Kropa

Kropa ( German: Kropp, older even Siedendorf ) is a village in the municipality radovljica in Upper Carniola in Slovenia.

• 3.1 waters 3.1.1 Images of Kroparica

• 4.1 Secular Buildings 4.1.1 Images of houses

• 4.2.1 parish church of Saint Leonard
• 4.2.2 Branch Church of the Mother of God

Location and population

Kropa located in the south of the municipality of radovljica and counts 839 inhabitants.

" Plac " - Main Square

No matter on which of the three winding roads you will reach kropa, in any case, you will reach the main square of the village, " Plac " called. Up the road leads along the creek towards the narrowest part " Kotel " and ( konec Spodnji ) continues up to " Jamnik ", brook down you get to the lower part.

The old settlement was granted at the end of the 18th century their appearance with a series of foundry houses, two churches and buildings for the technical processing of iron.

Cultural Historical Monument

As one of the major industrial centers kropa preserved the traits of Krainer iron processing settlement. As far as urban characteristics, but also technical, cultural and historical monuments, kropa is one of the most important historical places in Slovenia. Since 1953, it stands as a cultural monument protected by law.

Water storage of the former Lower Foundry

History

The upturn Kropas began in the 14th century, when the forest - iron smelting began to shift down of the ore deposits on Jelovica the valley to the streams. From this period also the remnants of the Slovenian furnaces on the street come up after Jamnik. In the 15th century two blast furnaces ( Upper and Lower iron foundry ) and forges were built. As part of the iron foundries existed a production scheme from the ore to the pin - nails for sales at home and abroad. Foundry owner lived and worked together with iron forging - Nail producer. As of 1550 enjoyed a kropa conceded by Ferdinand Mining order special autonomy, regardless of the landowners. It was under the direction of a mining judge. The law remained until the reforms of Emperor Joseph the Second in 1781 into force. By the end of the Habsburg Empire, the town belonged to the crown land of Carniola, where kropa an independent municipality in the judicial district Radmannsdorf ( political district Radmannsdorf ) was formed.

Waters

The Kroparica ( older name also Preprovka ) is a fast- flowing, steep mountain stream. In the first half of the 19 century, he turned over a length of 1,200 meters or 50 water wheels for the bellows and hammer works of foundries and forges.

Images of Kroparica

Ore deposits

The surroundings of kropa was rich in brown iron ore. In the distant past, it was flushed out by the water and deposited in Lehmadern at up to 50 meters deep places, in other places just below the surface.

Historical blast furnace in Dno

In the course of road construction from kropa after Jamnik were discovered in 1953 on the remains of a historic blast furnace from the 14th century. The discovery of this furnace, which had been built most probably between the second half of the 13th and the early 14th century, represents a rare and important find of the technical heritage of iron processing represents the use of the Krainer blast furnace was repeatedly in historical sources by all centuries earlier, in any case were blueprint and condition unknown until the discovery in kropa. This was at that time an important type of furnaces for central Europe, mainly in the alpine regions of Carniola and Carinthia, where the use of this blast furnace - type in the period between the 13th and the 16th century was widespread.

The Slovenian blast furnace in the form of an inverted pyramid was about three feet high. The originality of the furnace is apparent in the structure of the slag outlet opening at the front and the melt container in the form of a drip tray. The Lufteinblasmethode is still unknown. In a ten -hour iron ore smelting process, which was used around 800 kg of charcoal, you could win 200 kg pig iron.

Historical blast furnace from the 14th century in Dno

Charcoal

In the 18th century, spent foundry workers annually 1,200 tons of wood coal to produce 400 tons of iron. For a charcoal kiln, which produced a little less than one ton of charcoal, about ten cubic meters of wood were needed. Hard wood charcoal from logs of deciduous trees was the appropriate fuel for furnaces, whereas the soft was used from coniferous plants for forging.

Nails

Nails are the main product of iron production in kropa. Proven at least hundreds of different varieties was the most typical Mediterranean selection of long, thin and short, thick nails with " two-winged " heads.

Structures

Secular buildings

In the narrow valley, there was little room for a settlement. The buildings which were once owned by the owner of iron processing plants are mostly multi-storey. They are inspired by the mountains close to each other along the creek. Behind the house of Köhler, miners and nails producers are located on the steep slopes. On the eastern side of the main square are the Tramuška, Pibrovec and Šolar houses and on the west side are the homes of Troha, Vretana, Paznik and Ažman. The most notable buildings are due to the typical Renaissance and Baroque - style elements in these stately residences of those Macal and Klinar ( Klinarjeva hiša ). In the former was from 1888 to 1957 the primary school and in the other the Ironforge Museum ( Kovaški Muzej) is housed.

