Tuhinj Valley

The name of the picture






Motnik, a village in the Tuhinj Valley


The Tuhinj Valley (pronounced [tuˈxiːn]; Slovene: Tuhinjska dolina) is a valley in Slovenia linking the Celje Basin with the Ljubljana Basin in an east-west direction along the courses of the Nevljica and Motnišnica rivers.



Contents




  • 1 Geography


  • 2 Name


  • 3 Industry


  • 4 References


  • 5 External links





Geography


The western part of the valley was formed by the watershed of the Nevljica, flowing into the Kamnik Bistrica, and the narrower, eastern part by the Motnišnica, a tributary of the Savinja River. Their drainage divide is at the Kozjak Pass at an elevation of 655 m between Cirkuše v Tuhinju and Špitalič. The largest settlements in the valley include Laze v Tuhinju, Šmartno v Tuhinju, and Motnik. The large number of old settlements points to the fact that the valley was an important thoroughfare in the Middle Ages and later as a passage between Lower Styria and Upper Carniola.



Name


The Tuhinj region was mentioned in written sources circa 1400 as Tuchein, Tuchen, and Tucheiner alben. The name was originally *Tuxyn′ь, derived from the hypocorism *Tuxynъ (based on the Slavic personal name *Tuxъ or *Tuxa). This root is also the source of similar names such as Tuhinje in Herzegovina, Tuin in Macedonia, Tukhin in Russia, and Tuchyňa in Slovakia.[1]



Industry


Until the mid-20th century brown coal was mined in the valley near Motnik. Tourism has only recently started to develop with the building of the Snovik Spa.[2]



References





  1. ^ Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 441–442.


  2. ^ Slovenian Tourist Board site




External links



  • Media related to Tuhinj Valley at Wikimedia Commons




Coordinates: 46°13′17.09″N 14°46′33.33″E / 46.2214139°N 14.7759250°E / 46.2214139; 14.7759250
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