Jesenice
Encyclopedia
Jesenice is a town
and a municipality in Slovenia
, on the Slovene side of the Karavanke mountain range, bordering Austria
to the north. It is known as the home of Slovenia's largest steel
company, Acroni, and the hockey
club it sponsors, Acroni Jesenice
. The town name derives from the ash tree
, which once grew in abundance locally. The history of Jesenice is tightly knit with that of its ironworks
and metallurgy
industries, which have until recently been the driving force of the town's development in practically all areas.
region, in the Upper Sava Valley
. It is surrounded by the Karavanke mountain range to the north and by mount Mežakla
to the south. Across the Karavanke lies the Austria
n town of Villach
. The resort town of Kranjska Gora
is 15 kilometres northwest of Jesenice, while the picturesque tourist destination Bled
lies 10 kilometres to the southeast. Other nearby villages and towns include Mojstrana
, Hrušica
and Žirovnica
. The hamlet of Planina pod Golico
, 5 km north of Jesenice, is popular with tourists, especially in May when the wild daffodils are in flower. Jesenice's climate
is transitional between temperate
and continental
, with influences of alpine
.
name for Jesenice is Aßling, first mentioned in a 1004 document in which Bled
(Veldes at that time) was also mentioned. There were no settlements there at that time, however, and the name Assling only marked an area on the banks of Jesenica Creek. Later, a settlement slowly started to grow around the area now known as Murova, where the church of St. Leonard
is today.
There are few sources for the early history of Jesenice; most of them focus on ironworks. The oldest is a set of mining rights issued to the House of Ortenburg
, dating to 1381. According to the document, the first settlements
in the area were founded on the southern slopes of the Karavanke (not in the Sava Valley) due to need for wood, flowing water for mills, and iron ore. With the development of new techniques of extraction of iron from ore, the need for water energy grew, and the small streams on the slopes of the Karavanke were no longer sufficient. The ore-extracting industry was thus relocated to the valley in 1538, when Bernardo Bucellini from Bergamo
gained permission from Emperor Ferdinand
to move the ironworks to a greater water source, the Sava
, creating a settlement that was to become Jesenice. The ironworks continued to mine ore from the slopes of the Karavanke.
Members of the House of Ortenburg were the most prominent landowners in the area from the 11th century onwards. They were at their apex in the 13th century in terms of land, encompassing almost all of the Sava Valley from its source to its confluence
with the Sora River
. The oldest settlement in the area of present-day Jesenice municipality
is Koroška Bela
, founded in the 13th century. Initially, there were no other settlements in Koroška Bela's immediate surroundings. The House of Ortenburg, however, promoted colonisation
of the Upper Sava Valley
, especially in ore-rich areas. Throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, the small settlements of Plavž
, Sava
, Murova and Slovenski Javornik
sprung up. On 20 March 1929 , by decree
of king
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
, all of these settlements were amalgamated into the town of Jesenice.
Different iron foundries
belonged to different owners (the Zois, Ruard and Bucelleni families) and did not interact. All developed and evolved very quickly. This situation continued until the arrival of capitalist
liberalism
in the 19th century. Compared to other foundries around the world at the time, the Jesenice ironworks were very out-of-date. The need for their modernisation was apparent, but this would require vast amounts of capital, which neither the Zoises, the Ruards nor the Bucellenis had available. Help was offered by a family of bankers from Ljubljana
, the Luckmann family. They agreed to modernize the iron foundries, but demanded the foundation of a new shareholder company. The company, named Kranjska Industrijska Družba (KID) (Carniolan Industrial Company) was founded on September 18, 1869 by the Luckmann family. The Zois family was the first to join the company, with the Ruards following three years later. The company soon expanded its activities to the Tržič
ironworks and to Croatia
(Topusko
). This was the first time that all the Upper Carniolan
ironworks were joined under a single administration, with central management in Ljubljana
and business administration in Jesenice. The greatest achievement of KID was the discovery of a process for obtaining ferromanganese
in a smelting furnace
. This innovation brought KID a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Vienna
in 1873 and worldwide fame. Jesenice ironworks achieved a status as a pioneering centre of technical invention in the history of ironworking.
KID was also the basis for a new ironworks facility, which still provides employment today. The new facility started expanding quickly, from medieval-style iron foundries to up-to-date modern ironworks facilities in just a few years. The town of Jesenice grew almost exponentially, with a great influx of people attracted to the newly created jobs.
associations Sokol (hawk) in 1904 and Orel (eagle) in 1906. The associations were aligned with competing political and social movements, and were in constant competition, providing the dynamics for political, cultural and social activities.
Other groups established at that time were a choir
, a reading club, a brass band
, and the Workers' Catholic
Association. Three political parties
: clerical, liberal
and social democratic, also became active in Jesenice, all three establishing their own cultural and gymnastics associations. Germans
had a great influence in Jesenice at that time; Orel and Sokol were founded as a counterweight to German influence, both being nationally-oriented.
In 1904, the rolling mills were relocated from Jesenice to Javornik (at the eastern end of today's Jesenice). Stockholders wanted to cover the expenses of relocation by lowering workers wages, which led to the first strike in Jesenice, involving around 400 workers. The strike lasted for six weeks, with strikers only partially achieving their goal.
In 1870, the first railway tracks were laid through Jesenice, and construction of railway station followed soon after. This made Jesenice much better connected with the world and allowed for greater exports. In 1905, construction of the Karavanke-Bohinj railway was started. This was a very complicated project, since it demanded the drilling of two tunnels: one to Austria through the Karavanke and the other through the Kobla mountain in Bohinj
for better access to Italy
. The tunnels were successfully completed and the railway line was opened to traffic in a special ceremony attended by Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
.
, the ironworks were mainly converted to the manufacture of military products. The front lines being some distance to the south, the war did not reach Jesenice, which only suffered one bombing attack by Italian aircraft
, with no casualties at all. With the end of World War I came major political changes - on December 1, 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed, opening up new markets. Due to its border position, Jesenice became an important traffic junction. A grammar school was established in 1914. The first boys' and girls' school was established in 1920 and, renamed in 1935, offering higher education. There was no high school in Jesenice before the end of World War II (it was established in 1945). For its own staffing needs, KID established an apprenticeship school in 1938. Between the wars, Jesenice was also the center of various kinds of craft and small trade. A tradesman's union was formed in 1920.
Development of the ironworks continued; by 1937, 4567 workers were affiliated to a greater or lesser extent with KID.
Italy occupied
Jesenice on April 11, 1941, with the Germans taking over eight days later. That resulted in the immediate arrest of some of the workers' leaders, educated and culture-affiliated individuals, and all Roma people. Forced mobilization and recruitment
followed soon after. The Germans were aware of the strategic and industrial importance of Jesenice, so they soon began with a programme of assimilation, introducing lessons only in German
to schools, Germanizing public signs, etc. These measures lead to the formation of the Partisan
movement in Jesenice; the most significant being the Cankar
Brigade.
As had been the case during World War I, the steel industry was again diverted to German military needs. Since most of the population was sympathetic to the resistance, sabotage was a problem, and the German management
started importing French
workers, which were followed by Italian workers after Italian capitulation
in 1943.
On March 1, 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Jesenice suffered the worst bombing in its history, by Allied forces
, which came in two waves. There were many casualties and a great deal of damage in the centre of the town, including the total destruction of the train station.
, and started employing more people than ever before. Many new industrial buildings were built, increasing production manyfold. With this age of prosperity, Jesenice began to develop into its present shape. As the population increased, massive building of apartment blocks, houses and residential sections took place. Cultural, sports, school, medical and traffic infrastructure
was built. Jesenice became the center of black metallurgy
in Slovenia. Introduction of electrical steel processing marked the era of manufacturing steel of higher quality and in greater quantities. At its peak in the 1970s, the ironworks employed more than 8,000 people.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia
, economic policies changed and the Jesenice ironworks could not compete with the much more developed metallurgy in the West. Another problem was the loss of access to raw material resources, now located in the newly independent republics of the former SFRY. This led to massive layoffs and emigration of people in search of new jobs. The ironworks currently employs around 1350 workers, but has undergone massive modernisation. It is currently on the level of other steel making companies throughout the world. In the years since the declaration of Slovenian independence in 1991, however, Jesenice has become much less dependent on its metallurgic industry, and is currently developing other areas of its economy.
Jesenice is presently undergoing massive urban reconstruction with the help of EU
resources. A new city centre is being built in the former industrial heart of the town, where almost all of the 1950s steelmill buildings have been demolished. Two shopping malls have already been built, as well as a new city hall. Current projects include rebuilding some old parts of town and improvements to sports facilities, as well as another high school.
nationalities, due to the past need for labor for the steel industry, migration from Bosnia-Herzegovina has supplied the town a significant Muslim
minority. As with many Eastern Europe
an countries, a nontrivial portion of the populace describe themselves as nonreligious.
During the late 80s and early 90s, Jesenice functioned as a "beachead" for (often non-traditional) religious communities attempting to make inroads in Yugoslavia, with a number of "house churches" of various affiliation functioning.
Places of worship in Jesenice include:
There are also three primary-level (grades 1-9) institutions:
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and a municipality in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, on the Slovene side of the Karavanke mountain range, bordering Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to the north. It is known as the home of Slovenia's largest steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
company, Acroni, and the hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
club it sponsors, Acroni Jesenice
HK Acroni Jesenice
HK Acroni Jesenice is a Slovenian ice hockey team that currently plays in the Austrian Erste Bank Hockey League. They play their home games at Dvorana Podmežakla in Jesenice.- Before World War 2 :...
. The town name derives from the ash tree
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, which once grew in abundance locally. The history of Jesenice is tightly knit with that of its ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
industries, which have until recently been the driving force of the town's development in practically all areas.
Geography and climate
Jesenice lies in the Upper CarniolaCarniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
region, in the Upper Sava Valley
Upper Sava Valley
The Upper Sava Valley is an alpine valley in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. The Sava Dolinka river flows along it. It begins in Rateče at an altitude of 870 m and ends at Moste at 560 m. It is the geographical border between the Julian Alps and the Karavanke Alps. It was created on a...
. It is surrounded by the Karavanke mountain range to the north and by mount Mežakla
Mežakla
Mežakla is a long undulating plateau about 15 km long, in the foothills of the Julian Alps above the town of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. It ranges from approximately 1,200 to 1,348 meters high. It is mostly covered with spruce and beech trees. There are many pastures and clear streams...
to the south. Across the Karavanke lies the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n town of Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
. The resort town of Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps...
is 15 kilometres northwest of Jesenice, while the picturesque tourist destination Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
lies 10 kilometres to the southeast. Other nearby villages and towns include Mojstrana
Mojstrana
Mojstrana is a village in the municipality of Kranjska Gora in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia located in the Upper Sava Valley at the point where Bistrica Creek joins the Sava River below the main road from Jesenice to Kranjska Gora at an elevation of 641 m. The glacial Vrata Valley leads...
, Hrušica
Hrušica (Jesenice)
Hrušica is a settlement 3 km west of Jesenice by the main road towards Kranjska Gora in the Jesenice municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia....
and Žirovnica
Žirovnica
Žirovnica is a municipality in Slovenia. It is located in the historic Upper Carniola region, on the southern slope of the Karavanke mountain range, close to the border with Austria...
. The hamlet of Planina pod Golico
Planina pod Golico
Planina pod Golico is a mountain village in the municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It lies at an altitude of 954 m in the Karavanke Alps, at the foot of mount Golica...
, 5 km north of Jesenice, is popular with tourists, especially in May when the wild daffodils are in flower. Jesenice's climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is transitional between temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
and continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
, with influences of alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
.
Early history
The GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
name for Jesenice is Aßling, first mentioned in a 1004 document in which Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
(Veldes at that time) was also mentioned. There were no settlements there at that time, however, and the name Assling only marked an area on the banks of Jesenica Creek. Later, a settlement slowly started to grow around the area now known as Murova, where the church of St. Leonard
Leonard of Noblac
Leonard of Noblac or of Limoges or de Noblet , is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haute-Vienne, in the Limousin of France.-Traditional biography:According to the romance that...
is today.
There are few sources for the early history of Jesenice; most of them focus on ironworks. The oldest is a set of mining rights issued to the House of Ortenburg
Ortenburg
Ortenburg is a municipality and old market town in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany.-History:Set in the Wolfach River valley, Ortenburg can look back over a 900 year history. In about 1120 it was established by the Princes of Ortenburg. At the same time the upwardly mobile von Kamm...
, dating to 1381. According to the document, the first settlements
Planina pod Golico
Planina pod Golico is a mountain village in the municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It lies at an altitude of 954 m in the Karavanke Alps, at the foot of mount Golica...
in the area were founded on the southern slopes of the Karavanke (not in the Sava Valley) due to need for wood, flowing water for mills, and iron ore. With the development of new techniques of extraction of iron from ore, the need for water energy grew, and the small streams on the slopes of the Karavanke were no longer sufficient. The ore-extracting industry was thus relocated to the valley in 1538, when Bernardo Bucellini from Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
gained permission from Emperor Ferdinand
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
to move the ironworks to a greater water source, the Sava
Sava Dolinka
The Sava Dolinka is a headwater of the Sava River in northwestern Slovenia. The 45 km Sava Dolinka starts as Nadiža Creek in the Planica Valley under Mount Zadnja Ponca in the Julian Alps, at an elevation of 1222 m, close to the Italian border. The stream goes underground soon after its source and...
, creating a settlement that was to become Jesenice. The ironworks continued to mine ore from the slopes of the Karavanke.
Members of the House of Ortenburg were the most prominent landowners in the area from the 11th century onwards. They were at their apex in the 13th century in terms of land, encompassing almost all of the Sava Valley from its source to its confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
with the Sora River
Sora River
The Sora is a right affluent of the Sava River in the northeastern part of Slovenia. The Sora gathers its waters mainly from the Škofja Loka Hills. Its source branches are the Poljane Sora , named after the Poljane Valley , and the Selca Sora , named after the Selca Valley . The Poljane Sora is...
. The oldest settlement in the area of present-day Jesenice municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
is Koroška Bela
Koroška Bela
Koroška Bela is a settlement in the municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. While its name refers to historic Carinthia, it has long been located in the Upper Carniolan region rather than in present-day Slovene Carinthia...
, founded in the 13th century. Initially, there were no other settlements in Koroška Bela's immediate surroundings. The House of Ortenburg, however, promoted colonisation
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
of the Upper Sava Valley
Upper Sava Valley
The Upper Sava Valley is an alpine valley in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. The Sava Dolinka river flows along it. It begins in Rateče at an altitude of 870 m and ends at Moste at 560 m. It is the geographical border between the Julian Alps and the Karavanke Alps. It was created on a...
, especially in ore-rich areas. Throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, the small settlements of Plavž
Plavž (Jesenice)
Plavž is a settlement in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, part of the town of Jesenice. The name Plavž means "blast furnace" in Slovene.-History:...
, Sava
Sava (Jesenice)
Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:...
, Murova and Slovenski Javornik
Slovenski Javornik
Slovenski Javornik is a settlement in the Municipality of Jesenice in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. Commonly known simply as Javornik, the place name is derived from the Slovene word javor 'maple'....
sprung up. On 20 March 1929 , by decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
of king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
, all of these settlements were amalgamated into the town of Jesenice.
Industrial growth from the 19th century to World War I
The abovementioned settlements evolved independently of each other and until the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century; they were only connected by a gravel road. In addition to mining and ironworking, inhabitants made a living from agriculture and stockbreeding.Different iron foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
belonged to different owners (the Zois, Ruard and Bucelleni families) and did not interact. All developed and evolved very quickly. This situation continued until the arrival of capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
in the 19th century. Compared to other foundries around the world at the time, the Jesenice ironworks were very out-of-date. The need for their modernisation was apparent, but this would require vast amounts of capital, which neither the Zoises, the Ruards nor the Bucellenis had available. Help was offered by a family of bankers from Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, the Luckmann family. They agreed to modernize the iron foundries, but demanded the foundation of a new shareholder company. The company, named Kranjska Industrijska Družba (KID) (Carniolan Industrial Company) was founded on September 18, 1869 by the Luckmann family. The Zois family was the first to join the company, with the Ruards following three years later. The company soon expanded its activities to the Tržič
Tržic
Tržič is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia near the Austrian border . The first settlement was founded near the road that connected Roman city of Emona with Virunum in present-day Carinthia...
ironworks and to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(Topusko
Topusko
Topusko is a spa town in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia.-Demographics:The population of the town of Topusko is 798, with a total of 3,219 people in the municipality . There are 2045 Croats , 954 Serbs and 65 Bosniaks .Prior to the war, there were 1,587 people in Topusko, of which most were Serbs...
