Slovenski Javornik
Encyclopedia
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
'.
Primarily a residential community, it also contains the bulk of the remaining steel mill
facilities in the Municipality of Jesenice. The settlement is located directly southeast of the core of Jesenice, on the north bank of the Sava River. Its neighbor to the northwest is the village of Koroška Bela
.
s were established on the right bank of Javornik Creek, below Kres Hill. Javornik was the third iron-working settlement in the modern Jesenice area, after Sava
and Plavž
, although all were predated by the agricultural villages of Koroška Bela and Murova.
The industrial facilities passed through the hands of several owners, including the Pasarelli family, who built a manorhouse at Trebež in the 17th century. Now lost, it was one of four "ironworks castles" built in the area during the 16th and early 17th centuries; the Kos Manor
in Murova and the Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
in Sava survive. In 1752, the Javornik furnaces were among other facilities in the area purchased by the Tarvisio
merchant and investor Michel Angel Zois de Edelstein, the father of the Slovene Enlightenment
patron Baron Sigismund Zois.
After the Ljubljana
-Tarvisio railroad was laid through Jesenice in 1870, the KID company—by then the sole operator of the steel mill—began relocating its plants, up to then scattered throughout the region, to Sava and Javornik. In 1904, the sheet-metal rolling
plant was transferred from Jesenice to Javornik; a decade later, during World War I
, the plant and its workers were moved to Trieste
and Pula
to work on the Austro-Hungarian Navy
.
In 1929, the Javornik facilities were purchased by the Westen brothers, August (1877–1952) and Adolf (1878–1960), who built a new light sheet-metal rolling plant, coming online in 1933. After the war, Yugoslav authorities oversaw a substantial expansion of the steel facilities; the settlement was incorporated into Jesenice in 1945.
Places of note in Javornik include the sprawling Acroni steel mill complexes, and a large bridge over the Sava leading to Blejska Dobrava
, a small train station on the Ljubljana line.
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
region of 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...
. Commonly known simply as Javornik, the place name is derived from the Slovene word javor 'maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
'.
Primarily a residential community, it also contains the bulk of the remaining steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
facilities in the Municipality of Jesenice. The settlement is located directly southeast of the core of Jesenice, on the north bank of the Sava River. Its neighbor to the northwest is the village of 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...
.
History
Javornik was founded in 1403 when Ulrich, the bishop of Brixen, granted Herman Esel the rights to mine iron ore below Koroška Bela. After an ore discovery, blast furnaceBlast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s were established on the right bank of Javornik Creek, below Kres Hill. Javornik was the third iron-working settlement in the modern Jesenice area, after 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:...
and 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:...
, although all were predated by the agricultural villages of Koroška Bela and Murova.
The industrial facilities passed through the hands of several owners, including the Pasarelli family, who built a manorhouse at Trebež in the 17th century. Now lost, it was one of four "ironworks castles" built in the area during the 16th and early 17th centuries; the Kos Manor
Kos Manor
The 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 Murova and the Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
Bucelleni-Ruard Manor
The 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 Sava survive. In 1752, the Javornik furnaces were among other facilities in the area purchased by the Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
merchant and investor Michel Angel Zois de Edelstein, the father of the Slovene Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
patron Baron Sigismund Zois.
After the 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...
-Tarvisio railroad was laid through Jesenice in 1870, the KID company—by then the sole operator of the steel mill—began relocating its plants, up to then scattered throughout the region, to Sava and Javornik. In 1904, the sheet-metal rolling
Rolling (metalworking)
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through a pair of rolls. Rolling is classified according to the temperature of the metal rolled. If the temperature of the metal is above its recrystallization temperature, then the process is termed as hot rolling...
plant was transferred from Jesenice to Javornik; a decade later, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the plant and its workers were moved to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
to work on the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
.
In 1929, the Javornik facilities were purchased by the Westen brothers, August (1877–1952) and Adolf (1878–1960), who built a new light sheet-metal rolling plant, coming online in 1933. After the war, Yugoslav authorities oversaw a substantial expansion of the steel facilities; the settlement was incorporated into Jesenice in 1945.
Places of note in Javornik include the sprawling Acroni steel mill complexes, and a large bridge over the Sava leading to Blejska Dobrava
Blejska Dobrava
Blejska 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...
, a small train station on the Ljubljana line.