Pictures of houses

Religious buildings

Parish Church of Saint Leonard

It was built in 1481. The original building is Gothic. The bell tower, which is connected to the nave to the north, has a neo-Gothic roof, which is covered with slate - " Plattln ". The interior design was created by artists from the 18th, 19th and 20th century: Matija Bradaška, Miha Maleš, the Tyrolean painter Josef Plank, Henrieta Langus, Ivana Kobilca, Janez Potočnik Krstnik, Jožef Šubic, Leopold Layer, or his workshop, the Tyrolean painter Ferdinand Stuff eater, Ignacij Ahrer and Peter Janežič. The church organ from 1862 was built by Francesco Ljubljana Eng. The altar, the cross, the lectern and the pulpit are works of art smiths on site, Jože Šolar and Joža Bertoncelj. In the church facade quality stones and cast- grave stones were also built as a memorial to the casualties of the First World War. Another quality work is a wooden cross next to the presbytery. In the churchyard stands an iron cross from 1886 and some nice machined grave stones. From the cemetery walls one has a beautiful view of the lying in the narrow valley settlement and a little higher up another church.

Parish Church of Saint Leonard with cemetery

Parish Church of Saint Leonard

Branch Church to the Mother of God

It is one of the most important baroque architectural monuments in the Krain. It was consecrated on July 2, 1729. According to tradition, found seven boys at this place a picture of the " Mercy Mary" and built an altar in her honor. After several miracles more and more pilgrims visited the worship space. Later, the pilgrimage came to a halt, but was revived and at the present time it is almost forgotten again. The bell tower and the nave were built in the mid 19th century. In the Neo-Gothic bell tower over the presbytery a death knell, which also admonished for those people rang, who departed abroad, there to sell nails depends. The church is late baroque features. Paintings were made by Leopold Layer, Peter Janežič and Matija Bradaška. The sacristy by the church is a baroque building from the year in 1741.

In the summer months every Sunday services are held, and in any case no later than January 6, 2 July, 15 August, 8 September and 24 December.

In the church hang several votive offerings and one of them is also the rediscovered venerated image of Mary, which was probably made by Janez Potočnik Krstnik. In the painting the boys are shown, which were, according to tradition an image of the Mother of God on paper and revered then Andrej Mertelj (11 years), Lovrenz Mertelj (7 years), Janze Krstnik Zigan (7 years), Jurij Pehemb (8 years), Andrej Popovec ( 6 years), Lenart Popovec (7 years) and a silent Yuri Klemenc (6 years). It is reported that the silent boy started to speak, when the image was found.

Branch Church of the Mother of God

Florian image Stock

The balance sheet as at Plac niche shrine has a four-sided pyramid roof with slate covering, whose top is crowned by a statue of Saint Florian forged. In the niches are paintings of Mary, Saint Michael, Saint Florian and Bishop Hren.

Partisan Memorial

Built on the south side of Plac Monument was created by sculptor Stane Keržič in 1965. The iron figures were forged in the workshop UKO in kropa.

Photos of lanterns

Day of the forging

This traditional festival held on July 2, continues the tradition of forging and making a significant contribution to the preservation of historical and ethnological heritage. The festival has its roots in 1705, when seven boys found an image of the Virgin Mary in the forest above the village. According to legend, it was in connection with this image numerous miraculous events, which the inhabitants Kropas considered as an indication, then to build a new church. The July 2, the inauguration of the Church - which is also referred to as " the chapel " - became known as " Kovaški šmaren " or "Day of the forge", a holiday for all kropa. The event offers the forges and their hard-working helpers, as well as the miners, coal miners and smelters one days respite from the daily work. In the morning we visited the fair and then you happily spend a day with recreational activities such as nature hikes, social contacts and at parties.

The "Day of the forge" became the most important annual event of the place, whose main concern has become the public presentation of the daily work of forging Kropas In its modern form. The settlement with its unique tradition, their customs and their dialect forged during their 700 -year history, its own distinctive community with the help of fire and iron, which can be designated with pride as the cradle of iron forging. In addition, the "Day of the forge" for Kropas inhabitants - both the locals and the survivors away - an opportunity of meeting, to celebrate sports, cultural and entertainment events together.

Personalities

• Anton Dermota, Lyric Tenor (* 1910 † 1989)
• Dušan Petrač, physicist ( b. 1932 )
• Marko Kovšca, teacher (* 1838 † 1894)
• Kristina Šuler, poet (* 1866 † 1959)
• Janez Potočnik Krstnik, painter (* 1749 † 1834)
• Janez Potočnik, economist and politician ( b. 1958 )
• Peter Žmitek, painter (* 1874 † 1935)
• Joža Bertoncelj, Art Smith ( * 1901 † 1976)
• Rudi Finžgar, athletes ( * 1920 † 1995)
• Joze Gaspersič, metallurgist (* 1896 † 1964)