). This was the first time that all the Upper Carniolan
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
ironworks were joined under a single administration, with central management in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and business administration in Jesenice. The greatest achievement of KID was the discovery of a process for obtaining ferromanganese
Ferromanganese
Ferromanganese, a ferroalloy with high content of manganese, is made by heating a mixture of the oxides MnO2 and Fe2O3, with carbon, usually as coal and coke, in either a blast furnace or an electric arc furnace-type system, called a submerged arc furnace. The oxides undergo carbothermal reduction...
in a smelting furnace
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
. This innovation brought KID a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1873 and worldwide fame. Jesenice ironworks achieved a status as a pioneering centre of technical invention in the history of ironworking.
Political, cultural and social life at the beginning of 20th century
The political, cultural and social life in Jesenice at the beginning of the 20th century was affected by the foundation of the competing gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
associations Sokol (hawk) in 1904 and Orel (eagle) in 1906. The associations were aligned with competing political and social movements, and were in constant competition, providing the dynamics for political, cultural and social activities.
Other groups established at that time were a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, a reading club, a brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
, and the Workers' Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Association. Three political parties
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
: clerical, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and social democratic, also became active in Jesenice, all three establishing their own cultural and gymnastics associations. Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
had a great influence in Jesenice at that time; Orel and Sokol were founded as a counterweight to German influence, both being nationally-oriented.
In 1904, the rolling mills were relocated from Jesenice to Javornik (at the eastern end of today's Jesenice). Stockholders wanted to cover the expenses of relocation by lowering workers wages, which led to the first strike in Jesenice, involving around 400 workers. The strike lasted for six weeks, with strikers only partially achieving their goal.
In 1870, the first railway tracks were laid through Jesenice, and construction of railway station followed soon after. This made Jesenice much better connected with the world and allowed for greater exports. In 1905, construction of the Karavanke-Bohinj railway was started. This was a very complicated project, since it demanded the drilling of two tunnels: one to Austria through the Karavanke and the other through the Kobla mountain in Bohinj
Bohinj
Bohinj is a municipality in the Upper Carniola region of northwestern Slovenia, covering the 20 km long and 5 km wide Bohinj basin of the Sava Bohinjka river within the Julian Alps, characterized by the periglacial Lake Bohinj...
for better access to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The tunnels were successfully completed and the railway line was opened to traffic in a special ceremony attended by Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
.
1918-1945
During WWIWorld war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
, the ironworks were mainly converted to the manufacture of military products. The front lines being some distance to the south, the war did not reach Jesenice, which only suffered one bombing attack by Italian aircraft
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
, with no casualties at all. With the end of World War I came major political changes - on December 1, 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed, opening up new markets. Due to its border position, Jesenice became an important traffic junction. A grammar school was established in 1914. The first boys' and girls' school was established in 1920 and, renamed in 1935, offering higher education. There was no high school in Jesenice before the end of World War II (it was established in 1945). For its own staffing needs, KID established an apprenticeship school in 1938. Between the wars, Jesenice was also the center of various kinds of craft and small trade. A tradesman's union was formed in 1920.
Development of the ironworks continued; by 1937, 4567 workers were affiliated to a greater or lesser extent with KID.
Italy occupied
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
Jesenice on April 11, 1941, with the Germans taking over eight days later. That resulted in the immediate arrest of some of the workers' leaders, educated and culture-affiliated individuals, and all Roma people. Forced mobilization and recruitment
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies.The recruitment...
followed soon after. The Germans were aware of the strategic and industrial importance of Jesenice, so they soon began with a programme of assimilation, introducing lessons only in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to schools, Germanizing public signs, etc. These measures lead to the formation of the Partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
movement in Jesenice; the most significant being the Cankar
Ivan Cankar
Ivan Cankar was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist. Together with Oton Župančič, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn, he is considered as the beginner of modernism in Slovene literature...
Brigade.
As had been the case during World War I, the steel industry was again diverted to German military needs. Since most of the population was sympathetic to the resistance, sabotage was a problem, and the German management
German Labour Front
The German Labour Front was the National Socialist trade union organisation which replaced the various trade unions of the Weimar Republic after Adolf Hitler's rise to power....
started importing French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
workers, which were followed by Italian workers after Italian capitulation
Capitulation (surrender)
Capitulation , an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory....
in 1943.
On March 1, 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Jesenice suffered the worst bombing in its history, by Allied forces
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, which came in two waves. There were many casualties and a great deal of damage in the centre of the town, including the total destruction of the train station.
