Žirovnica – Trail of cultural heritage
At the foothills of mountain Stol there are ten villages: Žirovnica, Moste, Breg, Selo, Zabreznica, Breznica, Vrba, Doslovče, Smokuč and Rodine. All these villages form the culturally rich municipality of Žirovnica, birthplace of not only the greatest Slovenian poet France Prešeren, but also the writer Janez Jalen and Fran Saleški Finžgar, beekeeper Anton Janša, and the most educated Slovnenian of his time, Matija Čop. All these masterminds can be visited in the alley of the famous (park with commemorative statues) in front of the primary school in Žirovnica.
In the village of Vrba you can visit the house of birth of poet Prešeren, the "Ribčeva domačija". The house was converted into a museum in 1939. The house is situated near the church of Saint Marc, which is interesting mainly because of well-preserved frescoes from the 15th century. (St. Christopher).
From the village of Vrba a road leads through the pastures and fields to the village Rodine, where there is a little old established Roman farm (villa Rustica). There is also a well preserved church of Saint Clement, which was first mentioned in the twelfth century. In the center of town is the house of birth of Janez Jalen, a priest and writer. In the old part of the house the collection of his work and life was renewed in 1992, and in 1997 the house was opened for visitors.
In Doslovče lies the house of birth of another Slovenian literary giant, F. S. Finžgar, who is known primarily for his short and long narratives about peasant and bourgeois life, he also wrote popular plays.
In the village of Breznica the Janša brothers were born: Anton, Valentin and Alexander. Mr.Anton Janša was known as the pioneer of modern beekeeping and one of the best connoisseurs of bees. The academically educated painter, worked as the first teacher of beekeeping at the imperial court.
Near the house of Janša you can find his apiary with painted panels that are artistically decorated. The monument of Janez Janša lies at the local road, and it was built by beekeepers for 200 anniversary of his death.
In Zabreznica the legal writer Janko Dovžan was born as well as two professional publicists: Mrs. Milica Dovžan - Grafenauer and Mr. Jože Sodja. The village Zabreznica is close to the small village of Selo. All farm houses are slightly leaning on the Church of St. George from the first half of the fifteenth century. In the village Selo partisan writer and chronicler Jože Vidic was born.
In the center of the village Žirovnica Matija Čop was born. Son of peasants he spoke 19 languages, had an excellent general education and excellent knowledge of the medieval, baroque and renaissance literature, and of course the romantic literature of his time. He tragically died during a swim in the Sava river in 1835. Visit the Žirovnica Institute for Tourism and Culture.
Kranj
Kranj is a historic town between two rivers and it was continuously inhabited since the period of Inliers in the first millennium BC. Kranj first experienced a peak in the time of the fall of antiquity, in the dark period of migration of peoples. After resettlements of Slavs in 6th and 7th century, a mighty colony settled in this place, of which the largest old-Slavic cemetery in Slovenia speaks, which was dug out on the Glavni trg (main market).
Kranj lost its autonomy in the 9th century. At that time Kranj became the seat of Carniola mark, got a count and its name, which it still has nowadays. Kranj remained a political and administrative unit until the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The development of trade in the 13th century brought Kranj the city status. In the 16th century the development of iron ore mining in the Gorenjska and Carinthia region accelerated trade and transport in this field. In the first half of the 19th century first manufactures occurred and in the end of the 19th century the first industries.
Kranj is the fourth largest city in Slovenia, the unofficial centre of the Gorenjska region and the seat of the municipality. It is situated at the crossroads of important transport routes, linking North Europe with the Mediterranean and Western Europe to Eastern Europe. In 1983 Kranj was declared a historical and cultural monument.
In Prešeren’s street you can visit the house in which Slovenian poet Dr. France Prešeren lived and worked. In 1964 the first floor was turned into Prešeren’s memorial museum, where the poets’ legacy and documents about his life can be viewed.
On the main market one of the largest cultural heritage of Kranj is located, the parish church of St. Kancijan. The late Gothic church with a presbytery from the end of the 14th century is dedicated to Aquileia martyrs Kancijan, Prot and Kancijanil.
Kranj has a rich tradition in sports, since it brought the world a few top athletes in the field of swimming, basketball, climbing, cycling, athletics, ski-jumping, karate etc. Kranj with its sports facilities is regularly the scene of important international competitions.
By means of foreign investment, in particular Czech capital in the twenties of the past century, the textile industry prospered, characterized by a number of new factories with a lot of employees. The importance of the industry has increased after the 2nd world war when in addition to the textile industry the electrical, rubber and shoe industry developed.
Immigration of workers caused a rapid expansion of the city with new residential neighbourhoods. Today the city is booming again, and trade, crafts, tourism and other industries that are typical for all medium-sized European cities are developing....
More information and calendar of events on the official website of the Kranj Tourism Board
Tržič
The development of Tržič is connected to the road, which in the Roman Empire connected the Virunum on the Gosposvetska field with the city of Emona. Lubelino Square, which was situated a bit higher along that road, was destroyed by landslides and thus, the settlement moved into the valley Tržiška Bistrica. The village acquired the market rights by Emperor Frederic III in 1492, which facilitated the development of trade with animals and iron. The market became the center of the ironworks and crafts, especially for shoes and leather industry.
In 1811 the city was burned, 150 houses were destroyed and over sixty production sites.After the city’s reconstruction, the members of the city hall decided, that all houses in Tržič must have a metal doors and shutters. This still gives the city its unique appearance. The city can be divided into functional parts – a part for ironworks and a market part, the church complex and industrial workshops.
Like most cities in Gorenjska, Tržič also offers a wide range of attractions.You can find a lot of interesting collections in the City Museum of Tržič that offers visitors a rich ethnological heritage about the shoemaker craft and textile industry as well as old paintings.
It also boasts classic architecture archeology since the 19th century, some momentous churches, such as the neo-Gothic church of St. Andrew of the 13th century. Also, one must not forget the castle named Neuhaus with its beautiful park and the main façade and the family house Mally, which represents a group of bourgeoisie - aristocratic manors, with its renaissance portal with the inscription 1618, all showing the city’s rich period of late Gothic and Renaissance.
The hills and mountains are one of the most characteristic features of the community of Tržič. Peaks of the Karavanke Mountainsand Kamnik – Savinja Alps rise above the landscape of forests and have always been a popular destination for climbers. The Tržič mountains offer a nice view of two provinces - Carniola and Carinthia, as well as two countries: Slovenia and Austria.
Tržič is known around the world notonly for its shoe industry, it is also famous for one of the greatest Slovenian athletes Bojan Križaj, sportsman with Olympic medals, who is still a synonym for Slovenian alpine skiing.
For more information visit theTourist Information Center Tržič, Trg svobode 18 Square, SI-4290 Tržič, phone 0386 4 5971 536 or 0386 51 627 057, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., as they currently have no information available in English online.