Zgornja Šiška is a formerly independent settlement in the northwest part of the capital Ljubljana in central Slovenia. It was part of the traditional region of Upper Carniola and is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region.
Name
The name Zgornja Šiška literally means 'upper Šiška', distinguishing the settlement from neighboring Spodnja Šiška. The name Šiška was attested in 1308 as ze Cheis. The name is derived from *Hiška, a diminutive of the common noun hiša 'house'. The phonological change of H- > Š- may be due to Upper Carniolan palatalization, discontinuous assimilation, or both. The semantic motivation of the name is attributed to a single small house that originally stood in the settlement. In the past the German name was Oberschischka.
History
A Roman aqueduct passed through Zgornja Šiška to supply Emona. The name Jama 'cave' was attested for Zgornja Šiška in 1414, referring to pits and tunnels in the area. During the Ottoman wars in Europe, these pits were used to besiege Ljubljana in 1472. A school was established in Zgornja Šiška in 1882, and a four-year lower secondary school was established in 1929. Zgornja Šiška was annexed by the City of Ljubljana in 1935, ending its existence as an independent settlement.
Castle
The pits in Zgornja Šiška were also the source of the name of Pit Castle, also known as the Galle Manor. The manor was the property of the governors of Carniola, and was then owned by the Augustinian order until 1657, which then built a monastery in Ljubljana and sold the property to Johann Benaglia. It stood adjacent to another manor known as the Luckmann Castle. This was owned by the Apfaltrer family and then inherited by the Luckmann family. The two structures were combined in 1787. After the First World War, it was acquired by the Ursuline order and then by the School Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King. The building was confiscated and nationalized after the Second World War, the nuns were expelled, and it was used to train police dogs. Following various medical uses and renovations, the structure is now the Peter Držaj Hospital.
