The architectural region of Savinjsko and Kozjansko presents a frame in which we place the area of Kozjanski  Park. Within the park, there are two closely connected regions – Podčetrtek  and Podsreda, which are open to Dolenjska  region and also to Drava  region (through the Rogatec region). In past, there were some connections to Croatia. The inhabitation of this area has been determined by various factors such as church regulations, administration, social structure, relief and also land use.

Most of today’s central and serried settlements are medieval market towns and villages that were mostly formed on typical locations such as crossroads or under the castles.

	Bistrica ob Sotli The settlement, first called Leskovec, was formed as a parish village. The Church of St. Peter was first mentioned in 1257 as a vicariate. Bistrica took the market role from nearby Kunšperk in the middle of the 17th  century. The main reasons were: better traffic location, better appropriateness of the place for settlement expansion, a fortified church called “tabor” that protected the inhabitants in times of Turkish invasions. From that time on, Bistrica (then called St. Peter below Svete Gore) began to develop into an important settlement. Its inhabitants were farmers, viticulturists, craftsmen, innkeepers and carriers. Bistrica is an interesting example of a medieval square town, mostly because of its spatial structure. Market places are not only located in the middle of the settlement as it is usual. They are spread all over the settlement. If we observe Bistrica’s ground plan today, it still gives us the impression of a village.
	Kozje Kozje was first mentioned in 1016, as a manor house with 30 farms. The settlement was built along the road from Kunšperk  to Pilštajn and it had a market function. It’s not clear when Kozje got its market rights. Since Kozje had never been fortified, it suffered greatly in times of Turkish invasions. Its inhabitants were also significantly struck by plague. Kozje was revived in the middle of 19th  century when it became the centre of legal and tax district, deanery. Craft and inn-keeping began to prosper. In 1828, three annual fairs were appointed to Kozje. After the world wars, Kozje  developed into a municipality and district centre. In 1958, it joined the municipality of Šmarje. Gradually, industry and some central functions (school, medical centre) developed. The oldest part of Kozje consists of a central market place surrounded by allotments where square houses were built in a somewhat freer form. There is a lot of architectural heritage in the old square – buildings intended for housing or economic purposes, The Church of St. Ema, and the Parish Church of Mary.
	Kunšperk Kunšperk developed from a fair village below the castle with the same name. In the 16th century, Kunšperk was a settlement with market rights. A fort tower and the Church of St. Jacob  used to stand in the village, but they do not exist any more. Time also erased the ruins of St. Katarina’s Church that stood on the slope above the settlement. However, numerous buildings with traditional architecture remained in the village. Some old buildings have been replaced by inappropriate new ones, but they have not affected the essential qualities of the settlement, such as a historical ground plan, a uniform volume and, connected to it, a typical image in a landscape. These qualities bring together a very high value of the settlement as a whole, which is atypical in its physical features among the neighbouring villages.
	Pilštanj Pilštanj was built on a modest plateau between two peaks. Pilštanj castle (first mentioned in 963) was built on one peak, and Drenski castle (Hartenstein) on the other. Both castles already fell in ruins. Since it is possible to view the whole southern slope from it, the settlement served as an exceptional strategic post. This is why Pilštanj was one of the informative posts where inhabitants lit fires to announce the arrival of the Turks. Pilštanj square was set up intentionally in early medieval times. The ground plan base is a rectangular market place, closed on the southern side by the Church  of St. Mihael, which stands on the edge of plateau. On both sides of square, there are square houses that could not develop into typical allotments because of spatial limitations. Square’s orientation is north-south and the main entrance into the settlement is from the north. Pilštanj was first mentioned as a market place in 1404. In 1431, it gained the permission to hold Michael’s fair. In 1505, it acquired the right to organise a fair of St. Primož and St. Felicijan. Later, Pilštanj got the right to another four fairs. It possessed the usual rights and privileges of a market place (square). However, there is a title “civatis” (town) on a silver seal with Pilštanj’s coat-of-arms from the middle of 15th century. A pillory or insulting pillar was used to punish minor delinquents, but it also served as a symbol of market rights, judicature and it emphasized the importance of the square. The main purpose of the pillory was public mockery. Pilštanj used to be famous for pottery and its specialty, drying of drnulja (cornel tree’s fruit). The inhabitants were farmers and viticulturists. Pilštanj started to lose its importance in the 19th century when the road was moved from Pilštanj ridge to the Bistrica valley. Lesično took over most of its market functions. Pilštajn retained only one function, that of a parish centre. Today, Pilštanj is almost a died-out village.
	Podsreda Podsreda developed under the protection of Podsreda Castle. Similar to other planned square settlements, Podsreda grew from a village with fair. The Old Square  lies a bit to the south from today’s Podsreda (New Square). Podsreda was first mentioned as a market square town in 1377. A pillory that still stands there reminds us of the market rights and privileges that Podsreda owned. The settlement prospered in medieval times. However, after several outbreaks of plague and a catastrophic fire the square was unable to recover. In Podsreda, you can visit the Church  of St. John Baptist  (Janez Krstnik), which was first mentioned back in 1426. Present Podsreda is an interesting square settlement with traditional square parcelling. The ground plan is funnel-shaped. The central street is surrounded by square houses. Their longer side faces the square, forming the so-called “façade coat” of the square. Farm, craft and other auxiliary buildings were arranged behind the houses, on the outer belt of the settlement. In 1798, Podsreda burnt down completely. Inhabitants rebuilt their houses and other buildings. Fortunately, the exceptional medieval town plan was preserved and so were the typical ground-floor and one-floor buildings.
	Polje ob Sotli Polje ob Sotli, that is its closely bound western part as well as the nearby Church  of St. Miklavž  (Nicholas) with a vicarage and a school (established in 1863), belongs among the oldest settlements in the area. The church was first mentioned in1545 and the vicarage was established in 1874. The village part of the settlement has a clustered ground plan, set perpendicularly to the slope. The farm house is designed as a cluster and it retains its typical plan in spite of substitute buildings. An agricultural cooperative building and some new buildings were built later in the area around the church. Polje ob Sotli  is an interesting and well-preserved parish settlement according to its ground plan, volume and content. It is dominant in its surroundings and it puts a typical emphasis to the landscape.
	Sedlarjevo Sedlarjevo is one of the oldest settlements with respect to its location and ground plan. This mostly holds for the eastern part where farm houses were planned and built in clusters around the central place. In the western part of the village, parallel-type farm houses were built along the main communication line. This part is probably newer and dates back to times of lowland colonisation. The mill standing next to the bridge across the Sotla is also a constituent part of the settlement. More than half of the inhabitants are still farmers, which keeps the village alive. There are numerous buildings that are considered a part of cultural heritage or a cultural monument. The special value of Sedlarjevo  is also in the well-preserved original ground plan.
	Olimje The settlement developed next to the church and the castle, later a monastery of Paul’s order. The village was first mentioned in 1208 as the property of Krško. In 1436, there was a tower which later grew into a castle, built by Tattenbach in 1550. In 1604, the ownership of castle was transferred to Croatian noblemen. The last of them established the monastery of Paul’s order. The emperor Joseph II closed the monastery in 1782, and the castle with its property was bought by counts Attems  from Podčetrtek that remained its owners until the end of World War 2. The Church  of Mary’s Assumption next to the castle was rebuilt by Paul’s order between 1665 and 1675. The church was converted into a parish church after the monastery had been closed. There is a famous monastery pharmacy from the time of Paul’s order where one can still admire well-preserved frescoes with medical motifs. They were painted by Lerchinger, a painter from Rogaška, around 1770. The monastery complex is surrounded by farms. They were built along two central communication lines that branched off from the access road. Today, the content of settlement is mostly agricultural. The monastery with its pharmacy, which is an outstanding cultural monument, has not found a genuine connection with the settlement yet, a connection that should be of cultural and tourist nature. The settlement is not as significant as a traditional village settlement but more in connection with Olimje Monastery, which gives the settlement its historical frame. After the earthquake in 1974, some buildings have been rebuilt in an inappropriate way and they significantly diminished the narrative value of the settlement.
	Bizeljsko Bizeljsko consists of many houses built in the 19th and early 20th  century. The settlement is still quite rural; the main agricultural branch is viticulture. Low, sun-kissed hills are covered with large vineyards, where noble red and white wine (called Bizeljčan) is grown. There is also a huge wine cellar in Bizeljsko. In the eastern part, just above the Sotla’s plain, one can admire a baroque-style Parish Church of St. Lovrenc. A road through Bizeljsko takes us to Bistrica ob Sotli, and from there you can continue across the Sotla to Klanjec in Croatia.
	Pišece The village lies in the northern part of Bizeljsko and on the southern, sunny slope of the woody Orlica hill. Nearby hills are covered with vineyards and orchards, and the steep slopes of the Orlica are covered with deciduous forest, a source of extra money for the locals. The younger generation is employed in nearby towns, Krško  and Brežice. Church of St. Mihael, a baroque building from late 18th century, stands in the centre of the village. Maks Pleteršnik (1840 – 1923), a famous Slovenian dictionary writer, was born in Pišece. Pišece  Castle stands on a hill above the village to the north-west. Its history goes back to 13th  century and it also has an English garden with several exotic trees.
	Pečice The settlement with a dense centre lies in the eastern part of Senovo valley, on the sun-exposed slope of the Orlica. The inhabitants earn their living in agriculture (land cultivation, cattle breeding, fruit growing), forestry and lime roasting. The younger generation has to commute to work to nearby Krško, Senovo and Brežice. The Church  of St. Ožbalt, built in the middle of 19th century on the ruins of the previous church, occupies the central position in the village. Above the village, there is a ski slope with a short lift.
	Sromlje Sromlje is an extended central village in the northern part of Bizeljsko. It lies at the very source of the Stromljica stream. The settlement was first mentioned in 1268. Even from a distance it’s easy to notice the Parish Church of St. Martin from the 18th century. Its central part is even older, probably gothic. Wine and fruit growing dominate among agricultural branches. However, some villagers still have to commute to work to Krško  and Brežice. Numerous vineyard cottages have been turned into weekend houses.