Lokavec, Ajdovščina

Lokavec
Lokavec Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°54′7.56″N 13°52′40.87″E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Littoral
Statistical region	Gorizia
Municipality	Ajdovščina
Area
• Total	13.74 km^2 (5.31 sq mi)
Elevation	173 m (568 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,119
• Density	81/km^2 (210/sq mi)
[1]

Lokavec (pronounced [lɔˈkaːʋəts]) is a settlement on the northern edge of the Vipava Valley northwest of Ajdovščina in the Littoral region of Slovenia.[2] It lies below the slopes of Mount Čaven, below the Slano Blato Landslide. It includes the hamlets of Bitovi, Brith (or Britih[3]), Čohi, Gorenje, Kuši, Lahovše, Loretovše, Mizinška Vas (Slovene: Mizinška vas), Paljki (or Palki[3]), and Slokarji.[4]

Name

Lokavec was first attested in written sources in 1086 as Locunz and Locarizz. The name is derived from the adjective *lǫkavъ 'twisted, winding' or from the common noun *lǫkava 'curve, twist', perhaps originally a hydronym.[5]

History

The discovery of Celtic grave sites in Lovavec shows that it was already settled in prehistoric times. The Celtic settlement there had a defensive structure built on Gradišče Commons Hill (Slovene: Gradiška gmajna, elevation: 215 meters or 705 feet) in neighboring Ajdovščina.[4]

During the Second World War, German forces arrested all of the men in the settlement capable of bearing arms and sent them to perform forced labor.[4]

Mass grave

The Lokavec Mass Grave

Lokavec is the site of a mass grave from the period immediately after the Second World War. The Lokavec Mass Grave (Slovene: Grobišče Lokavec) is located in a field 600 meters (2,000 ft) west of the settlement. It contains the remains of five to seven Slovenian civilians murdered around 20 June 1945.[6][7][8]

Postwar

Lokavec annexed the formerly independent settlements of Dolnji Lokavec and Slokarji in 1952.[9]

Churches

Assumption Church

There are three churches in the village: the parish church, belonging to the Koper Diocese and dedicated to Saint Lawrence, a second church dedicated to Saint Urban,[10] and a church dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Lokavec include:

• Miha Blažko (1810–1897), master mason[4]
• Edmund Čibej (1861–1954), journalist and mineralogist[4]
• Venceslav Čopič (1893–1980), education specialist[4]
• Michael Cussa (ca. 1657–1699), sculptor[4]
• Teodor Posteli (1909–1993), cardiologist[4]
• Anton Slokar (1898–1982), politician[4]

References

1. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
2. Ajdovščina municipal site Archived 2011-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
3. Spezialortsrepertorium der österreichischen Länder. Bearbeitet auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1910, vol. 7: Österreichisch-Illyrisches Küstenland. Vienna: K. k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. 1918. p. 13.
4. Savnik, Roman (1968). Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. p. 24.
5. Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 244.
6. Ferenc, Mitja (December 2009). "Grobišče Lokavec". Geopedia (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Služba za vojna grobišča, Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
7. Ministrstvo za delo, druţino in socialne zadeve. 2007. Poročilo Ministrstva za delo, druţino in socialne zadeve o izvajanju predlogov komisije vlade republike slovenije za reševanje vprašanj prikritih grobišč v letu 2007. Ljubljana.
8. Ferenc, Mitja, & Ksenija Kovačec-Naglič. 2005. Prikrito in očem zakrito: prikrita grobišča 60 let po koncu druge svetovne vojne. Ljubljana: Muzej novejše zgodovine, p. 124.
9. Spremembe naselij 1948–95. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS.
10. Koper Diocese list of churches Archived 2009-03-06 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Media related to Lokavec at Wikimedia Commons
• Lokavec on Geopedia