Dolnji Zemon is a clustered village at the foot of Javor Hill, which rises steeply above the Reka River and transitions into the Žabovica Plain to the northwest. The village is accessible by a secondary road from Ilirska Bistrica via Zemonska Vaga to the west, and also by a road branching off the main road from Ilirska Bistrica to Zabiče. The soil is mostly loamy, and the village is surrounded by tilled fields, meadows, and pastures.
Name
The name Dolnji Zemon means 'lower Zemon', distinguishing the settlement from neighboring Gornji Zemon. The village was attested in written records in 1498 as Semel. Like similar Slovene and other Slavic toponyms, the name is a deadjectival noun derived from Slavic *zemľьnъ 'earthen', referring to an earthwork fortification.
History
Early settlement of the area is attested by pre-Roman and Roman-era finds southeast of the village on Gradišče Hill. The remnants of a medieval castle stand northeast of the village; its owners included the Marastoni and Oldenburg families in the 17th century. The castle's last owner, at the beginning of the 20th century, was Antonietta Scribani. A water main was installed in Dolnji Zemon in 1938; prior to this drinking water was drawn from three springs in the village, which continued to be used for laundering and watering livestock after the main was installed. During the Second World War, there was an armed engagement between German forces and the Partisans' Gortan Brigade. A sawmill and grain mill operated along the Reka River, but were abandoned after the Second World War.
Mass graves
Dolnji Zemon is the site of nine mass graves or unmarked graves from the end of the Second World War. They all contain the remains of German soldiers from the 97th Corps that fell at the beginning of May 1945. The Podnjive Mass Grave is located in a meadow north of the settlement and contains the remains of several soldiers. The Mlačca Mass Grave is located in a yard and contains the remains of three soldiers. The Primary School Grave is located in the yard of the former primary school and contains the remains of a senior officer. The Hrib Mass Grave is located in an overgrown meadow behind the farm at Dolnji Zemon no. 47 and contains the remains of two soldiers. The Ločica Mass Grave is located about 300 m southwest of the settlement and contains the remains of 22 soldiers. The Stajnica Mass Grave, also known as the Stojnica Mass Grave, is located in a meadow on the edge of a woods south of the settlement and contains the remains of four soldiers. The Zahrib Mass Grave is located in a meadow 300 m south of the settlement and contains the remains of 30 soldiers. The Dula Mass Grave is located in a meadow next to Lower Creek south of the settlement and contains the remains of eight soldiers. The Lower Creek Mass Grave is located on the west side of the road near the bridge over Lower Creek south of the settlement and contains the remains of an unknown number of soldiers.
