Zgornja Velka

Zgornja Velka
Village
Postcard of Zgornja Velka
Zgornja Velka Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°40′35.39″N 15°46′13.99″E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Styria
Statistical region	Drava
Municipality	Šentilj
Area
• Total	7.96 km^2 (3.07 sq mi)
Elevation	402.8 m (1,321.5 ft)
Population  (2002)
• Total	798
[1]

Zgornja Velka (pronounced [ˈzɡoːɾnja ˈʋeːlka]) is a dispersed settlement in the Slovene Hills (Slovene: Slovenske gorice) southeast of Sladki Vrh in the Municipality of Šentilj in northeastern Slovenia.^[2]

Name

The name Zgornja Velka literally means 'upper Velka', contrasting with neighboring Spodnja Velka (literally, 'lower Velka'), which lies about 50 meters (160 ft) lower in elevation. The two settlements were attested in written sources as Welich in 1319, Welik in 1324, and Weliken in 1360. The toponym is derived from a hydronym, *Velika (voda/reka) 'big (creek/river)', referring to Velka Creek, a left tributary of the Pesnica River.^[3]

Church

The parish church, built on a hill in the southern part of the settlement, is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. It was originally built in the late 17th century and rebuilt as a pilgrimage church in 1791.^[4]

References

1. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia Archived November 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. Šentilj municipal site
3. Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 451.
4. Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage Archived July 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine reference number 7781

External links

• Zgornja Velka on Geopedia