Ježica (; ) is a formerly independent settlement in the northern part of the capital Ljubljana in central Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola and is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region.
Geography
Ježica is a clustered settlement in an open, sunny area along the Sava River, originally consisting of a core of farms on the high terrace above the Sava. The soil is sandy and there are fields to the west.
Name
Ježica was attested in written sources in 1356 as Gezziczsch (and as Yessicz in 1425 and Jesicz in 1464). The name is a diminutive derived from the Slovene common noun ježa ("small grassy slope between two flat areas in a valley"), referring to the local geography (cf. Ježa). In the past the German name was Jeschza.
History
Roman era
The Roman road from Emona to Celeia passed through Ježica, crossing the Sava River, and a Roman settlement is believed to have stood at the site. In 1880 a Roman grave was discovered near the church. When the Roman Empire collapsed, migrating tribes destroyed the bridge. It was replaced with a ferry that operated until 1724.
Early modern era
In 1515, 6,000 peasants gathered where the spa now stands and negotiated with the imperial commissioners, led by Styrian governor Sigmund Dietrichstein. The officials tried to placate the peasants, but they were unsuccessful, leading to the 1515 Slovene Peasant Revolt.
In 1713, plans were made for the new road from Vienna to Trieste. The work was finished in 1730, and the new bridge was built in Ježica: the first since the destruction of the Roman bridge. Ježica was an important site because it controlled access to the bridge across the Sava; a large building known as Grad (literally, 'castle') was a former toll house for the bridge. The building was owned by the Tavčar family before the Second World War.
Modern era
A new bridge was built over the Sava in 1846, and was the basis for today's bridge. A school was built in Ježica in 1869, and regular schooling started in 1871. The Kamnik Railway was laid through Ježica in 1891, and a new train station named Tauzherhof was established at Ježica in 1893. The 1895 Ljubljana earthquake also caused damage in Ježica, especially to the church, which was repaired afterwards.
The first fire department was established in 1902 at the initiative of Mayor Anton Vilfan. In 1910, Ježica's first post office was established, the train station was renamed Jeschza, and water mains were installed. During the First World War, soldiers were quartered in people's homes, inns, and shops. Italian forces managed to approach Ježica in May, 1916 and Bregar's Meadow () near the Russian Czar Inn was shelled.
Second World War
On April 11, 1941 Ježica was occupied up to the Sava River by the Italian Army, although the locals had expected occupation by the German Army. German forces occupied the territory east of the bridge, and the border between Italy and Germany was established at the Črnuče Bridge. A few months later, the border was shifted a few meters south. The border crossed an area with fields called Prod, below the villages of Savlje and Kleče. The Germans built a road through the area known as Nemška cesta (German Street), today's Obvozna cesta (Bypass Street). A new railway was also built, connecting Kamnik and the Upper Carniola Gorenjska Railway, which extended east to the village of Laze pri Dolskem. The border was secured with wire fencing, minefields, and watchtowers. The main border crossing was in Ježica, where the bus station is today. Two border checkpoints still stand today. On September 7, 1941 the first resistance against the Italian forces was carried out, when a night patrol of Italian border finance police was attacked in Mala Vas. Two policemen were badly injured. The date was declared a memorial day in Ježica in 1955. After the 1943 Armistice of Cassibile, the Italian army left Ježica along with the rest of Ljubljana, and the German army moved in. This led to establishment of Domobranstvo. The Slovene Partisans entered Ježica together with the rest of Ljubljana in May 1945.