| Črnomelj Občina Črnomelj |
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| — Town and Municipality — | |
| Črnomelj | |
| Location of the Municipality of Črnomelj in Slovenia | |
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Črnomelj
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Slovenia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mojca Čemas-Stjepanovič |
| Area | |
| • Total | 339.7 km2 (131.2 sq mi) |
| Population (2002)[1] | |
| • Total | 14,580 |
| • Density | 42.9/km2 (111.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02) |
Črnomelj (German: Tschernembl, Italian: Cernomegli) is a town and municipality in southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Lahinja and Dobličica rivers. The municipality is at the heart of the area of White Carniola, the southeastern part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola. It is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region.
Archaeological evidence has shown that the area has been settled since from late bronze age onwards with the settlement gradually developing through the iron age. The exact year of the destruction of the iron age settlement by Romans is not known. The evidence allows the presumption, that it was destroyed either during the Octavians campaign against the Illyrians between 35-33 BC, Tiberius's campaign in Pannonia in 12-9 BC or in the Great Illyrian revolt of 6-9 AD; that is, in the time span between 35 BC and 9 AD. It was first mentioned as Schirnomel in written documents dating to 1228, specifically a charter issued by the Patriarch of Aquileia. Before 1277 it was granted market rights and developed into a regional center. It is mentioned as a town in 1407, so it supposedly gained town privileges prior to that, but it is regularly mentioned as a market even after that. During the 16th century it held an important military position as one of the centers for organization of supply for the military frontier. After the establishment of Karlovac in what is now Croatia in 1579, it lost that position.
Črnomelj was also the home of a powerful noble family of von Tschernembl. Mentioned for the first time in 1267 they gradually achieved important posts in the Habsburg nobility of Carniola. During the 15th century they expanded their influence and one of the heads of the family, Georg von Tschernembl, held the positions of Captain of Triest and Captain of Styria, one of the most important lands of Habsburgs. In 16th century they joined the Protestant nobility of Inner Austria and in 1564 Hans von Tschernembl sold their numerous holdings in Carniola and moved to Upper Austria. There the most important and known member of the family was born in 1567, Georg Erasmus von Tschernembl, an important political leader of the Protestant nobility of Upper and Lower Austria. After his death in 1626 the family turned Catholic again and regained their lost possessions in Upper Austria. The last male member of the family died in 1667 but through numerous female members their blood continued into some of the royal houses of today's Europe.
They served as an example of ruined nobility of 18th century for the German writer Gottlieb August Cruwell and his work Schoenwiesen, Ein Schauspiel, printed in Berlin in 1911.
The town is home to Slovenian football club Bela Krajina Črnomelj.
The parish church in the town is dedicated to Saint Peter and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto. The current building was built in the 17th century on the site of a 13th century church.[2] There are two other churches in the town. One, dedicated to Saint Sebastian, is mentioned as a chapel in the early 16th century, but was extended into a church in 1646 after an outbreak of the plague. It was restored in 1904 and in 1963. The second is dedicated to the Holy Spirit and is a Gothic building first mentioned in documents dating to 1487, but frequently restyled, most recently in 1895. It is built on top of prehistoric and Roman occupation layers.[3]
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