Kočevje

In the wooded uplands of Carniola, Kočevje grew from a settlement known in German as Gottschee. In the 14th century the counts of Ortenburg brought German-speaking settlers into the region, where they cleared forests and founded villages. Kočevje was recorded in 1363, gained market rights in 1377 and received town privileges in 1471. Its inhabitants preserved a distinctive German-speaking community among their Slovene neighbors.

Ottoman raids brought hardship to the district in the 15th century. In 1492 Emperor Frederick III granted the inhabitants the right to travel and sell wooden wares, a privilege that helped support a long tradition of peddling. Centuries later, during the Napoleonic wars, the people of Kočevje rose against French occupation in 1809, drawing the town into the wider upheaval in Carniola.