1945-today
After World War II there followed a new economic golden age. Soon after the war, two further smelting furnaces were put into operation. The Jesenice ironworks became one of the main steel manufacturers tasked with the rebuilding the newly-founded Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, and started employing more people than ever before. Many new industrial buildings were built, increasing production manyfold. With this age of prosperity, Jesenice began to develop into its present shape. As the population increased, massive building of apartment blocks, houses and residential sections took place. Cultural, sports, school, medical and traffic infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
was built. Jesenice became the center of black metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
in Slovenia. Introduction of electrical steel processing marked the era of manufacturing steel of higher quality and in greater quantities. At its peak in the 1970s, the ironworks employed more than 8,000 people.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, economic policies changed and the Jesenice ironworks could not compete with the much more developed metallurgy in the West. Another problem was the loss of access to raw material resources, now located in the newly independent republics of the former SFRY. This led to massive layoffs and emigration of people in search of new jobs. The ironworks currently employs around 1350 workers, but has undergone massive modernisation. It is currently on the level of other steel making companies throughout the world. In the years since the declaration of Slovenian independence in 1991, however, Jesenice has become much less dependent on its metallurgic industry, and is currently developing other areas of its economy.
Jesenice is presently undergoing massive urban reconstruction with the help of EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
resources. A new city centre is being built in the former industrial heart of the town, where almost all of the 1950s steelmill buildings have been demolished. Two shopping malls have already been built, as well as a new city hall. Current projects include rebuilding some old parts of town and improvements to sports facilities, as well as another high school.
Religion
The largest religious community in Jesenice are Catholics, but as there is a significant minority of other ex-YugoslavYugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
nationalities, due to the past need for labor for the steel industry, migration from Bosnia-Herzegovina has supplied the town a significant Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
minority. As with many Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries, a nontrivial portion of the populace describe themselves as nonreligious.
During the late 80s and early 90s, Jesenice functioned as a "beachead" for (often non-traditional) religious communities attempting to make inroads in Yugoslavia, with a number of "house churches" of various affiliation functioning.
Places of worship in Jesenice include:
- Church of St. LeonardLeonard of NoblacLeonard of Noblac or of Limoges or de Noblet , is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haute-Vienne, in the Limousin of France.-Traditional biography:According to the romance that...
, the parish church, located in Murova - Church of St. Barbara, a very small church, located in PlavžPlavž (Jesenice)Plavž is a settlement in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia, part of the town of Jesenice. The name Plavž means "blast furnace" in Slovene.-History:...
- Church of St. Ingenuin and St. AlbuinChurch of St. Ingenuin and St. AlbuinThe Church of St. Ingenuin and St. Albuin is a Catholic church located in the village of Koroška Bela, in the municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. The church is dedicated to St. Ingenuin and St...
, a historic and richly decorated church, located in Koroška BelaKoroška BelaKoroška Bela is a settlement in the municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. While its name refers to historic Carinthia, it has long been located in the Upper Carniolan region rather than in present-day Slovene Carinthia... - Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. RochChurch of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Roch (Jesenice)The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Roch is a Catholic church in the Sava neighborhood of the town of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia....
, located in SavaSava (Jesenice)Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:... - Church of the Holy Cross, located in Planina pod GolicoPlanina pod GolicoPlanina pod Golico is a mountain village in the municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It lies at an altitude of 954 m in the Karavanke Alps, at the foot of mount Golica...
- Jesenice MosqueJesenice MosqueThe Jesenice Mosque is a Sunni mosque located in the town of Jesenice, Slovenia, on Viktor Kejžar street, no 19. It is the center of the Jesenice jamaat....
, a small mosque on Viktor Kejžar Street close to the town hall.
Education
There is one college and two secondary schools in Jesenice:- Visoka šola za zdravstveno nego Jesenice (Jesenice College of Nursing), a nursing college established in 2006 by the municipality. The first such program in Slovenia, it is accredited by the state Council for Higher Education in line with European directives and the Bologna declarationBologna declarationThe Bologna declaration is the main guiding document of the Bologna process...
.
- Srednja Šola Jesenice (Jesenice Secondary School), still commonly known by its former name of "ŽIC" (Železarski Izobraževalni Center or "Ironworks Education Centre"), which offers 4-year vocational courses in technical and medicinal subjects. Founded by KID on 19 November 1938.
