Bistra

• Official Name — Bistra • Image Skyline — Grad Bistra.JPG • Image Caption — Bistra monastery • Pushpin Map — Slovenia • Pushpin Label Position — right • Pushpin Map Caption — Location in Slovenia • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Slovenia • Subdivision Type1 — Traditional region • Subdivision Name1 — Inner Carniola • Subdivision Type2 — Statistical region • Subdivision Name2 — Central Slovenia • Subdivision Type3 — Municipality • Subdivision Name3 — Vrhnika • Area Total Km2 — 4.17 • Population As Of — 2002 • Population Total — 44 • Population Blank1 Title — Ethnicities • Population Blank2 Title — Religions • Elevation M — 291.2 Bistra (pron; Freudenthal) is a small settlement in the Municipality of Vrhnika in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia. • Illustration — Karst source of the Bistra River, a source tributary of the Ljubljanica, at Bistra

Bistra was attested in written sources as Frovnc in 1257, Vallis iocose in 1306, Freydenthall in 1350, Vistra in 1470, and Bistrae in 1481, among other spellings. Bistra and names like it (e.g., Bistrica), as well as the German adaptation of the name as Feistritz, are common in Slovene ethnic territory. Such names were originally hydronyms that were later applied to the settlements along rivers or streams with these names. The names are derived from Slavic *bystrica 'swiftly flowing river', from the Slavic adjective *bystrъ 'swiftly flowing, rushing'. Bistra is named after the Bistra River, a right tributary of the Ljubljanica. The settlement was known as Freudenthal in German.

It is best known for Bistra Charterhouse (monastery) (also called "Bistra Castle"), a large complex that from 1260 housed the first monastery in Carniola. It was disbanded in 1782 upon a decree by the Emperor Joseph II. Since 1951, it houses the Technical Museum of Slovenia. The museum's collections comprise items related to forestry, carpentry, fishing, electricity, and transport, including a large collection of Tito's cars and several others that were used in the filming of Schindler's List.

Notable people that were born or lived in Bistra include: • Bruno, 18th-century painter • John Jager (1871–1959), designer and architect • Nicholas, 14th-century manuscript illuminator • Štefan Primožič (1866–1907), educator