Municipality of Kočevje


The Municipality of Kočevje is a municipality in southern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the city of Kočevje. Today it is part of the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. In terms of area, it is the largest municipality in Slovenia.

History

In 1247 Berthold, Patriarch of Aquileia granted the area around Ribnica within the imperial March of Carniola to the Carinthian counts of Ortenburg. When the counts received further estates on the wooded plateau down to Kostel on the Kolpa River in 1336 from the hands of Patriarch Bertram, they called for German-speaking settlers from Carinthia and Tyrol.
The Kočevje area is also the location where the summary executions of thousands people believed to be guilty of collaboration with the Axis Powers during World War II and their families took place immediately after the end of the war. They were thrown into various pits and caves, which were then sealed with explosives.

Settlements

In addition to the municipal seat of Kočevje, the municipality also includes the following settlements:
The municipal flag of Kočevje is a tricolor consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the colors of Kočevje: blue and white, defaced with the coat of arms. The association with the colors blue and white dates to the 1470s, when Emperor Frederick III approved the design of the coat of arms, along with civic rights, on 19 April 1471. The flag during that time varies from the one seen today. The old flag was a bicolor of blue and white, defaced with the coat of arms, which was also different at the time.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in the Municipality of Kočevje include: