The "Breg" area of Novo mesto, literally meaning a steep riverbank, is one of the most picturesque sites of the town due to its exposed location at the borders of the historical city core. "Breg" is formed by a dense row of houses built in 1786 following the outline of the demolished medieval city walls. The buildings have been optimally adapted to difficult geomorphologic conditions of the ground, leaning against the remains of the city walls as can still be seen in the cellars. The buildings of "Breg" have often had their foundations in the rocks of the steep shores of the river Krka.

"Breg" was inhabited by less wealthy town dwellers living on production and commerce of vegetables, dried meat, laundry service and rooms rental. Until the World War II, the housewives of "Breg" have been renting rooms to Gymnasium students and were therefore called "Student Moms".

Even though the architecture has originally been rather modest and continued changing in time, the concepts of the floor plan of buildings have mainly kept their typical semi-dug-in cellar, a living area at the ground floor, an entrance from the street as well as their characteristic wooden aisles built on the southern façade high above the river Krka. The roofs of the buildings parallel to the street were clad with wooden panels or shindles until the early 20th century, when they were replaced by brick roof cladding.

The specific image of the entire row of houses has been conditioned by their natural environment as well as a careful adaptation to the ground surface conditions; these influences have created a synergy of a dominant natural landscape and a modest architecture aiming for a high aesthetic value regardless of the poverty of its builders. "Breg" therefore represents an ethnological characteristic of Novo mesto as well as an essential component of its identity.

The area of "Breg" in Novo mesto has been declared a cultural monument of local importance by the Act of Declaration of Natural, Cultural and Historic Monuments in the Novo mesto Community, Uradni list RS No. 38 / 1992.