Novo mesto, also called the metropolis of Dolenjska, was founded in the year 1365, when the Austrian Archduke Rudolf IV granted city rights to the town at the bend of the Krka River. Officially called Rudolsfwerd, it grew as Novo Mesto and soon became an administration, cultural, religious and business center of Dolenjska. Novo Mesto is situated in the midst of the hilly landscape of Dolenjska, embraced by the Krka River.
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Abundance of nature, tradition and culture can be a real experience for every visitor of Novo Mesto. The Krka Valley, located just above Novo mesto, is in the opinion of many the most beautiful river valley in Slovenia with tender banks, picturesque rapids and natural dams which emphasize its nature. Special attractions include numerous mills and castles which, combined with the landscape seem anachronistic in our present day. You will find the stay in our town pleasant. You can select among a variety of viewpoints, pilgrimage trails, sports and other facilities and forests rich with walking paths, hunting possibilities, forest fruits for picking, and fishing. In the town you will find numerous monuments, and in the Museum of Dolenjska, an amazing archaeological wealth as well.
The most beautiful inland city in Slovenia has been for centuries the centre of administrative, cultural, religious and business life in Dolenjska – and of a unique landscape in the south of the country. Among vineyards in the shelter of the Krka valley, is a city concealing an amazing archaeological heritage. On its hillsides you can visit traditional events, picturesque churches, monasteries, museums and galleries. Everything in the vicinity of Novo mesto, from mighty forests and thermal springs to varied opportunities for outdoor activities make it a great destination.
At the town hall, the local dignitaries made decisions about town life, with the first town hall being built in 1720. It was demolished in 1905 and replaced with the present building, in a Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic style. The façade bears the coat-of-arms of Novo Mesto, with the image of the town’s founder Rudolph IV of Habsburg. In front of the town house, busts of the poet Dragotin Kette and writer Janez Trdina are displayed, both works by the sculptor Jakob Savinšek. At the upper end of Glavni Trg, a stone fountain was erected in 1955. It is inscribed with verses from Kette’s poem, “Na Trgu” (In the Market). Plans for the layout of Glavni Trg, the fountain and the Town Gate entrance to the town were drawn up by Marjan Mušič.
KETTE FOUNTAIN IN THE SQUARE
The Kette Fountain is stuated in the upper part of the Main Square in Novo mesto. A heptagonal fountain made of marble stands on a base, made in the shape of three profiled marble stairs. A stone column with a circular profile stand in the centre of a stone basin with carved verses from Kette’s poem “On the Square”. The fountain was designed by Marjan Mušič in 1955 and has replaced a cast-iron fountain from 1903.
Today, they accommodate apartments. The ground floors, accessed from the street, end in aisles from where stairs descend into the stone cellars facing the river. The storeys are very low.
Below the houses, just by the river, lie vegetable gardens tended by inhabitants and a popular walking trail. The location used to be an entryway into the city. The Dolenja gates once led through the city walls where Pugljeva street now ends, and a wooden bridge spanned across the River Krka until 1899.
ŠANCE AND THE DEFENSIVE WALLS
The preserved part of old city walls that once successfully defended Novo Mesto from Ottoman raids and other dangers is known as Na šancah. The walls were built right after the city’s establishment, in early 15th century. The simple stone structure had several defensive towers, some of which are still preserved on Kapitelj str. 8, Šolska str. 6 and Rozmanova str. 19. The walls allowed two entry points, one on the north side – the Gorenja or Ljubljanska gates now known as the site “at the Gates”, and one on the south side by the river Krka at the end of Pugljeva street – the Dolenja or Karlovška gates, which had first been accessed by boats and then later on by a wooden bridge built in the 16th century. At the decree of the emperor, the walls were brought down at the end of the 18th century, while their significance already waned in late 16th century when the city Karlovac was established as the first line of defence against Ottoman raids and the military doctrine shifted in focus.
to Slovenian children and adults alike. The inn “at the Gates” once stood across from the library and was a favourite resting place of the noted chronologist of Lower Carniola, the writer Janez Trdina.
RAGOV GROOVE AND PORTOVAL
RRagovski mostagov log is a grove on the right bank of Krka river that begins just after Kandija bridge and ends at Ragovo village. The grove is a peculiar oasis of peace and a popular promenade for all generations of Novo mesto residents. Its main quality is a unique cohabitation of the river, forest and the town, which provides us with experience of a dying-out pattern of primeval landscape at the town doors. Tours: Multiple paths lead into Ragov log.
Most of the decayed trees were replaced and vital old trees were restored. The walk is protected as a monument of shaped nature as it is one of the most typical town walks in Slovenia .
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![]() | CATHEDRAL OF ST. NICHOLAS AND THE BISHOP’S PALACE The church of St. Nicholas is the city’s perennial companion and its greatest monument. |
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