- Gimnazija Jesenice (Jesenice High School), a preparatory school with a 60-year tradition (founded 1945).
There are also three primary-level (grades 1-9) institutions:
- Osnovna šola Toneta Čufarja Jesenice (Tone Čufar Elementary School), named after the local writer Tone ČufarTone CufarTone Čufar was a Slovene writer, a playwright and a poet.- Biography :Tone Čufar was born in Jesenice as the third son of a factory carpenter. Because of his poor health his parents sent him to work as a shepherd with his uncle in Bohinjska Bela...
. - Osnovna šola Prežihovega Voranca Jesenice (Prežihov Voranc Elementary School), named after the writer and communist activist Prežihov VorancPrežihov VorancPrežihov Voranc was the pen name of Lovro Kuhar, a Slovene writer and Communist political activist. Voranc's literary reputation was established during the 1930s with a series of Slovene novels and short stories in the social realist style, notable for their depictions of poverty in rural and...
. - Osnovna šola Koroška Bela (Koroška Bela Elementary School), operates in two locations, with a main site in Koroška BelaKoroška BelaKoroška Bela is a settlement in the municipality of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. While its name refers to historic Carinthia, it has long been located in the Upper Carniolan region rather than in present-day Slovene Carinthia...
and an annex in Blejska DobravaBlejska DobravaBlejska Dobrava is a settlement in the municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is one of the oldest villages in the area, attested from the 12th century, and is located at the base of the Mežakla plateau, on a series of river terraces between the right bank of the...
. Formerly (pre-1992) named Osnovna šola Karavanških Kurirjev NOB (Karawanken Couriers of the National Liberation Struggle Elementary School).
Sightseeing and notable places
Places to visit in Jesenice include:- The Upper Sava MuseumUpper Sava Museum JeseniceThe Upper Sava Museum Jesenice is a regional museum based in the town of Jesenice and the neighboring municipality of Kranjska Gora, both in northwestern Slovenia. The museum's name refers to the general area it documents, the upper Sava Dolinka river valley...
, comprising:- The Ruard ManorBucelleni-Ruard ManorThe Bucelleni-Ruard Manor, commonly referred to as the Ruard manor , is a 16th century manor house located in the Sava district of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia, at the street address of 45 Prešernova...
in the Old SavaSava (Jesenice)Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:...
neighborhood - ironworks collection - The Kos ManorKos ManorThe Kos Manor is a 16th century manor house located in the Murova neighborhood of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia, at the street address of Cesta maršala Tita 64...
in the Murova neighborhood - gallery and local history exhibits, focusing on the Second World War and the workers' movementLabour movementThe term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour... - The KasarnaKasarnaThe Kasarna is a historic building in the Stara Sava district of the town of Jesenice, Slovenia. Formerly a residential block, it is currently an ethnographic museum. It is located at 48 Prešerenova.-History:...
in Old SavaSava (Jesenice)Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:...
- ethnographic collection
- The Ruard Manor
- There are numerous scenic places in the nearby countryside: one can hike or cycle up to Planina pod GolicoPlanina pod GolicoPlanina pod Golico is a mountain village in the municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.It lies at an altitude of 954 m in the Karavanke Alps, at the foot of mount Golica...
or to Pristava, where swathes of white narcisi bloom in springtime. Planina pod Golico is a good starting point for hikes further up into the mountains, to GolicaGolicaGolica is a peak in the Western Karavanke Alps, on the border between Slovenia and Austria, above the Slovene town of Jesenice. It is known mainly for its fields of wild white narcissi, swathes of which cover Golica and surrounding pastures in late April and early May. This marks the beginning of...
, Rožca, or Španov vrhŠpanov vrhŠpanov vrh is a peak in the Western Karavanke Alps above the village of Planina pod Golico. Like Golica, it is a popular destination for tourists during the flowering of wild white narcissi, swathes of which cover its pastures in late April and early May...
. The highest mountain in Jesenice municipality is Vajnež with 2104 meters. - One of the towering smokestacks of the old steelmill has been preserved as a mid-town landmark; the illuminated red star that formerly decorated its side has been replaced by advertising billboards.
