Žmavčev kozolec from Straža

The toplar (double hayrack) from Straža, better known by the local name of the homestead as Žmavčev toplar, dates back to 1915. The master carpenter who made it is unknown. It was commissioned by the Bevc family, known locally as Žmavčevi from Straža. According to the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Novo mesto, the kozolec was partially renovated after World War II. Oral sources say that it was given a new roof and concrete platforms in 1991 because the pillars were considerably rotted.

Žmavčev kozolec is a toplar with two pairs of windows and decorative embrasures on the gable. It is 10.7 m long, 6.74 m wide, and 8.4 m tall. There is little recorded of its peculiarity. A neighbour recalls the homestead as a once substantial farm with a considerably sized forest. Sources type it as a “polgrunt”, i.e. a medium sized farm. Out of four sons, only Jože stayed on the farm. He was the last member of the Bevc family in Straža when he died heirless in 2010. Only Žmavčev toplar in the Land of Hayracks and a smaller “cvitar” standing in its original location still remind the locals of the homestead as the last tangible memories of the Bevc farm.