Cerklje ob Krki

Cerklje ob Krki (pronounced [ˈtseːɾkljɛ ɔp ˈkəɾki]; German: Zirkle[2][3]) is a settlement on the left bank of the Krka River in the Municipality of Brežice in eastern Slovenia. It is best known for the Cerklje ob Krki Airport north of the settlement. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola. It is now included in the Lower Sava Statistical Region.[4]

Cerklje ob Krki
Pre-World War II postcard of Cerklje ob Krki
Cerklje ob Krki
Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°53′3.99″N 15°31′12.88″E
Country Slovenia
Traditional regionLower Carniola
Statistical regionLower Sava
MunicipalityBrežice
Area
 • Total1.66 km2 (0.64 sq mi)
Elevation
154.5 m (506.9 ft)
Population
 (2002)
 • Total211
[1]

Name

The settlement was attested in written sources in 1331 as Zirkoviz, and in 1340 as Circowitz. The name Cerklje is derived from the plural accusative demonym *Cerkъvľane, based on the common noun *cerьky 'church' and therefore meaning 'people that live on church territory' or 'people that live in a settlement with a church'.[5] The name of the settlement was changed from Cerklje to Cerklje ob Krki (literally, 'Cerklje on the Krka River') in 1955.[6] The settlement was known as Zirkle in German in the past.[2][3]

History

Settlement of the area in antiquity is testified by the remains of a Roman aqueduct running through the village and a nearby Roman grave. A school was established in Cerklje ob Krki in 1854. During the Second World War, in October 1941 the German authorities evicted 30 families from the settlement and resettled Gottschee Germans in their houses. In June 1943 the Partisan Cankar and Šercer brigades attacked the German air base near the settlement, destroying several aircraft. They also attacked a border guard station and military police station in the same operation. This was followed by an Allied air strike on the air base on 25 July 1944, a Partisan attack on a German unit stationed at the school building in October 1944, and a Partisan air strike on the air base in spring 1945. In May 1945 Ustaša forces burned six farm buildings in the settlement.[7]

Church

The parish church is dedicated to Saint Mark and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto.[8] It was built in 1905 to replace a building dating from the beginning of the 17th century. Cerklje ob Krki was elevated to a parish in 1689. The parish cemetery is located west of the church, along the road to Kostanjevica na Krki.[7]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Cerklje ob Krki include:

  • Mihael Butara (born 1922), Partisan major general[7]
  • Martin Končnik (1841–1891), parish priest and hymn writer[7]
  • Andrej Račič (1808–1883), organ builder[7]
  • Maja Šlajpah (born 1919), technical writer and library specialist[7]

References
  1. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
  2. Intelligenzblatt zur Laibacher Zeitung, no. 141. 24 November 1849, p. 31.
  3. Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 74. Archived 2013-06-05 at the Wayback Machine (in Slovene)
  4. Brežice municipal site
  5. Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 88–89.
  6. Spremembe naselij 1948–95. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS.
  7. Savnik, Roman, ed. 1976. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 3. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. p. 28.
  8. Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage reference number 1700
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