Cultural Heritage

The cultural heritage of the Municipality of Ribnica, the legacy of human creativity and work, is colourful, rich, and diverse and reflects the social and cultural trends of various historical periods in Slovene territory and beyond. Every type of cultural heritage is represented here: archeological, historical, artistic, architectural, ethnological, and technological. Because of its historical and cultural significance, the municipality devotes particular attention to protecting its cultural heritage.

Cultural landscape

The cultural landscape encompasses the changes made to the original natural environment by human life and work and reflects both the continuity and individual stages of cultural development. Its diversity is created by the interweaving of natural and cultural spatial elements. The cultural landscape in the municipality is defined primarily by traditional forms of settlement and agriculture, demonstrating that farming has been the most decisive factor in shaping the present landscape.

Due to its physical features and the diverse use of the land, the karst polje that covers the greater part of the Ribnica Valley offers a varied and interesting landscape. In the lowest part of the valley, riverside vegetation indicates the presence of streams, wet meadowlands are bordered by strips of cultivated land on the margins of the flatland and the surrounding slopes, and the eye is drawn to the linear lines of plowed fields and orchards around the settlements.

A strong contrast is offered by the northwestern part of the municipality with its hilly terrain where narrow valleys rise to forested heights with numerous bare tops and saddles and cleared slopes. Wherever the inclination of slopes and the soil allowed cultivation, we find settlements where human activity modified the appearance of the natural environment.

Settlements

The settling of an area has a major influence on the appearance of the landscape since settlements are important landscape and social phenomena. Because there are so many compared to the number of larger towns, villages give a unique stamp to Slovenia in general and to the Municipality of Ribnica in particular. From the steep hillsides, fine views open over the clearly visible villages of the Ribnica Valley and their dominant features, usually their churches. It is therefore no coincidence that the Church of Sv. Ana at the top of the steeps slopes of Mala gora is such a frequently visited excursion point.

The site and layout of settlements are very closely related to the nature of the terrain, the original vegetation cover, and the period and manner of the colonization. Interesting settlements around Ribnica, the municipality's central town, include Hrovača, Gorenja vas, Nemška vas, Prigorica, and Dolenja vas. The churches of Sv. Križ, Sv. Štefan, Sv. Trojica, Sv. Marija, Sv. Lenart, Sv. Peter and Sv. Pavel, and Sv. Rok dominate the valley part of the municipality.

The settlements are tightly clustered or stretch along the roadsides in well-preserved, unbroken lines of houses. The parceling of land and town planning with deliberately laid out streets strongly influenced the shape of settlements. The appearance of settlements also depends on the bulk of the buildings, their typical height, the shape of the roofs, and the building materials used. In most cases, a dominant point such as a church adds to their individual appearance.

For all visitors to the Ribnica area, we recommend visiting the following cultural heritage sites:

Pugled pri Karlovici

In the northern hilly part of the municipality, the settlement of Pugled pri Karlovici is situated on the sunny side of a slope. The house at Pugled 2 is the former home of the steward of the Ortnek manor and bears the date 1732. The attractively designed and painted farmhouse at Pugled 3 further enriches the village.

Breg pri Ribnici - castle ruins

On the southern edge of the village of Breg, the remains of a castle built around 1470 are still visible on the Pungart meadow. It was surrounded by strong towers and a moat for defense against the Turks. The site is protected as an archeological and art history area.

Ortnek - ruins of Stari grad Castle and the former castle church of Sv. Jurij

Overgrown site of a 13th-century castle that was abandoned in 1884. The Baroque altars from the castle's church dated 1645 were restored and preserved, while its painting of Sv. Jurij (St. George) by the Novo mesto artist Hans Georg Geigerfelder hangs in the National Gallery in Ljubljana.

Ribnica - town core

Ribnica's ancient town core ranks among Slovenia's most typical urban settlements and has therefore been proclaimed a cultural and historical monument. Individual buildings and points of interest such as Ribnica Castle and its sculpture park with busts of the area's cultural figures and the line of houses around Škrabčev trg ("Škrabec Square") that includes the Mikel House give it a unique character.

Hrovača and the Škrabec Homestead

The nucleate village of Hrovača south of Ribnica has a particularly well-preserved town plan. The Škrabec Homestead with the renovated birth house of Professor Stanislav Škrabec, an eminent Slovene linguist, is located in the center of the village. The residential part of the house is now a museum, and a memorial plaque has been placed on the front façade.