male member of the family died in 1667 but through numerous female members their blood continued into some of the royal houses of today's Europe.
They served as an example of ruined nobility of 18th century for the German writer Gottlieb August Cruwell and his work Schoenwiesen, Ein Schauspiel, printed in Berlin in 1911.
The town is home to Slovenian football club Bela Krajina Črnomelj
Bela Krajina Crnomelj
NK Bela Krajina is a Slovenian football club, which plays in the town of Črnomelj. They play in the Slovenian Second Division.- Current squad :As of March 2010-External links:...
.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the town is dedicated to Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto is a diocese located in the city of Novo Mesto in the Ecclesiastical province of Ljubljana in Slovenia.-History:* April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of Novo Mesto from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana...
.
The current building was built in the 17th century on the site of a 13th century church. There are two other churches in the town. One, dedicated to Saint Sebastian, is mentioned as a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in the early 16th century, but was extended into a church in 1646 after an outbreak of the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. It was restored in 1904 and in 1963. The second is dedicated to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
and is a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building first mentioned in documents dating to 1487, but frequently restyled, most recently in 1895. It is built on top of prehistoric and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
occupation layers.