Žiri

Žiri (pronounced [ʒiˈɾíː] ^ⓘ; formerly also Žir,^[1] locally Žier,^[2] German: Sairach^[1]) is a town in northwestern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Žiri, created in 1994. Prior to this the town belonged administratively to the area of Škofja Loka.^[3]

Žiri
Town
From top, left to right: Žiri, Stare Žiri from above, Stara Vas
Flag Coat of arms
Žiri Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°2′49″N 14°6′35″E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Upper Carniola
Statistical region	Upper Carniola
Municipality	Žiri
Area
• Total	7.87 km2 (3.04 sq mi)
Elevation	478.7 m (1,570.5 ft)
Population  (2030)
• Total	3,657

Location

The town of Žiri lies in the extreme southwest part of the Upper Carniola region on the borders with the Inner Carniola and the Littoral regions in the Žiri Basin (Slovene: Žirovska kotlina) at the end of the Poljane Valley (Poljanska dolina). A number of tributaries join there to become the Poljane Sora (Poljanska Sora).

Name

Bilingual name (Sairach and Žiri) on a 1911 postmark

The name of the settlement was first attested in 1291 as Syroch (and as Seyroch in 1307 and Syroch in 1318). It is probably derived from a plural form of the hypocorism *Žirъ, and the name would therefore mean 'Žir and his people'. An alternative, less likely theory, connects the name to the Slovene common noun žir 'beech nuts'.^[2] The town was known as Sairach in German.

History

An Austrian post office was established in Žiri in 1871 as Sairach, district of Loitsch (Logatec). The Slovene name was added to the postal name at the end of the 19th century.^[4]

Historical population
Year	1948	1953	1961	1971	1981	1991	2002	2011	2021
Pop.	598	651	667	627	577	3,442	3,593	3,588	3,654
±%	—	+8.9%	+2.5%	−6.0%	−8.0%	+496.5%	+4.4%	−0.1%	+1.8%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.

Church

Saint Martin's Church

The parish church in the town of Žiri is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the Archdiocese of Ljubljana.^[5]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Žiri include:

• Leopold Suhodolčan (1928–1980), writer^[6]