From top, left to right: Panorama of Slovenj Gradec, St. Elisabeth's Parish Church, Carinthian Regional Museum, St. Pancras's Church, Hugo Wolf's house, Rotenturn Manor
Gradec, Slovene for 'little castle', was first mentioned in a 1091 deed, then part of the ImperialMarch of Styria. The prefix Windisch (the traditional German name for Slavs in general and Slovenes in particular) was added to distinguish it from the city Graz (whose name has the same etymology). The modern Slovene name, Slovenj Gradec (literally: the Slovene Graz), derives from this German denomination. From 1180 until 1918, Slovenj Gradec belonged to the Duchy of Styria, since 1804 a crown land of the Austrian Empire. It was the ancestral seat of the Windisch-Graetz noble family first documented in 1220.[2] Upon the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, with the rest of Lower Styria, it was included in the newly established Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Birthplace of Hugo Wolf
Until 1918, the town was a German-speaking island in a Slovene-speaking area. In the 1880 census, the town was 75 percent German-speaking and 25 percent Slovene-speaking.[3] Many inhabitants, like the family of the composer Hugo Wolf, were of mixed ethnic origin. After the end of World War I, many of the local German-speaking inhabitants emigrated to Austria. Those who remained were gradually assimilated into the now Slovene-speaking majority. During World War Two, the town was occupied by the Nazis and annexed to the Third Reich. The local Slovenes were submitted to a policy of violent Germanization and many died of various persecutions. The partisan insurgency developed in the area, especially in the hills to the east of the town. After World War II, the remaining ethnic Germans were expelled from Yugoslavia, and Slovenj Gradec lost its traditional presence of German speakers.
From the 1950s onward, the town experienced a rapid industrialization and eventually became the unofficial economic and political center for Slovenian Carinthia. In 1994, it became one of the 11 municipalities in Slovenia with the status of Urban Municipality.
Climate
Climate data for Slovenj Gradec (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–2020)
In 1994, an archaeological excavation uncovered the remains of what is believed to be the oldest church in Styria, dating to the Carolingian period (second half of the 9th century).[8]
The Slovenj Gradec Art Gallery (Slovene: Koroška galerija likovne umetnosti) was founded in 1957[9] and is located on the first floor of the old town hall in the town centre. The gallery hosted international fine art exhibitions under the sponsorship of the United Nations in 1966, 1975, 1979, 1985, and 1991. The 1997 exhibition "The Artist and Urban Environment" displayed art activity in Peace Messenger Cities from all over the world. In 2012, Slovenj Gradec and Ptuj were partners with Maribor, the European Capital of Culture. As a result, the gallery presented further exhibitions that attracted Europe-wide attention.[10]
Notable residents
Notable people that were born or lived in Slovenj Gradec include:
Charter of cultural cooperation was signed with Bardejov, Slovakia.
International Association of Peace Messenger Cities
Since 1989, Slovenj Gradec was one of the most active and progressive cities within The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities, being a member of its executive board since 1997 and secretary-general of this organization in periods 2007–2010, 2010–2013, 2013–2016, and 2016–2019.
^"Slovenj Gradec Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^Mira Strmčnik, Sveti Jurij, zakladnica podatkov, Izvršni svet Skupščine občine Slovenj Gradec, 1994
^Bojana Piškur; Đorđe Balmazović (2023). "Non-Aligned Cross-Cultural Pollination: A Short Graphic Novel". In Paul Stubbs (ed.). Socialist Yugoslavia and the Non-Aligned Movement: Social, Cultural, Political, and Economic Imaginaries. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 156–175. ISBN9780228014652.
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Slovenia
