Stari Log, Kočevje


Stari Log is a settlement in the hills north of the town 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. The village has a cistern and traditional village pond. Raven Spring, a karst spring southwest of the village, is accessible by 13 flights of steps and was once an important site for hunting frogs.

Name

The name Stari Log literally means 'old marshy meadow'. The name Log is shared with many other settlements in Slovenia and is derived from the Slovene word log 'a partially forested meadow near water' or 'woods near a settlement'. The standard German name Altlag and its Gottscheerish equivalent Autloag are based on the Slovene name. The prefix Alt- 'old' was added to the name to differentiate it from similar names.

History

Stari Log was a village settled by Gottschee Germans. In the land registry of 1574 it had 14 half-farms and 11 tenant farmers, and a population between 75 and 85. In 1770 the village had 67 houses. Before the Second World War it was the second-largest Gottschee German settlement after the town of Kočevje, and the village had a band before the First World War. In 1941 most of its original population was evicted, with the exception of two Gottschee German families. In June 1942 the Executive Committee of the Liberation Front and the General Staff of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia moved into the vicinity, making the village the center of the first Slovene territory liberated from Axis control. The village was not burned by Italian troops during the Rog Offensive because Italian troops planned to use it as a base. In March 1943 the Partisans burned the village to deny Italians forces the use of it. After the war, some of the houses were repaired and others completely rebuilt, and the village was settled by new arrivals, who joined the remaining two Gottschee German families. The Stari Log volunteer fire department became a founding unit of the Kočevje municipal fire department on 28 August 1955.

Church

The local church, dedicated to Saint Margaret, was mentioned in written documents dating to 1360. In 1511 it was damaged by an earthquake and was rebuilt and extended. It was fortified as a defense against Ottoman raids. In 1691 it burned down and was rebuilt in the Baroque style. It was burned by the Partisans in 1943 and was demolished in 1955.

Cultural heritage

In addition to the site of Saint Margaret's Church, two other sites in Stari Log are registered as cultural heritage:
Notable people that were born or lived in Stari Log include: