Kozje Market Town
Kozje is one of our oldest market towns, and the region in the central part of which it is located is named after it.
It grew from a clustered settlement and today it is the seat of the Municipality of Kozje. Although Kozje is mentioned as Trachendorf as early as 1130, it was not until the 14th century that a market town was established here. The old town core still preserves its architectural heritage with interesting portals and facades. The Church of the Assumption of Mary is located within. The remains of Drachenburg Castle can still be seen above the town.
In the very centre of the market town, you can visit the “School of My Mother” – a museum classroom from the times of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, designed by Kozjansko native Marjan Marinšek.
At the outlet of Bister graben is the Krofl homestead, which consists of a house with a former mill, which is unfortunately no longer in use, and an outbuilding. The homestead is one of the oldest preserved ethnological heritage sites in Kozje. The former residential part is now a permanent museum collection.
In Kozje, the exhibition “The Judiciary in Kozje” also features five cells of the former prisons of the Kozje District Court, which operated from 1932 onwards.
In the square you can also visit the Memory Park, the mighty plane tree, the sports park, or take the footpaths to the former castle of Kozje or to Vetrnik (708m above sea level), from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the wider surroundings. (links on the way)
From 2022, a multi-generational centre has been located in the town, in the former post office.
Information: www.kozje.si
Location
Explore other cultural attractions in Kozjansko Regional Park:
The medieval Podsreda market town developed under the eponymous Podsreda Castle and is situated on the right bank of the Bistrica River, along the regional road connecting Kozje and Bistrica ob Sotli. With its position, it belongs to the few areas with an extraordinary cultural landscape.
The Stations of the Cross from Podsreda lead to the Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows on Stare gore above Podsreda, or the “Nearby Mountains” as they are popularly called.
The Javeršek homestead (Podsreda 93) is located about half a kilometre from the road connecting Podsreda and Bistrica ob Sotli. It is a secluded farm, which was given the name “v Loki” because of its location.
Kolar’s homestead is located in Trebče, next to a pond by the Podsreda–Bistrica ob Sotli road.
Svete gore is an ancient cult and pilgrimage centre on the hill of the same name above Bistrica ob Sotli (Zagaj).
At the top of the hill, at an altitude of 527m, there are five religious buildings.
On the right bank of the Bistrica River, just off the main Podsreda–Kozje road, is one of the few remaining working mills from the mid-19th century. The Kukovičič mill (Podsreda 3a), today restored, is an ethnological cultural monument.
Kozje is one of our oldest market towns, and the region in the central part of which it is located is named after it.
Pilštanj, situated on a low ridge above the village of Lesično, has one of the most picturesque views over the Bistrica valley and is today a cultural monument.