Brestanica
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Brestanica Rajhenburg (until 1952) |
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 Brestanica
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| Coordinates: 45°59′46.01″N 15°28′37.71″E / 45.9961139°N 15.4771417°ECoordinates: 45°59′46.01″N 15°28′37.71″E / 45.9961139°N 15.4771417°E | |
| Country |
 Slovenia
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| Traditional region | Styria |
| Statistical region | Lower Sava |
| Municipality | Krško |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.88 km2 (1.11 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 177.9 m (583.7 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 963 |
| • Density | 334/km2 (870/sq mi) |
Brestanica (pronounced [ˈbɾeːstanitsa]) is an urban settlement in the Municipality of Krško in eastern Slovenia. It lies in the valley at the confluence of the Sava River with a minor tributary called the Brestanica. The area was traditionally part of Styria. It is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Lower Sava Statistical Region.
The settlement was originally called Rajhenburg in Slovene, after Reichenburg Castle in the settlement. This name was attested in written sources in 895 as Richenburch. The name of the settlement was changed from Rajhenburg to Brestanica in 1952. The name was changed on the basis of the 1948 Law on Names of Settlements and Designations of Squares, Streets, and Buildings as part of efforts by Slovenia's postwar communist government to remove German elements from toponyms. The name Brestanica was originally a hydronym referring to Brestanica Creek, which runs through the settlement and is a tributary of the Sava River. The creek name was attested in written sources circa 1500 as Brestanza, and in the 16th century as Prestonicz. The hydronym is derived from *Brěstovьnica (based on the common noun *brěstъ 'elm'), literally meaning 'elm creek'.
A prehistoric settlement probably stood on the hill above Brestanica, where the castle is now located. Remnants of the Roman era include milestones from the Roman road along the Sava and traces of a bridge across the river. A settlement was attested below Rajhenburg castle as early as the 13th century, and it received market rights in the 14th century, including the right to four annual fairs. The settlement was plundered and burned in an Ottoman attack in 1476. Unsuccessful peasant attacks on the castle occurred in 1515, 1573, and 1583. In 1595, the archbishop of Salzburg granted the settlement and castle to the Moscon family, who were followed by the Gradneck, Gallenstein, and Attems families. A school was established in Brestanica in 1774. On 5 November 1918, armed miners and farmers marched on Brestanica, demanding that merchants sell them goods at low cost. The Communist Party had a strong presence in Brestanica from 1938 onward.
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