- For ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
fans, a visit to the Dvorana PodmežaklaDvorana PodmežaklaPodmežakla Hall is an indoor sporting arena located in Jesenice, Slovenia. It is the home of the HK Acroni Jesenice ice hockey team and its affiliate HD mladi Jesenice. It is also the site of the Triglav Trophy, an annual international figure skating competition held each spring...
ice skating Ice hockey rink, home of the HK AcroniHK Acroni JeseniceHK Acroni Jesenice is a Slovenian ice hockey team that currently plays in the Austrian Erste Bank Hockey League. They play their home games at Dvorana Podmežakla in Jesenice.- Before World War 2 :...
team, might be worthwhile, especially when there is a match on. Jesenice is also the birthplace of NHL star Anže Kopitar.
- There are also a few pubs and bars frequented by young people, such as Mars (by the hockey hall), Domina, Jožef, Dimnik (in Old SavaSava (Jesenice)Sava, today more commonly known as Stara Sava is a formerly autonomous settlement that is now part of the town and municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.-History:...
) and Teater (next to the Tone Čufar theatre and cinema).
Notable Persons
- Miha BalohMiha BalohMiha Baloh is a Slovene actor. He started participating in local theatre productions after the Second World War and eventually enrolled in the AGRFT in Ljubljana, from where he graduated in 1952. In 1953 he began collaboration with the Permanent Slovene Theatre in Trieste...
, (born 1928), actor - Helena Blagne ZamanHelena Blagne ZamanHelena Blagne Zaman is a Slovenian vocalist. Having sold over two millions records at home and abroad, Helena Blagne is among the most successful Slovene singers of all times.-External links:* *...
, (born 1963), singer - Tone ČufarTone CufarTone Čufar was a Slovene writer, a playwright and a poet.- Biography :Tone Čufar was born in Jesenice as the third son of a factory carpenter. Because of his poor health his parents sent him to work as a shepherd with his uncle in Bohinjska Bela...
(1905–1942), writer - Anja KlinarAnja KlinarAnja Klinar is a butterfly and medley swimmer from Slovenia, who participated for her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.-References:***...
(born 1988), swimmer - Anže KopitarAnže KopitarAnže Kopitar is a Slovene professional ice hockey player and alternate captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League . The first Slovenian to play in the NHL, Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team HK Acroni Jesenice and led his native country before he moved to Sweden...
(born 1987), ice hockey player - Tomo KrižnarTomo KrižnarTomo Križnar is a peace activist, writer and special envoy of the Slovene president for Darfur in Sudan.Tomo Križnar was born in Jesenice, Slovenia. He entered the Sudanese Darfur region in February 2006 via the neighbouring Chad, with the help of Darfur rebels and without a valid visa.He was...
(born 1954), peace activist, writer - Thomas LuckmannThomas LuckmannThomas Luckmann is a German sociologist of Slovene origin. His main areas of research are the sociology of communication, Sociology of knowledge, sociology of religion, and the philosophy of science.- Biography :...
(born 1927), sociologist - Miha MazziniMiha MazziniMiha Mazzini is a Slovenian writer, screenwriter and film director with twenty-three published books, translated in eight languages. He possesses a PhD in anthropology from the Institutum Studiorum Humanitatis and has MA in Creative Writing for Film and Television at The University of Sheffield...
(born 1961), writer, screenwriter, film director - Teodora PoštičTeodora PošticTeodora Poštič is a Slovenian figure skater. She is the 2006-2009 Slovenian national champion.-Post-2004:* J = Junior level-Pre-2004:* N = Novice level; J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew-External links:...
(born 1984), figure skater - Jure RobičJure RobicJure Robič was a Slovenian cyclist and a soldier in the Slovenian Army. He died on in a traffic accident when he was hit by a car on a forest road in Plavški Rovt near Jesenice....
(1965–2010), ultra marathon cyclist - Rudi ŠeligoRudi ŠeligoRudi Šeligo was a Slovenian writer, playwright, essayist and politician. Together with Lojze Kovačič and Drago Jančar, he is considered as one of the foremost Slovenian modernist writers of the post-World War II period.- Life :...
(1935–2004), writer and politician - Rok UrbancRok UrbancRok Urbanc is a Slovenian ski jumper. In Zakopane 2007 Urbanc won his first World Cup-win.-References:...
(born 1985), ski jumper - Gregor UrbasGregor UrbasGregor Urbas is a Slovenian figure skater. He is the nine-time Slovenian national champion.-Post-2002:-Pre-2002:* J = Junior level; QR = Qualifying Round-External links:...
(born 1982), figure skater