Kranjska Gora | |
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Location in Slovenia | |
Coordinates: 46°29′7.37″N 13°47′13.59″E / 46.4853806°N 13.7871083°ECoordinates: 46°29′7.37″N 13°47′13.59″E / 46.4853806°N 13.7871083°E | |
Country | Slovenia |
Traditional region | Upper Carniola |
Statistical region | Upper Carniola |
Municipality | Kranjska Gora |
Area | |
• Total | 44.7 km2 (17.3 sq mi) |
Elevation | 806.3 m (2,645.3 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 1,452 |
Kranjska Gora (pronounced [ˈkɾàːnska ˈɡɔ̀ːɾa];German: Kronau, Italian: Monte Cragnisca) is a town in northwestern Slovenia, on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora.
Kranjska Gora was first mentioned in written sources in 1326 as Chrainow (and as Chrainau and Chrainaw in 1363, as Cranaw and Chranaw in 1390, and as Kraynaw in 1456–61, among other names). The Slovene name Kranjska Gora is a reworking of the German name, influenced by German Krainberg 'Karawanks'. The settlement was also called Borovska vas (or Borovska ves or Borovška ves) in Slovene in the past.
Kranjska Gora is believed to have been settled in the 11th century by Slovenes from Carantania. It was a fief of the Counts of Ortenburg in the 12th century. A trade route to Tarvisio already led through the town in the 14th century. In 1431 the Counts of Celje built a castle at Villa Bassa (now part of Tarvisio), which belonged to the town until 1848. Kranjska Gora came under Ottoman attack in 1476. A railroad connection was built to Kranjska Gora in 1870.
During the First World War, in 1916, Russian prisoners of war built a wooden chapel above the settlement commemorating their comrades killed in an avalanche while building a road over the Vršič Pass. There is a small cemetery nearby. Commemorations take place at the chapel every year.