Ig, Ig


Ig is the largest settlement and the seat of the Municipality of Ig, central Slovenia.

Name

The name Ig was first attested in 1249 as Yge. During the Middle Ages, Ig was a regional name, and the settlement now known as Ig was called Studenec until the beginning of the 19th century. The etymology of the name Ig is unclear. It may be connected with the Slovene common noun igo 'yoke', or to the Slovene common noun iva 'goat willow', or it may derive from a pre-Slavic substratum.

History

After the Second World War, a Yugoslav labor camp for political prisoners operated in Ig.

Landmarks

Parish church

The parish church in Ig is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana. It was built in 1780. The painting of Saint Martin in the church is a work by Josip Egartner. A second church, built on Pungrt Hill west of the main settlement, is a 14th-century building, now in ruins. It was dedicated to Saint George.

World heritage site

In the vicinity of Ig, the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements, since 2011 protected as part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.