Slovenj Gradec

Slovenj Gradec (pronounced [slɔˈveːn ˈɡraːdəts]; [Windischgrätz, efter aboot 1900 Windischgraz] ) is a toun in northren Slovenie. It is the centre of the Ceety Municipality o Slovenj Gradec. It is pairt o the historic Lawer Styrie region, an syne 2005 it haes belangit tae the NUTS-3 Carinthie Statistical Region. The toun is locatit aroond 45 km wast o Maribor an 65 km northeast o Ljubljana.

Slovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec Location in Slovenie
Coordinates: 46°30′33.69″N 15°4′44.97″E
Kintra	Slovenie
Tradeetional region	Styrie
Statistical region	Carinthie
Municipality	Slovenj Gradec
Area
• Total	5.6 km2 (2.2 sq mi)
Elevation	413 m (1,355 ft)
Population  (2012)
• Total	7,557

History

Historically, Slovenj Gradec wis pairt o the Duchy o Styrie athin the Austrian Empire till 1918, when, wi the rest o Lawer Styrie, it wis includit in the new Kinrick o the Serbs, Croats an Slovenes.

Atween the mid 19t century an 1945, the toun wis a German-speakin island in a Slovene-speakin aurie. In the 1880 census, toun o Slovenj Gradec, or Windischgrätz, as it wis cried, wis 75 percent German-speakin an 25 percent Slovene-speakin, but amang the German speakin population there wur allegedly those - like the faimily o the componer Hugo Wolf- o mixed ethnic oreegin.

Efter the end o Warld War I, mony o the local German speakin inhabitants muivit tae Austrick; those that remained wur gradually assimilatit tae or re-integratit intae the Slovene-speakin majority. Efter Warld War II, aw remainin ethnic Germans wur expelled frae Yugoslavie an Slovenj Gradec lost its tradeetional presence o German speakers.

Main sichts

The pairish kirk in the toun is dedicatit tae Saunt Elizabeth o Hungary an belangs tae the Roman Catholic Airchdiocese o Maribor. It is first mentioned in written documents datin tae 1235. Richt next tae it is a Gothic chapel dedicatit tae the Holy Spirit wi frescos datin tae the mid-15t century.

In 2003, an aircheological excavation uncovered the remains o wha is believit tae be the auldest kirk in aw o Styrie, datin tae the Carolingian period.

Famous fowk

The German/Austrian noble faimily o the Princes o Windisch-Grätz, first mentioned in 1220, haed their oreeginal hame in a castle near the toun an teuk their name frae the toun's German name.

In 1860, the componer Hugo Wolf wis born in the toun. The hoose in which he wis born is nou a muisic schuil. Slovenj Gradec is the birthplace o the alpine skiier Tina Maze, Slovenie naitional fitbaa team fitbawers Marko Šuler an Mirnes Šišić, an creetical theorist Renata Salecl.

Twin touns

• Gornji Milanovac, Serbie

References

• Some o the information in this airticle is based on an translatit frae that foond in its German equivalent.

Freemit airtins

• Offeecial wabsteid Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine (Slovenie)
• Toun Heraldry Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Slovenj Gradec municipality on Geopedia Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine