Škofja Loka is a town in Slovenia…
Škofja Loka is a town in Slovenia. It is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative centre of the Municipality of Škofja Loka in Upper Carniola.
Škofja Loka lies at an elevation of 354 metres (1,161 ft) at the confluence of the Poljane Sora and the Selca Sora rivers, at the transition of the Sora Plain into the Škofja Loka Hills and the Polhov Gradec Hills. Its old centre stands on river terraces, and comprises Town Square and Lower Square. On a plateau above the town stands Loka Castle, which houses the Loka Museum. Above the castle rises Krancelj Hill (475 metres or 1,558 feet). North of the town centre is Kamnitnik Hill (414 metres or 1,358 feet high), known for its conglomerate rock. Immediately south of the town is a plain known as Viršk or Viršk Plain, which the Poljane Sora flows through before joining the Selca Sora. The name Viršk is a corruption of German Hirsacker ‘millet field’, named for the millet that was grown there in the past.
Škofja Loka is the birthplace of the Škofja Loka Passion Play, the oldest play in Slovene. It was a penitentiary Passion procession in the form of a play, performed on Good Friday each year until 1751. The text in its current form was written around 1715 by the Capuchin Father Romuald (Lovrenc Marusič), based on an older tradition. It presents Jesus’s suffering. In 1999, the play was revived with amateur actors. Two further reprises took place in 2000 and 2009, with more planned.
