Kočevje

Description:

Kočevje town has grown within meanders of the Karst river Rinža. It lies on the southeastern part of Slovenia. It is little more than 30km away from the border to Croatia. It is official, economic, cultural and sport center of Kočevska region.

Kočevje is a municipality and town in Slovenia, the largest by area, located between the rivers Krka and Kolpa, but also refers to the former county Gottschee in the Habsburg empire and its German speaking population. Kočevje belongs to the traditional region of Lower Carniola. It is well known for its ancient forest and wild animals, including brown bears. From the middle of the 13th to the middle of the 20th century, Kočevje was a German linguistic enclave. Their language was a dialect of Bavarian called Gottscheerish or Granish. The German speakers were known for their folk songs. The Gottscheerish dialect is now considered to be critically endangered, with few remaining native speakers.

The lake of Kočevje, once it was coal mining site. Today it is natural reserve. Around the lake leads natural educated way. Information tables give you the peaces of information about the endangered birds species, which lives on the shore of the lake.

Visit museum of Kočevje. You will be in simple and short way guided through the windy history of Kočevska region. There you can also get some other peaces of useful information. 
Take a walk on one of numerous footpaths through the great forest in Kočevska region, where you can find silence and hear the rhythm of uncivilized nature, and take a breath of clean air.

Famous citizen :

Peter Kozler, (1823-1879) born in village Koče near village Kočevska Reka. In year 1853 he has published the first map of Slovenian land with drawn ethnical borders and in 1864 found bear factory of brothers Kozler, today known as brand name Union.

Stane Jarm, admitted academic sculptor.