Drežnica in Evrope (click on the map!)

Drežnica and neighbouring villages have some special characteristics.

The fountain in Drežnica

All the villages together have about 600 inhabitants today. Typical storeyed houses are made of brick or stone, most of them are detached from outbuildings. However, it's not uncommon to find cowsheds under residential parts of houses. There are also many hay barns throughout the pastureland.

Typical of the villages is cattle breeding which takes place on Alpine dairy farms such as Zapleč (1200 m) and Zaprikraj (1208 m) above Drežniške Ravne.

Most of the population (especially the young) is employed in the valley. Drežnica has only one industrial plant and farming is just a supplementary activity. The fields are planted mainly with potatoes and beans; the slopes are used for pastures and fruit trees.

Many inhabitants gather medicinal herbs which are used for making domestic remedies or being offered for sale.

Drežnica and the countryside (click on the map!)

Drežnica

The settlement is situated on a fertile terrace, surrounded by mountain peaks: Planica and Kožljak to the east, Mt. Krn (2245 m) to the northeast, the ridge of Mt. Krnšica (2142 m), Vrata (2014 m), Oblo brdo (1960 m) and Vršič (1897 m) to the north; the chain of Mt. Morizna with Mt. Krasji vrh (1773 m), Veliki vrh (1774 m) and Pirhovec (1660 m) to the northwest; Mt. Volnik (793 m) and Mt. Ozben (776 m) to the south.

The terraced valley opens towards Mt. Stol (1668 m) to the west. At this place, near Kobarid, the Soča changes its current from a gorge into a wide valley.

A chapel in Drežniške Ravne

Drežniške Ravne

Drežniške Ravne is 3 km from Drežnica and 560 m high above sea level. The village is situated under Mt. Krasji vrh (1772 m) on a terraced ground, used for pastures. Different streams, cutting through the terraces, create the typical world of Drežnica.

The village consists of two separate parts - Gornje Ravne and Spodnje Ravne (''Upper Plain'' and ''Lower plain'') with the hamlet Brdo. There are also two mountain pastures resting above the village, named Zapleč and Zaprikraj.

Jezerca

The smallest village, lying 530 high above sea level, is 2 km away from Drežnica. It is situated above the right bank of the torrential stream named Kozjak, on a slope overlooking a smaller basin. The basin becomes flooded after a heavy rain.

There once was a lake in the hollow, which the village is named after (jezerca - ''small lakes''), was drained in 1822 by digging up an effluent. The year 1822 was noted down on a stone in that place.

The settlement of Drežnica

Magozd

The settlement lies on a terrace under Mt. Morizna, 460 high above sea level. It affords a good view of Drežnica and Mt. Krn to the east or the Soča Valley with Trnovo to the northwest.

The name leads many to believe that the village was founded on the edge of the forest when the pastures started to spread.

Koseč: Podbrdo and Vas

Koseč

Koseč is situated 1 km from Drežnica. The village is on the eastern part of the basin, 600 m high above the sea level, and is composed of three groups of houses: Podbrdo (the upper part), Vas (the middle part) and Orehovlje (the lower part). Futher to the south lies the gorge which was carved by the Ročica Stream when descending to the Soča Valley.

The Brusnik Stream runs through the lower part of the village. Below Koseč lies St. Just's Church, one of the oldest churches in the region. Acccording to some stories, there should also be an old graveyard near the church, but not even a trace of it can be found today.

History

The archaeological remains show that the area was inhabited already in the antiquity. There were found remains of a transitional fortification on a smaller hill called Gradec, dated from late-antique era. The fortification was probably protecting the road leading from the Soča Valley under Mt. Krn. It is presumed, that the aborigines retired to this place after abandoning the exposed stronghold named ''Tononcov grad'' near Kobarid. However, the latest dicoveries in the field of folklore, onomastics and other researches show, that Drežnica was an important aboriginal enclave.

Old kitchen fittings

In the 6th Century, the area was settled by the Slavs. The original inhabitants were not rooted out, but subjugated. The Slavs accepted into their language the aboriginal names of rivers, mountains…

The Drežnica plateau was still uncultivated at that time, so the inhabitants lived mostly on goat and sheep milk. In the Middle Ages, when the province was a part of Aquileia Patriarchate, the Benedictines taught the people to cultivate the land. The living conditions improved and the number of inhabitants increased.

The first written records of Drežnica, made by vicars, go back to the year 1324. At that time, children were baptized in Tolmin and registered in the baptismal registers. Baptism was later performed in Kobarid, which is also preserved in records.

Drežnica chaplaincy was founded in 1747. The first priest to lead the chaplaincy was Ivan Leban. Since then Drežnica has also been leading the register.

A Theme from Drežnica

There were approximately 1000 inhabitants in these parts in the years before the 1st World War. It was the time of flourishing craft and culture, especially folk songs (Cin-cin-cin Drežnica).

The countryside could boast of four churches: St. Ann's Church in Magozd, St. Matthias' Church in Ravne, St. Just's Church in Koseč, and St. George's Church in Drežnica. This church was later pulled down due to its bad state. There was a new church built on the same spot - The Church of Sacred Heart, which became the national place of pilgrimage.

World War I, which raged through these parts, left a strong mark which can still be seen. The Isonzo Front took many lives and drove the local population to exile which lasted for several years.

During both wars and after the 2nd World War many people emigrated to other countries in Europe and to America because of the hard social conditions. Many of them vanished without a trace.

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