F D F I N MK L StražaF D INMKL r TTT aT v eT l g u i dT e Straža Travel guide Contents Straža through the Years 4 Krka, the Belle of Dolenjska 8 Vineyards, Cviček, Vineyard Cottages 11 Religious Heritage 13 Footpaths around Straška Gora, Velika Prepadna Cave, Peter Take-Off Site ... 16 And ... 22 Events 28 Inns, Lodging Houses, Tourism in Vineyard Cottages 32 About the Straža Municipality 34 Welcome to Straža 2nd edition, 1st print Text: Marjan Žiberna, Andreja Kren Photographs: Dušan Šetina, Slavko Strmec, Anica Nose, Versatilis Cartography: GURS, data acquisition: Dušan Šetina Design and print: ART 32 d.o.o, Špes, grafični studio, Novo Mesto Cover design: Artisan Overview of the contents: Maja Medic Print run: 1.000 copies Straža, January 2016 2 Invitation to Straža Even though Straža is a small municipality with a surface area of just over two dozen square kilometres and a few thousand inhabitants, that does not mean that it has nothing to offer. Quite the opposite! For one thing, the Krka River, which is also aptly called the ‘Belle of Dolenjska’, runs through this area in the very heart of Dolenjska. However, the Krka is not just lovely to look at, you can go rowing or fishing on it or travel down the river in a raft. Although the numerous mill wheels that used to be turned by the river have long since stopped turning, you can still see these vestiges of the past in Vavta Vas and a few other locations in the municipality. Just a stone’s throw above the green river rises Straška Gora. Just looking at it, especially in good weather, will warm the cockles of your heart. The sunny base of the Straška Gora hill is dotted with vineyards, vineyard cottages typical of the Dolenjska region and, more recently, holiday cottages that blend in nicely with the area. To the delight of conscientious wine growers, the sun on these slopes is given free rein to stroke the wine grapes with its rays. Good wines are made in this region, the most typical being Cviček. A well-known Slovenian poet, who was born in Dolenjska, once described it as “it is not communion wine, but to me it tastes divine”. Cviček is still “divine” and has for some time now also been used as “communion wine”; it is protected with the mark of a recognized traditional denomination (PTP) and is becoming more and more highly esteemed. Paying a visit to one of the vineyard cottages is a lovely experience – as much for the wine as for the people. After all, the people of Dolenjska have always been known to be amiable, talkative and big-hearted. Whether you wish to go on an invigorating hike or merely take a short stroll in the beautiful natural surroundings, you will have plenty of footpaths to choose from when visiting Straška Gora. These will lead you past the Velika Prepadna Cave and a plague column serving as a reminder of the Black Death – bubonic plague. There are other things here that bear witness to the times gone by. It was in this area near Straža that the only known lowland hill fort in Slovenia is located. The fact they are so rare is not surprising since these fortified settlements built in the 1st millennium BC were ordinarily located on hill tops or other elevated areas. An important Roman road is likely to have passed through this area. There are five churches in the vicinity of Straža. You can join the paragliders on Straška Gora flying in tandem. There is a recreational airfield near Prečna, where visitors can take off and see the area from a bird’s eye view. There are numerous events unfolding throughout the year in Straža starting with the traditional “Autumn in Straža”. There are many other things to be found in this small yet interesting area. So, there are plenty of reasons to pay Straža a visit. Hopefully, this guide will help you discover and enjoy them! Marjan Žiberna, author 3 Straža Travel guide Archaeological finds point to the fact that the area was settled as ear- ly as the Palaeolithic (Early Stone Age). The most important find is a 5,000 year-old stone axe. It is a well preserved tool with rounded ends and a hole for the wooden handle that was used by the people of that period. The axe is currently part of the permanent archaeological exhibition in the Novo Mesto Museum. Straža through the Years through the Straža Numerous castles, mansions and mills used to stand along the Krka River. People used to live here as early as the 1st millennium BC, more spe- cifically in the Early Iron Age (8th - 4th century BC). Some exquisite artefacts from this period have been preserved in Dolenjska; therefore, this period is sometimes referred to as the ‘Flourishing Hallstatt Pe- riod