| Official Name: | Cerklje na Gorenjskem |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovenia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Place in Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Traditional Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Upper Carniola |
| Subdivision Type2: | Statistical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Upper Carniola |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cerklje na Gorenjskem |
| Leader Name: | Franc Čebulj |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 1710 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | 46.2488°N 14.4855°W |
| Elevation M: | 391.2 |
| Postal Code: | 4207 Cerklje na Gorenjskem |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Cerklje na Gorenjskem (in Slovenian pronounced as /tsɛɾˈklɛ na ɡɔˈɾeːnskɛm/; German: Zirklach[2]) is a village in northwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem.[3]
Cerklje na Gorenjskem lies at the foot of Mount Krvavec. It is surrounded by forests, fields, and other agricultural areas.
Cerklje na Gorenjskem was attested in historical sources in 1147 as Sancta Maria (and as Ecclesia sancte Marie in Cirkelach in 1239 and Zirchlach in 1271). The name Cerklje is derived from the plural demonym *Cerkъvľane (< *cerьky 'church'), meaning 'people living on church territory' or 'residents of the village with the church'.[4] In the distant past, the settlement was also known as Trnovlje in Slovene (attested as in Tirnovlach in 1239), from the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Thorn (Slovenian: Marija v Trnju).[4] [5] The name of the settlement was changed from Cerklje to Cerklje na Gorenjskem in 1952.[6] In the past the German name was Zirklach.[2]
Cerklje na Gorenjskem is a popular starting point for hiking and biking, and for other activities in the vicinity, such as skiing at Mount Krvavec, mountain hiking, climbing, and paragliding.
Notable people that were born or lived in Cerklje na Gorenjskem include: