The Venice of Gorenjska

The water of the Tržiška Bistrica River and the Mošenik stream, which converge right in Tržič, once drove the machinery of this small manufacturing town in a basin below the Karavanke peaks. Over the millraces stretch little bridges, and the town centre houses, furnished with wrought iron doors and shutters, are squeezed into the streets without any order. This town was once the home of Marshal Radetzky – the same one whose famous march is played at New Year by the Vienna Philharmonic.

PROTECTED TOWN CENTRE

Tržič has a range of special features, but the biggest feature is the town centre itself, which as a whole has been protected for decades as a cultural and historical monument. The buildings with their medieval ground plans retained a classicist design in the rows of facades after the great fire of 1811, but they also acquired special characteristics. There are outstanding:

portals – with rosettes, construction dates, initials of the house owner and the Eye of God;

wrought iron shutters, window screens and doors – prescribed furnishings that would prevent the spread of fire in the event of a new conflagration;

spyholes – to observe goings-on in the street without needing to open the window;

drying openings in the roofs – for drying pelts,canvas, linen and socks;

opestniki – roadside kerbstones that protected house fronts from being damaged by wagons.

“PVA C’” HOUSES
Neuhaus Castle: this building on a hill above the town was historically always occupied by those in authority over the town, including the famous Marshal Radetzky.

Dev House: the birth house of Janez Damascen Dev, writer of the first Slovenian libretto Belin and the co-creator of Pisanice, the first Slovenian secular poetic almanac.

Church of St. Andrew: it was here that the Christmas song Silent Night was first performed in Slovenian, having been translated by the then serving Tržič priest Jakob Aljaž.

FROM PREHISTORY TO THE PRESENT DAY

In this town close to the well-known Dovžanova soteska Gorge, with stones from the Palaeozoic Age, a view of various periods is provided by the museum collections. Visit:

Tržič Museum – in the former dyeing and tanning shop, it preserves the heritage of Tržič hand crafts and presents the cultural and ethnographic heritage of this ironworking town;

Kurnik House – the birth house of the folk poet Vojteh Kurnik, a rural burgher house from the 18th century with original fixtures, a “black” open-fire kitchen and cobbler’s workshop;

GREEN: NORDIC WALKING

Caring for nature and the environment is also caring for yourself! Discover the charms of the town and the natural environment in a natural way. Try Nordic walking. At the tourist promotion and information centre in town you can rent Nordic walking poles, and you can learn this method in Tržič with the help of an experienced guide. The centre also offers bicycles for rent.

EXILED BY A DRAGON

Once there was a small blacksmith and forging settlement below the nearby mountain pass. One day the old cockerel of a local blacksmith flew off towards the mountain, crowed and laid an egg. From this egg hatched a dragon, which grew into an enormous monster. When it jumped, it released an avalanche that buried the settlement – and the dragon! The people had to flee, and only stopped in the basin by the foot of the mountain. They stayed right there – and created Tržič.

TPIC Tržič
Trg svobode 18, SI-4290 Tržič
T: +386 (0)4 597 15 36
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www.trzic.si

Tržič – Kranj 18 km Tržič – Ljubljana 50 km Tržič – Bled 23 km Tržič – letališče J.P. Ljubljana 26 km Tržič – Celovec 39 km