of Dolenjska’ (Hallstatt refers to the Early Iron Age in Europe). A special historical landmark from this period was preserved in this very area – the remains of the only known prehistoric lowland hill fort in Slovenia. The inhabitants of that time, whose exact ancestry is not well known, typically built their hill forts on elevated sites. The elevated position afforded the inhabitants (allegedly they belonged to one of the Illyrian tribes) a good view of the surrounding area. So they could successfully defend their fortified settlements (hill forts) against attackers. According to research, lowland hill forts were extremely rare and Straža is the only location in Slovenia where such a settlement has been found; Gradišče (hill fort) is also the name of the current village that was built in the place of the old fort. During this period, people were adept at making good use of the iron ore deposits found in the 4 Straška Gora, which only has vineyards now, probably had a road running across it in Roman times. area, and the remains of 100 iron ore smelting furnaces have been pre- served; what has also been preserved are the graves where the locals buried their dead. They believed that death was nothing more than a passage to the afterlife, and that the dead would continue to lead the same lives as before. That is why they were buried with their most cher- ished possessions; consequently the Hallstatt graves are a real treasure trove for archaeologists. The dozencremation graves from the 2nd and 3rd century AD which were found in the area clearly indicate that the area was settled in antiq- uity. The Romans left their mark here by starting to penetrate eastwards in 33 BC and to dominate the two Celtic tribes Latobici and Taurisci, who inhabited the area. Therefore, it is not very surprising that Roman coins from this period were found here. The mighty empire that was renowned for excellent road links was probably the one that also built the road leading down the middle of Straška Gora. The Roman influence can also be discerned from one of the footpaths running across Straška Gora called the “Roman Path”. Later, in the Early Middle Ages, the area was settled by Slavs. The exact time of their arrival cannot be determined, but can be placed between the 6th and 9th century. That is also the period when the name of the village Sela pri Straži first appeared. The actual town of Straža, which is the centre of the modern Straža municipality, was first mentioned 5 Straža Travel guide in documents dating to 1250. The townspeople used to walk up to the slopes of Straška Gora to guard their vineyards from birds, bears and any other potential good-for-nothings and that is how the settlement got the name Straža (‘guard’). The Zalog (Breitenau) Castle was first acknowledged in writing in 1280, soon after Straža was first mentioned. It stood on the left bank Following 1900, the wine growing industry was badly affected by phylloxera and severe frost, but it survived. of the Krka River, approximately three kilometres east of the centre of Straža as it stands today. Over the centuries, it changed many owners – the Praunsbergs, Scharfs, Lichtenbergs, Taubenhauers... Unfortunately, it was burned down during the Second World War and the ruins were removed. Another local feature that was built early on at the foot of Straška Gora was the Church of St Thomas, which still stands in the same location. It shows the remains of a Romanesque nave and fragments of early- Gothic frescos, which are thought to have originated in the 14th cen- tury. Later, four more churches were erected in the wider area of Straža. In the 19th century, Straža and Vavta Vas, two settlements lying on op- posite banks of the Krka River, started becoming more modernized and, to certain extent, industrialized. The Auerspergs, who were at the time the most powerful noble family in Slovenia, began to intensively exploit the wood resources of the nearby Kočevje forests. In 1878, a school was 6 built in Vavta Vas and a new railway link was built between Novo Mesto and Straža in 1894. A steam-powered sawmill, intended for cutting logs into lum- ber, started to operate successfully in Straža at that time. Between 1900-1901, the wine growing industry, which has had a very long tradition in these parts, was badly affect- ed by phylloxera and by severe frost a year later, yet the industry perse- vered. There are five churches in the Straža area; some The Straža and Vavta of them have stood here for a very long time. Vas communities got mains power in June of 1940, just before the Second World War started in Yugoslavia.