Višnja Gora (; ,Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 96, 99. also Weichselburg, Weichselberg) is a town in the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica in central Slovenia. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region.Ivančna Gorica municipal site It includes the hamlets of Žabjek, Na Štacjonu, and Grintavec,Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, pp. 160–161. as well as the former hamlet of Suhi Malen ().Skubic, Valentin. 2003. "Moji spomini na osnovno šolanje v Višnji Gori." Klasje 9(4) (April): 7.
Geography The town is located in the Višnjica Valley southeast of Ljubljana just south of the A2 Slovenian motorway. Nearby is the Kosca Valley, with the highest waterfall on a travertine foundation in Slovenia. Regular long-distance bus and rail lines connect Višnja Gora to Ivančna Gorica and Ljubljana.
History Višnja Gora was granted town rights in 1478. In the same period, a coat of arms showing a masonry wall with doors and two roofed towers was adopted. The snail representing a local legend was added later. The citizens of the town were given a golden snail shell for nursing the Venetian doge's son wounded in the Battle of Sisak (1593) by his relatives. The golden shell has since been lost, but the legend remains. During the Second World War, Višnja Gora was bombarded by German forces on 22 September 1943. At the end of October 1943, Partisan forces burned Turn Castle, the courthouse, and the school in the town.
Castles
The old centre is built on a hill (384 m) under the ruins of Višnja Gora Castle (), generally known as Old Castle (), once home of the Višnja Gora knights. A second castle, Turn Castle (), stood west of the town center. It was also later known as the Codelli Manor () and was burned by the Partisans in October 1943.
Recreation The 12 km Jurčič Trail is named after Josip Jurčič, author of the first Slovene novel, Deseti brat, who attended primary school in Višnja Gora. Part of the trail has been recently turned into a forest trail known as Po poteh višnjanskega polža (The Višnja Gora Snail Trail).
Notable people Notable people that were born or lived Višnja Gora include: Josip Jurčič (1844–1881), author Ive Krevs (1912–1990), Yugoslav Olympic athlete Pasqual Skerbinz (1780–1824), religious writer Johannes Tschandek (1581–1624), Jesuit priest and author of the first Catholic compendium of the Gospels Evangelia inu lystuvi (Gospels and Epistles), 1612
Gallery
References
External links
Višnja Gora on Geopedia.si Višnja Gora (The Official Website) Višnja Gora (The Official Travel Guide by Slovenian Tourist Board) Višnja Gora (images at burger.net)