Dobrova, Dobrova–Polhov Gradec

Dobrova
Dobrova with the parish church (left), the rectory and convent (top right), and Dobrova Hill in the background
Dobrova Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°3′11.89″N 14°24′52.01″E / 46.0533028°N 14.4144472°E / 46.0533028; 14.4144472Coordinates: 46°3′11.89″N 14°24′52.01″E / 46.0533028°N 14.4144472°E / 46.0533028; 14.4144472
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Upper Carniola
Statistical region	Central Slovenia
Municipality	Dobrova–Polhov Gradec
Area
• Total	7.93 km2 (3.06 sq mi)
Elevation	310.3 m (1,018.0 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	913

Dobrova (pronounced [ˈdoːbɾɔʋa]; German: Dobrawa) is a clustered settlement northwest of Ljubljana in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec. It lies on the road from Ljubljana to Polhov Gradec at the point where roads split off to Horjul to the southwest and to Šentvid, Ljubljana to the northeast. It extends along the flat area to the northeast up to the Gradaščica River and encompasses much of Dobrova Hill (Slovene: Dobrovski hrib, 603 m; also known as Vrhe Hill or Jazbina Hill) to the southwest. Bezenica Creek, Broad Creek (Slovene: Široki potok), and Ječnik Creek, left tributaries of the Horjulščica River, flow through the hills west of the settlement. Dobrova includes the hamlets of Pod Kotom (Pod kotom) northwest of the main settlement and Graben southwest of the main settlement.

Dobrova was first mentioned in German written sources in 1252 as in Harde (literally, 'in the woods'), in 1354 as cze Hard ('at the woods'), and in 1490 as bey der Hurd ('by the woods'), semantically corresponding to the Slovene name. The name Dobrova is derived from Common Slavic *dǫbrova 'place where there is a deciduous or oak forest', in turn derived from *dǫbъ 'deciduous tree, oak'. Like similar names (e.g., Dobrovce, Dobrovnik, Zadobrova), it originally referred to the local vegetation. In the past it was known as Dobrawa in German.