Podgorje, Kamnik


Podgorje is a settlement that is a now a suburb of the town of Kamnik in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.

Mass graves

Podgorje is the site of four known mass graves from the period immediately after the Second World War. The Podgorje 1–4 mass graves are located on Golaš Hill in the hamlet of Zaprice, in the northwest part of the settlement. The first grave is on the east side of the hill, on a path in the woods at the top of a small rise north of the Medved farm. It contains the remains of six people shot in May or June 1945 while fleeing from the prison camp near the railroad tracks. It is also known as the Medved Farm Mass Grave. The grave is marked by a metal cross and a bronze memorial plaque mounted on a concrete base, arranged by the Municipality of Kamnik in 1996.
Graves two through four lie in the Svetel Woods along a path on the south slope of Golaš Hill, facing Dobrava Hill. Grave two is east of a water catchment installation, grave three on the slope of a sinkhole, and grave four at the top of a small rise. They contain the remains of murdered Ustaša officers from the prisoner of war camp in Kamnik. The graves are also known as the Svetel Woods Postwar Victims Grave. They are marked by a metal cross and a bronze memorial plaque mounted on a concrete base, arranged by the Municipality of Kamnik in 1996.

Church

The local church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It is a Baroque church from the 18th century that was built at the site of a former Gothic church from the 16th century. It is a chapel of ease belonging to the Parish of Kamnik. It is a single-nave barrel-vaulted structure with a narrow chancel. The bell tower was built in 1897 after the former tower was destroyed in the 1895 earthquake. The furnishings date from the 19th century and the altar painting is by Maks Koželj. The church stands next to a cemetery on a rise in the northeast part of Podgorje below Golaš Hill.

Cultural heritage

In addition to Saint Nicholas' Church, several other structures in Podgorje are registered as cultural heritage.
Notable people that were born or lived in Podgorje include: