Škofja Loka
| Škofja Loka | |
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 Škofja Loka
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| Coordinates: 46°10′1.99″N 14°18′10.94″E / 46.1672194°N 14.3030389°ECoordinates: 46°10′1.99″N 14°18′10.94″E / 46.1672194°N 14.3030389°E | |
| Country |
 Slovenia
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| Traditional region | Upper Carniola |
| Statistical region | Upper Carniola |
| Municipality | Škofja Loka |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.5 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 351.8 m (1,154.2 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 11,830 |
| • Density | 2,642/km2 (6,840/sq mi) |
Škofja Loka (pronounced [ˈʃkoːfja ˈloːka]; German: Bischoflack) is a town in Slovenia. It is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative centre of the Municipality of Škofja Loka in Upper Carniola. It has about 12,000 inhabitants.
Škofja Loka lies at an elevation of 354 metres (1,161 ft) at the confluence of the Poljane Sora and the Selca Sora rivers, at the transition of the Sora Plain into the Škofja Loka Hills and the Polhov Gradec Hills. Its old centre stands on river terraces, and comprises Town Square (Plac) and Lower Square (Lontrg). On a plateau above the town stands Loka Castle, which houses the Loka Museum. Above the castle rises Krancelj Hill (475 metres or 1,558 feet). North of the town centre is Kamnitnik Hill (414 metres or 1,358 feet high), known for its conglomerate rock. Immediately south of the town is a plain known as Viršk or Viršk Plain (Slovene: Virško polje), which the Poljane Sora flows through before joining the Selca Sora. The name Viršk is a corruption of German Hirsacker 'millet field', named for the millet that was grown there in the past.
Škofja Loka was mentioned in 973 as Lonca (referring to Stara Loka) (and as Lonka in 1160, Lok in 1192–97, Scofolotti in 1293, and Scofioloco in 1295, among other names). The name literally means 'bishop's (wet) meadow', referring to its ownership by the Bishops of Freising.
In 973, the lordship of Škofja Loka was granted by Emperor Otto II to the Bishops of Freising, and for the next one thousand years the history of the town was tied to that of the distant ecclesiastical principality. A castle and tower were built above the town for defense purposes and later became the residence of the bishop's governor. In the 11th or 12th century. Emperor Otto III granted the bishops the right to mint coinage and collect tolls. Škofja Loka was first mentioned as having market rights in 1248, and having town rights in 1274.
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