Kočevske Poljane

Kočevske Poljane were founded in the 15th century. In the 13th century, and are considered one of the oldest villages in the municipality of Dolenjske Toplice. Until 1953, the village was named Poljane, also known as… also known as Pollandl. They are located in the Črmošnjiško-Poljanska Valley, the easternmost part of the Kočevar language island. 

The Kočevar or Kočevje Germans The Gottscheer are a German-speaking community that lived in the Kočevje region. They preserved their language, Bavarian dialect Kočevščina, for more than 600 years, from the settlement around 1330 until 1941, when most of them were displaced. 

between 2. Während des Weltkrieges standen die Kočevske Poljane, wie ganz Kočevska, unter italienischer Besetzung. Some Kočevian families resisted the relocation ordered by the German occupiers. Most of them supported the partisans and the Liberation Front, which had its headquarters at Base 20. The Kočevje dialect was banned after World War II, which led to its loss, and today it is spoken by only a few people, most of whom live in this valley.

Kočevske Poljane is a monumentally protected village, primarily due to the ambitiously designed single-story buildings of former inns and shops. The church of Mary Help of Christians in Gorica and the parish church of St. are also specially protected in the village. Saint Andrew the Apostle, six homesteads, houses and farm buildings, the tomb of fallen soldiers VII. The corpora, the stone bridge, the Marian chapel, the cemetery, the village well, and the parish office.

The memory of the Kočevje Germans is preserved through the traditional event “Days of Kočevje German Culture,” which is hosted alternately by the municipalities of Kočevje, Dolenjske Toplice, and Semič.