Mojstrana

Mojstrana
Mojstrana Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°27′39.38″N 13°56′5.64″E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Upper Carniola
Statistical region	Upper Carniola
Municipality	Kranjska Gora
Area
• Total	62.6 km2 (24.2 sq mi)
Elevation	660.9 m (2,168.3 ft)
Population  (2012)
• Total	1,179

Mojstrana (pronounced [ˈmoːi̯stɾana]; German: Meistern) is a village in the Municipality of Kranjska Gora in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.

Geography

Mojstrana is located in the Upper Sava Valley at the point where Bistrica Creek joins the Sava River below the main road from Jesenice to Kranjska Gora at an elevation of 641 m. The glacial Vrata Valley leads from Mojstrana towards the southwest past Peričnik Falls to the north face of Mount Triglav. The road to three other valleys—Radovna, Krma, and Kot—also begins in Mojstrana.

Name

Mojstrana was first attested in 1763–87 as Moistrana. The suffix -ana indicates that the name is of Romance or pre-Romance origin. The root *mojstr- is believed to be related to Friulian majostre 'strawberry, blueberry' (cf. the oronym Mojstrovka from this root), thus referring to an area rich in strawberries or blueberries.

History

The development of the settlement is connected to ironworks and iron ore in the area as well as a cement works that ceased to operate after the First World War.

Mass grave

Mojstrana is the site of a mass grave associated with the Second World War. The Mlačca Mass Grave (Slovene: Grobišče Mlačca), also known as the Tnal Mass Grave (Grobišče pod Tnalom), is located in the woods south of the settlement, at a leveled area in a ravine about 50 meters (160 ft) west of the road to the Radovna Valley. It contains the remains of between 10 and 20 German soldiers, and perhaps civilians as well.

Economy

Its inhabitants today are mostly either farmers or work in the local metal, or wood production. Tourism is also important because Mojstrana is the starting point for many routes in the Julian Alps and the Karavanke. Since 7 August 2010, Mojstrana has housed the Slovenian Alpine Museum, which presents the tradition of mountaineering in Slovenia. There is also a small ski slope next to the village.

Sights

Local attractions include the 17th-century church of St. Clement, the small Triglav museum, a giant walnut tree with a 470 cm circumference in the middle of the village, the Šmerc and Ambrož houses, the Vrata Valley with the remnants of an aqueduct for the cement works, Peričnik Falls, and the north face of Triglav.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Mojstrana include:

• Mihael Ambrožič (1846–1904), beekeeper

Gallery

• 
  St. Clement's Church
• 
  The hills around Mojstrana
• 
  Bistrica Creek

External links

• Media related to Mojstrana at Wikimedia Commons
• Mojstrana on Geopedia
• Dovje-Mojstrana Tourist Office