Koroška Bela

Koroška Bela
Koroška Bela: view toward the NE, with the Karawanks in the background
Koroška Bela Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°26′12″N 14°6′7″E / 46.43667°N 14.10194°E / 46.43667; 14.10194
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Upper Carniola
Statistical region	Upper Carniola
Municipality	Jesenice
Elevation	595 m (1,952 ft)
Population  (2002)
• Total	2,206
[1]

Koroška Bela (pronounced [kɔˈɾóːʃka ˈbéːla]; German: Kärntner Vellach) is a settlement in the Municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. The village has long been a center of iron mining and processing; until recently a majority of its inhabitants were employed in the steel industry.

Geography

Koroška Bela is the first part of the Municipality of Jesenice that one encounters when approaching from the southeast, from the Ljubljana direction. The village is located in a valley between four hills: Malnež and Obesenk (to the east), and Alnica and Strana (northwest). The valley is closed off to the north by Mount Belščica, part of the Karawanks; to the south it opens into Bela Field (Slovene: Belško polje), which borders the Sava River.

On the east side of the village runs Bela Creek, the source of which is below the peak of Belščica, between Potoki Pasture (Potoška planina) and Olip Pasture (Olipova planina). In the lower western part of the village, the border with the neighboring settlement of Javornik runs parallel to bridges over Javornik Creek, although there is a friendly, long-running quarrel with Javornik over the exact boundary line.

Name

The name Koroška Bela literally means 'Carinthian white'; the second part is derived from White Creek (Slovene: Bela) and was originally a hydronym transferred to the settlement along the creek. The first part of the name indicates that the settlement was colonized by arrivals from Carinthia in the Middle Ages. Carinthian dialect features can still be found in the local dialect. See also Koroška Vas and Koroška Vas na Pohorju for similar names outside Carinthia.^[2]

History

The oldest settlement in the area of the modern Municipality of Jesenice, Koroška Bela was founded by the

, and others.

Some local peasants remained free until after 1100, but gradually all farms in the area came under feudal control. The principal landlord was the see of Brixen, which in the 13th century began converting some of their serfs into semi-freemen, living on so-called "census" farms. During the 13th century, Koroška Bela was among the larger settlements of the Bled lordship; a 1253 urbar (survey-book) lists 15 such farms.[3]

In the second half of the 14th century, the peasants' level of feudal obligation began to grow, with the introductions of the

authorities for relief. In 1557, records show that three farmers (Luka Ambrožič, Ambrož Vidič, and Jurij Pretnar) and the village assembly filed a complaint due to harsh duties imposed on them.

The historian

.

On 27 June 1761, the entire village of 60 houses burned down, including the church. In 1789, torrential rains led to a major landslide; Cikla Hill slid into the village along the course of Bela Creek, burying 47 houses and many unfortunate residents.^[4]

During the late 18th century

.

While the front lines with Italy during the First World War ran well to the south, Koroška Bela did not escape the war, being badly damaged in an Italian air raid on August 14, 1917.

The village's more recent history has been closely interrelated with that of

, with which it has gradually become increasingly connected. The newest (early 1980s-vintage) facilities of the Acroni steelmill complex were built outside the center of Jesenice at Belsko Field, directly below the village. A smaller facility (now closed) was located in the southwestern part of the village, adjacent to the railroad and the Javornik train station.

The village supports the Možnar cultural society,

.

Sts. Ingenuin and Albuin Church

The village church is dedicated to

is also dedicated to the saints.

An original Gothic church dated to 1361, but was rebuilt and expanded in 1754, and again after a fire in 1761, the work being completed in 1771. It was made a parish church in 1875, and contains

References

External links

• Media related to Koroška Bela at Wikimedia Commons
• Koroška Bela on Geopedia