GOTTSCHEER HERITAGE: POLLANDL / KOČEVSKE POLJANE
Znane stavbe, Sakralni objekti, Mostovi, Kulturna dediščina, Spomeniki, Zgodovinska dediščina
8350 Dolenjske Toplice
Kočevske Poljane (German: Pollandl) is one of the oldest villages in Municipality of Dolenjske Toplice. Its establishment is dated to the last quarter of the 15th century. It lies in Črmošnjice-Poljane Valley, the eastern part of Gottscheer language island.
This area included theprimeval forest areathat would eventually become known as the Gottschee. In the 14th century the Counts of Ortenburg settled German peasants from East Tyrol and Carinthia within their fiefdom. The Gottscheer language, a historic Bavarian dialect has been preserved here for 600 years – all up until the end of Second World War.
During the war the village, as most of Kočevsko area, was under Italian occupation. The Gottscheer received the Hitler`s orders to join the reich – some of them resisted and most of them supported partisan resistance forces, which established their headquarters (Base 20) in the near vicinity in dense forests of Kočevski rog. After the war most survivors scattered around the world. A lot of them had been forcefully displaced, some also forced to change their names and surnames. Their dialect became outlawed, which is why it is now spoken only by a handful of people, most of whom are living in this valley.
Today, the village of Kočevske Poljane is protected as part of cultural and historic heritage of this region. Besides the village itself, the heritage protection extends to many of its historic single-storey buildings, such as inns and shops, as well as a stone bridge, the village well and cemetery and the churches.
