Celje was known asCeleia during theRoman period. Early attestations of the name during or following Slavic settlement includeCylia in 452,ecclesiae Celejanae in 579,Zellia in 824,in Cilia in 1310,Cilli in 1311, andCelee in 1575. The proto-Slovene name*Ceľe or*Celьje, from which modern SloveneCelje developed, was borrowed fromVulgar LatinCeleae. The name is of pre-Roman origin and its further etymology is unclear.[4] In the localSlovene dialect, Celje is calledCjele orCele. InGerman it is calledCilli, and it is known inItalian asCilli orCelie.
The first settlement in the area of Celje appeared during theHallstatt era. The settlement was known in the Celtic times and to Ancient Greek historians asKelea;[5] findings suggest thatCelts coinedNoric money in the region.
Once the area was incorporated in theRoman Empire in 15 BC, it was known asCivitasCeleia. It receivedmunicipal rights in AD 45 under the namemunicipiumClaudia Celeia during the reign of theRoman EmperorClaudius (41–54). Records suggest that the town was rich and densely populated, secured with the walls and towers, containing multi-storied marble palaces, wide squares, and streets. It was calledTroia secunda, the second; or smallTroy. ARoman road through Celeia led fromAquileia (Sln.Oglej) toPannonia. Celeia soon became a flourishingRoman colony, and many great buildings were constructed, such as the temple ofMars, which was known across the Empire. Celeia was incorporated into Aquileia c. 320 under the Roman EmperorConstantine I (272–337).
The city was razed bySlavic tribes during theMigration period of the 5th and 6th centuries, but was rebuilt in theEarly Middle Ages. The first mention of Celje in the Middle Ages was under the name ofCylie inWolfhold von Admont's Chronicle, which was written between 1122 and 1137. The town was the seat of theCounts of Celje from 1341 to 1456, withprincely status from 1436. It acquired market-town status in the first half of the 14th century andtown privileges from CountFrederick II on 11 April 1451.
Celje, pictured in 1750. TheVoglajna River can be seen on the left, flowing into theSavinja. The island district is called Otok (Slovene for 'island').Celje, 1830 - Lith. Kaiser, Graz
At the end of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, Celje was a center of Germannationalism which had repercussions forSlovenes. The 1910 census showed that 66.8% of the population was German.[6] A symbol of this was the German Cultural Center (German:Deutsches Haus), built in 1906 and opened on 15 May 1907, today theCelje Hall (Slovene:Celjski dom). The centuries-old German name of the town,Cilli, sounded no longer German enough to some German residents, the formCelle being preferred by many.
Population growth was steady during this period. In 1900, Celje had 6,743 inhabitants and by 1924 this had grown to 7,750. TheNational Hall (Narodni dom), which hosts the mayor's office andtown council today, was built in 1896. The firsttelephone line was installed in 1902 and the city receivedelectric power in 1913.
Slovene andGerman ethnic nationalism increased during the 19th and early 20th centuries. With the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918 as a result ofWorld War I, Celje became part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known asYugoslavia). During this period, the town experienced a rapid industrialization and a substantial growth in population.
Celje was occupied byNazi Germany in April 1941. TheGestapo arrived in Celje on 16 April 1941 and were followed three days later bySS leaderHeinrich Himmler, who inspectedStari pisker prison. During the war, the city suffered fromalliedbombing, aimed at important communication lines and military installations. TheNational Hall was severely damaged.
The toll of the war on the city was heavy. The city (including nearby towns) had a pre-war population of 20,000 and lost 575 people during the war, mostly between the ages of 20 and 30. More than 1,500 people were deported toSerbia or into the German interior of theThird Reich. Around 300 people were interned and around 1,000 people imprisoned in Celje's prisons. An unknown number of citizens were forcibly conscripted into theGerman army. Around 600 "stolen children" were taken to Nazi Germany forGermanization. A monument in Celje calledVojna in mir (War and Peace) by the sculptorJakob Savinšek, commemorates the World War II era.
After the end of the war, the remaining German-speaking portion of the populace wasexpelled or executed. Anti-tanktrenches and other sites were used to create 25mass graves in Celje and its immediate surroundings and were filled withCroatian, Serbian, and Slovenian militia members that had collaborated with the Germans, as well as ethnic German civilians from Celje and surrounding areas.
The town's tourist sights include aGrayfriars' monastery founded in 1241[7] and apalace from the 16th century.
The parish church, dating from the 14th century, with itsGothic chapel, is a specimen of medieval architecture. The so-called German church, inRomanesque style, belonged to the monastery, which was closed in 1808. The throne of the counts of Cilli is preserved here, and also the tombs of several members of the family.[7]
In Celje there are three courts of general jurisdiction:
Celje Higher Court;
Celje District Court;
Celje Local Court.
In addition to that there are also Celje Labour Court for resolving labour law disputes and an external department of Administrative Court for resolving disputes arising from administrative procedures.
^For more information on the 1910 Austro-Hungarian census, seeGeographischer Atlas zur Vaterlandskunde an der österreichischen Mittelschulen. K. u. k. Hof-Kartographische Anstalt G. Freytag & Berndt,Vienna 1911.
^"Celje Climate Normals 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved21 August 2023.
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