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Tuhinj Valley

Coordinates: 46°13′17.09″N 14°46′33.33″E / 46.2214139°N 14.7759250°E / 46.2214139; 14.7759250
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.

Geography

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. pp. 441–442.
  2. ^ Slovenian Tourist Board site
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46°13′17.09″N 14°46′33.33″E / 46.2214139°N 14.7759250°E / 46.2214139; 14.7759250