Hrpelje (pronounced [xəɾˈpeːljɛ] , in older sources Herpelje;[2] Italian: Erpelle) is a settlement in the Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It is the administrative center of the municipality.[3]

Hrpelje
Coat of arms of Hrpelje
Hrpelje is located in Slovenia
Hrpelje
Hrpelje
Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°36′11.24″N 13°56′51.94″E / 45.6031222°N 13.9477611°E / 45.6031222; 13.9477611
Country Slovenia
Traditional regionLittoral
Statistical regionCoastal–Karst
MunicipalityHrpelje-Kozina
Area
 • Total
5.42 km2 (2.09 sq mi)
Elevation
502 m (1,647 ft)
Population
 (2002)
 • Total
665
[1]

Geography

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Hrpelje is located in a heavily karstified area with many sinkholes, depressions, and shafts. Among them is the Hrpelje Sinkhole (Slovene: Hrpeljski dol) or Church Sinkhole (Slovene: Cerkveni dol) on the western edge of the village. It is 94 meters (308 ft) deep, and until 1949 its 6,000-square-meter (65,000 sq ft) bottom was divided into 29 fields cultivated by 19 smallholders, who mainly grew cabbage and potatoes on the plots. Under the postwar communist regime, the land was assigned to the Hrpelje Collective Farm (Slovene: Kmetijska zadruga Hrpelje).[4]

Name

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Hrpelje was attested in historical sources as Herpelie and Herpelye in 1763–1787. The name may be derived from the plural demonym *Vьrpeľane based on the common noun *vьrpa 'sinkhole', thus originally meaning 'people living near a sinkhole'. If so, the initial H- is prothetic.[5]

Church

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The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Hermit and belongs to the Koper Diocese.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
  2. ^ 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. 60.
  3. ^ Hrpelje-Kozina municipal site Archived 2008-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Savnik, Roman (1968). Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. pp. 313–314.
  5. ^ Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 164.
  6. ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper List of Churches May 2008 Archived 2009-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
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