Žumberak

For the Croatian municipality, see Žumberak, Zagreb County.

Telecommunication tower on Trdinov vrh is visible

Žumberak (Croatian) or Gorjanci (Slovene) is a range of mountains or hills between Croatia and Slovenia. The highest peak is Sveta Gera (Trdinov vrh) on the border between Croatia and Slovenia, being 1,181 m (3,875 ft) tall.^[1][2]

Near the peak,^[3] there is a 90 meter high telecommunications tower of the Radio-Television Slovenia.^[4]

Since 1999, a nature park (Park prirode) Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje covers the area of the mountain on the Croatian side.^[5]

History of the region

The isolated region on Croatian side has always had a low population. In 1530, the immigration of Uskoks started, which lasted until the 17th century, which brought a large population of Štokavian speakers to the region. Žumberak was then part of Austrian Military Frontier, created by the Habsburgs to serve as a defensive buffer between their empire and the Ottoman Empire. Žumberak itself was an enclave within Banovina and did not directly border the Ottoman Empire. The mountain is called Uskokengebirge or Sichelberg in German.^[6]

The region is today the intersection of all three Croatian dialects. The descendants of Uskoks who are Štokavian speakers are majority in Žumberak. Today there are more Greek Catholic churches in Žumberak than Latin Catholic churches (approx. 2 to 1).

Žumberak is the site of the Jazovka pit, location of a World War II massacre of retreating Croatian soldiers and civilians by the communist Partisans.

Military facility

A military complex near the top of Trdinov vrh, created by the Yugoslav People's Army, has been a subject of a dispute between the two new countries since the 1990s. Escalation was prevented due to amicable diplomacy.

The population of about 3,000 people (on the Croatian side) consists mainly of the elderly.

References

1. ^ "Geographical and meteorological data". Statistical Yearbook. Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2009. http://www.dzs.hr/Hrv_Eng/ljetopis/2009/PDF/01-bind.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
2. ^ SummitPost - Trdinov vrh/Sveta Gera (map) -- Photos, Diagrams & Topos (English)
3. ^ Yugoslav People's Army map No. 319-4-1, 1:25000 (sittuation 1984-1986), retrieved from avijacijabezgranica.com on 2009-04-04 (Croatian) (Serbo-Croatian) (Slovene)
4. ^ http://www.geopedia.si/Geopedia_en.html#b4_x525065_y68490.5_s18 Geopedia (Slovene)
5. ^ Žumberak Nature Park
6. ^ Karst ^[2] in Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 10., Leipzig, 1907, p 680-681

   und in dem gegen das rechte Saveufer streichenden Uskokengebirge mit dem St. Geraberg (Gorianc) 1181 m erreichend. (German)

Coordinates: 45°47′0″N 15°23′0″E / 45.783333°N 15.383333°E / 45.783333; 15.383333