In 2022, a large retention basin was built along Big Creek west of the village to prevent flooding in Grosuplje.[4]
Geography
Gradišče lies at the hilly end of the valley of Big Creek (Slovene: Veliki potok), which extends to the northeast from Grosuplje. Gradišče Hill (elevation: 427 meters or 1,401 feet) rises northwest of the village. There is a large gravel pit in the village.[5] A spring with potable water lies below the gravel pit in a valley called Pasja dolina (literally, 'dog valley').[5]
Name
The name Gradišče means 'hill fort', referring to an Iron Age fortification that stood at the top of Gradišče Hill.[6]Gradišče is a relatively frequent toponym in Slovenia, referring to locations where such fortifications and similar structures stood. The same sematic motivation is found in related toponyms of Slavic origin: Italian Gradisca d'Isonzo, Romanian Horodiște, Russian Gorodishche, Serbian Gradište, and Ukrainian Horodyshche.[7]
History
During the time of the Ottoman raids in Europe, there was a walled stronghold in Gradišče; the microtoponym Pod taborom (literally, 'below the stronghold') in the nearby woods recalls this structure.[5] Gradišče became a separate settlement in 1992 by splitting away from Velika Stara Vas.[8]
Cultural heritage
Archaeological evidence shows that Gradišče was the location of an Iron Agehill fort.[9] The fort was later torn down, with its stones being used to build the Polica church.[citation needed] There is a 19th-century milestone above the village.
^Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 150.
^"Naselje Gradišče". Krajevna imena. Statistični urad Republike Slovenije. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
^"EŠD 11880". Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2011.