Kamnik
Encyclopedia
Kamnik is the name of a municipality in Slovenia
as well as the town that serves as its administrative, cultural, economic, and educational center. The municipality is in north central Slovenia. It encompasses a large part of the Kamnik Alps
and the surrounding area. The town of Kamnik has ruins of two castle
s as well as many examples of historical architecture
.
and Celje
. This makes the town one of the oldest in Slovenia. In the Middle Ages
, Kamnik had its own mint and some aristocratic families among its residents. The town was among the most influential centers of power for the Bavaria
n counts of Andechs
in the region of Carniola
at the time. The only remnant of the Bavarian nobility are the two ruined castles which are both strategically built on high ground near the town center. The Franciscan
monastery built in the town itself is a testament to its importance. The building is well preserved and has undergone extensive renovation in recent years. Zaprice Castle, which stands outside the town, was built in a later period.
Most of the old town center is built in an Austro-Hungarian
style. Most of the facades have been renovated in recent years but the process is still ongoing.
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...
as well as the town that serves as its administrative, cultural, economic, and educational center. The municipality is in north central Slovenia. It encompasses a large part of the Kamnik Alps
Kamnik Alps
The Kamnik–Savinja Alps are a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps in north Slovenia and at the border with Austria. Its western part, the Kamnik Alps, is in the basin of the Kamniška Bistrica and is named after the town Kamnik. Its eastern part is in the basin of Savinja and is...
and the surrounding area. The town of Kamnik has ruins of two castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s as well as many examples of historical architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
.
History
The name Kamnik was first mentioned in the 11th century. The first time it was mentioned as a town was in 1229, when it was an important trading post on the road between LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
. This makes the town one of the oldest in Slovenia. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Kamnik had its own mint and some aristocratic families among its residents. The town was among the most influential centers of power for the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n counts of Andechs
Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...
in the region 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...
at the time. The only remnant of the Bavarian nobility are the two ruined castles which are both strategically built on high ground near the town center. The Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery built in the town itself is a testament to its importance. The building is well preserved and has undergone extensive renovation in recent years. Zaprice Castle, which stands outside the town, was built in a later period.
Most of the old town center is built in an Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
style. Most of the facades have been renovated in recent years but the process is still ongoing.
Famous natives
- Fran AlbrehtFran AlbrehtFran Albreht was a Slovenian poet, editor, politician and partisan. He also published under the pseudonym Rusmir....
, author - France BalantičFrance BalanticFrance Balantič was a Slovene poet. His works were banished from schools and libraries during the Titoist regime in Slovenia, but since the late 1980s, he has been re-considered as one of the foremost Slovene poets of the 20th century.- Life :Balantič was born in a working class family in Kamnik,...
, poet - Jurij JapeljJurij JapeljJurij Japelj, also known in German as Georg Japel was a Slovene Jesuit priest, translator and philologist. He was part of the Zois circle, a group of Carniolan scholars and intellectuals that were instrumental in the spread of Enlightenment ideas in the Slovene Lands...
, philologist - Rudolf MaisterRudolf MaisterRudolf Maister was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters"...
, military leader - Francis Xavier PierzFrancis Xavier PierzFrancis Xavier Pierz was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwa Indians. Because he was also responsible for attracting large numbers of Catholic German Americans to settle in Central Minnesota, he is referred to as "The Father of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint...
, American prelate - Jakob SavinšekJakob SavinšekJakob Savinšek, was a Slovene sculptor, illustrator and poet.- Life :Savinšek was born in the Upper Carniolan town of Kamnik, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , where he spent his youth. After finishing secondary school in Ljubljana, he studied medicine at the University of...
, sculptor and illustrator - Bojan KrautBojan KrautBojan Kraut was a Slovene mechanical engineer who wrote "Strojniški Priročnik" , a well-known reference text from former Yugoslavia.- Biography :...
, engineer
Tourism
Notable tourist attractions in Kamnik:- The Church of the Our Lady
- The Church of St. Primus
- The spa in Tunjice
- The Volčji Potok ArboretumVolčji Potok ArboretumOpened to the public in 1952, Arboretum Volčji Potok originally formed part of the Souvan family estate in 1885, which was taken over by the University of Ljubljana in 1952 and legally declared a place of cultural and natural heritage of national importance...
, a permanent exhibition of about 3,000 species of flowers, trees, and other floraFloraFlora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:... - The SnovikSnovikSnovik is small settlement in the Tuhinj Valley in the Municipality of Kamnik in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.Based on evidence from medieval sources, the name Snovik is derived from *Jesenovik 'ash grove'....
Spa - The unique architectural tradition of the Velika PlaninaVelika PlaninaVelika Planina is dispersed high-altitude settlement of mostly herders' dwellings on the karstified mountain plateau Velika planina in the Kamnik Alps in Upper Carniola region of Slovenia....
plateau - The Kamniška BistricaKamniška BistricaKamniška Bistrica is an Alpine river in northern Slovenia, left tributary of the river Sava. It springs from the Kamnik Alps , near the border with Austria. It is long. The Kamniška Bistrica flows through the town of Kamnik, where it is fed by the river Nevljica...
Valley
External links
- Kamnik, official page of municipality (in Slovene)
- Volčji Potok Arboretum
- Virtual landscape
- Pure Slovenia, Self catering alpine chalet.
- Terme Snovik, Spa Snovik
- Velika planina, photos
- Camping Alps,