Sevnica (; ) is a town on the left bank of the Sava River in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Sevnica. It is one of the three major settlements in the Lower Sava Valley. The old town of Sevnica lies beneath Sevnica Castle, which is perched on top of Castle Hill, while the new part of town stretches along the plain among the hills up the Sava Valley, forming another town core at the confluence of the Sevnična and Sava rivers.

Name

The settlement was first attested in written records in 1275 in German as Liechtenwalde (and as Lihtenwalde in 1309, Lietenueld in 1344, Liechtenwald in 1347, and Sielnizza in 1581). The Slovene name is probably derived from a hydronym referring to Sevnična Creek (first attested in 1488 as Zellnitz). This name is derived from the adjective *se(d)lьnъ 'belonging to a settlement, village'. The Slovene name is not connected to the German name, which refers to deciduous woods. In the past the German name of the town was Lichtenwald. In 1938 the railway from Sevnica to Trebnje was completed.

During World War II, when the area was annexed by Nazi Germany, the majority of its Slovene inhabitants were expelled and replaced by ethnic Germans resettled from Gottschee County. Many locals died in Nazi concentration camps. After the war, the town started developing as an industrial center in the newly named Lower Sava Valley.

Mass graves

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Sevnica is the site of four known mass graves associated with the Second World War. Three of them contain the remains of undetermined victims. The Vrtača Mass Grave () is located in the woods west of the hamlet of Vrtača. The Florian Street Mass Grave () is located on the north edge of a large field next to a small woods. The Hraste Mass Grave () is located among the vineyards above the houses on Trubar Street (). The Dobrava Mass Grave () is located in a thicket north of the house at Trubar Street no. 7. It contains the remains of German soldiers.

Church

The parish church in the town is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje. It was built in 1862 on the site of a 15th-century building. Other churches in town are dedicated to Saint Florian, the Mother of God and Saint Anne, all belonging to the same parish.

Transport

thumb|The main station buildings in 2011

The Sevnica railway station is served by regional and long-distance services to Ljubljana.

Economy

The company Lisca, one of the largest lingerie companies in Europe, is based in Sevnica. Another important company is the furniture manufacturing company Stilles.thumb|[[Sevnica Castle with the "Lutheran Cellar", where the Slovene Protestant author Jurij Dalmatin preached in the 16th century]]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Sevnica include:

  • Fridolin Kaučič (sl) (1859–1922), biographer
  • Anton Jurij Luby (1749–1802), theology professor
  • Danimir Kerin (born 1922), chemist
  • Josip Mešiček (1865–1923), composer
  • Alojzij Praunseis (1868–1934), physician
  • Avgusta Smolej (born 1915), poet and translator
  • Marta Šribar (1924–1988), sculptor
  • Melania Trump (born 1970), former model, First Lady of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)
  • Jakob Žmavc (sl) (1867–1957), historian and geographer

References

  • Sevnica on Geopedia