Trzic Old Town

About

Everything began with the dragon. It made its lair deep into the longest Slovenian mountain, Mt Košuta. When it grew into a large beast, it split the mountain in half. An avalanche came rumbling down, burying the settlement under the mountain. To save themselves the residents rushed into the valley. After a while they ran out of breath and stopped. The mountain stream flowed into the river at exactly that spot. They liked it. They rolled up their sleeves, built houses and founded the town that is now known as Tržič. This was a long time ago. So long ago that in 1492, exactly two months after Columbus discovered America, Tržič was not just a village, but already a square. Every few centuries the town of Tržič was renovated, as it was burned down to the ground by fire. This is why it is the only town with a two centuries old fire protection and the then mandatory use of metal doors and shutters, which was a European peculiarity. Tržič had also its own castle on top of the hill, which sadly burned in one of those fires. This happened when it was owned by the world-renowned Austrian Field Marshal Josef Radetzky, famous today for the eponymous march composed by Strauss. Radetzky replaced the burned-down castle with today's mansion. He was held in high regard by the people of Tržič due to his generosity. Since there was a lot of traffic in this area already in Ancient Roman times, the people of Tržič reinvented themselves to become very enterprising ironworkers, wheelwrights, textile workers, tanners and above all shoemakers. The rich collection in the Museum of Tržič and the famous event "Šuštarska nedelja" are evidence of this glorious crafting history. Today, Tržič is a pleasant old town, protected as a cultural monument. This is a place worth stopping at and listening to its countless stories. By the way, what happened to the dragon that took credit for Tržič? It was buried by the same avalanche that it caused. Lucky for the visitors of Tržič, otherwise it would still scare them today.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 30 minutes