Blast furnace

A blast furnace from the second half of the 19th century stands in the old part of Železniki. The blast furnace – also known as a smelting furnace – was part of the ironworks, where raw iron was obtained from iron ore. It was extinguished…

Ironworkers' houses

The old town centre of Železniki is an urban and cultural monument. The oldest part of the town developed beside the Selška Sora river, squeezed into the narrow valley, which today comprises the Racovnik, Trnje and Na plavžu settlements.…

The iron industry in Železniki

On the invitation of the Bishops of Freising, in the mid-14th century Friulian ironworkers began ironworking activities in the area beside the Selška Sora river. They processed iron ore and forged final products in the ironworking plants –…

Jan Vitovec

It is not known exactly when and where Jan Vitovec was born, but it was probably in Moravia (in the former Czechoslovakia) and he is believed to have originated from the humble Moravian Vitoviški and Zlinski aristocratic families. During the…

A medieval ring

During archeologic research in 1954 and 1955 of the ruins of the Upper Tower on Krancelj, in the area between the tower and the castle walls at Loka Castle - which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1511 – a ring belonging to an unknown owner…

Urban life in medieval Škofja Loka

Škofja Loka was first mentioned as a market town in the year 1248, and in 1274 it was already categorised as a town which began to develop into an important trade and economic centre on the intersection of the merchant route between Styria…

The Nikolaj family of Loka

The Nikolaj family first appeared in Škofja Loka in the mid-14th century. It is thought the family came from one of the families of the Loka knights.  Nikolaj was the custodian of Loka, probably from 1349 to 1367. The custodian was the…