In the period from the 12th to the 13th century, the hill now known as Podhamer in the Prlekija region was called “Schützenberg,” or in Slovenian, the “shooting hill.” A fort was located on the Podhamer hill, where the population was protected from Hungarian invasions, as the Hungarian border was in close proximity. The marksmen who protected the villagers on Podhamer and also down in the present-day Stročja vas (Stročja village) were farmers from three farms, known as freemen or “femberski” (in Hungarian, “fö ember” means leader). They also protected the villagers in Stročja vas from Hungarian invasions, leading to the German name “Schützendorf,” formerly known as the “Strelčja vas” (marksmen village) and now as “Stročja vas.”
The fort on Podhamer was referred to in the German language as “Kammer,” means like a chamber, room, or space for specific activities. Since the fort or “Kammer” was situated on top of the hill, they added the word “pod,” which means “under” in Slovenian, thus giving it the name “Podhamer.” It was common in the past people to add the word “pod” to designate a broader area, as seen in the nearby place “Podgradje village,” which used to be a village located at the foot of a castle or “under the castle” in Slovenian.
Source of information:
Dr. Miran Puconja
This is what the property Podhamer looked like in 1984, when my parents bought it from the family that lived there until then.
