The name Podvelka was created in the 20th century to designate the train station previously known as Ribnica(-Brezno) (German: Reifnig). The name is a fused prepositional phrase: pod 'below' + Velka. The latter element refers to Velka Creek, which flows from the Pohorje Mountains and empties into the Drava River west of the settlement.[4] The name of the stream is derived from the ellipsis velika (voda) 'large creek'.[5]
References
^ ab"Naselje Podvelka". Statistični urad Republike Slovenije. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
^ abLeksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 4: Štajersko. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna. 1904. p. 262.