Brezovica pri Borovnici (; Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 116.) is a settlement south of Borovnica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia.Borovnica municipal site The settlement includes the hamlets of Kapitov Grič, Prod, and Vrbljene.Savnik, Roman, ed. 1968. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 449.
Geography Brezovica is a clustered village at the southeast end of the Borovnica Valley. It lies along Prušnica Creek and its tributaries: Šumik Creek, which flows from below Krimšček Hill (941 m), and Izber Creek. The soil is sandy and partially loamy.
Name The name of the settlement was changed from Brezovica to Brezovica pri Borovnici (literally, 'Brezovica near Borovnica') in 1955.Spremembe naselij 1948–95. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS. The name Brezovica and names like it are relatively common in Slovenia and in other Slavic countries (e.g., Březovice in the Czech Republic, Brezovica in Serbia, etc.). The name Brezovica is derived from the word breza 'birch'. Like similar toponyms in Slovenia (e.g., Brezova, Brezovec, Brezovci), it originally referred to the local vegetation.Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, p. 80. In the past the German name was Bresowitz.
History In 1884, Brezovica had a population of 180 people living in 29 houses.Special.Orts-Reportorium von Krain. 1884. Vienna: Alfred Hölder, p. 66. The population remained relatively stable for decades, with 173 people in 32 houses in 1900, and 181 people in 28 houses in 1961.
In 1942, the regional committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia took up positions in a bunker along Šumnik Creek north of Brezovica pri Borovnici. The bunker was attacked by Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia forces on December 14, 1942.Jakopič, Albert, & Franc Benedik. 1968. Vodnik po partizanskih poteh. Ljubljana: Borec, p. 323.
Mass grave
Brezovica pri Borovnici is the site of a mass grave associated with the Second World War. The Krim Cave Mass Grave () lies in the woods south of the settlement. It contains the remains of an unknown number of Slovene civilians from neighboring villages murdered by a battalion of the Partisan Krim Detachment in 1942. Some sources estimate the number of victims to be around 300.Javornik, Mirko. 1944. Črne bukve: o delu komunistične osvobodilne fronte proti slovenskemu narodu. Ljubljana: Slovenski dom, p. 69. The cave was used during the war by the Partisan Ljubo Šercer BattalionDebevec, Damjan. "O pietetni ureditvi množičnega grobišča Krimska jama." to dispose of other victims liquidated by the Partisans."Rešenci z vlaka in Krimska jama." Zaveza (25 June 2012) It was investigated by Home Guard forces on 9 September 1942, and again with a journalist and a photographer on 23 March 1945, confirming the presence of human remains in the cave."Krimska jama – simbol revolucije." Zaveza 25 (15 June 2011). "Krimska jama." (maps, photos) After the war, the entrance to the cave was dynamited in 1947, and again in September 1948.
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References
External links
Brezovica pri Borovnici on Geopedia