Borovec pri Kočevski Reki


Borovec pri Kočevski Reki is a settlement in the Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. It also includes the former villages of Draga, Ravne, Pleš, and Inlauf as hamlets. The former village of Ajbik was annexed by Borovec pri Kočevski Reki on 30 January 1953.

Name

The name of the settlement was changed from Borovec to Borovec pri Kočevski Reki in 1953. The name is derived from the Slovene common noun borovec 'pine'. In the past the German name was Morobitz.

Geography

Borovec pri Kočevski Reki is a compact village extending along the road from Kočevska Reka to Dolnja Briga in the Borovec Valley, which is separated by a low hill from the Gotenica–Kočevska Reka Valley. Surrounding elevations include Mount Cerk and Mount Mož to the west, Krempa Hill to the south, Ravne Hill to the north, and Ajbig Hill to the east. The soil is loamy and sandy, and water is supplied from springs north of the settlement.

History

In the land registry of 1498, Borovec had five full farms and two half farms. The registry of 1574 recorded 10 half-farms, one full farm, and two cottages in Borovec, three full farms divided into halves in Ravne, and a full farm in Pleš. By 1770, Borovec had grown to include 25 houses, and Pleš had grown to six houses. Before the Second World War, the village had a mixed Slovene and Gottschee German population. Borovec pri Kočevski Reki is one of the oldest villages in the Kočevje area with an original Slovene population. A steam-powered sawmill operated in the village but was burned during the war, when Ravne also came under bombardment. The Gottschee Germans were evicted in 1941, and after the war people from various parts of Slovenia settled in the village.

Church

The local church, dedicated to Saint Michael, used to be a parish church, but now belongs to the Parish of Banja Loka. It was built between 1858 and 1863 and burned down by the Italian army in 1943. In 1952 the remains of the church were removed and only the foundations of the original building are preserved.