Forests brought wealth to the region, as timber sold for a good price. As early as the 18th century, masts were supplied to shipyards in Trieste and Rijeka. Owners of ironworks also owned large areas of forest, as wood was needed for the production of
Gorenjska Museum collections
The timber trade
iron. When ironworks became less successful, their owners in the wider Radovljica, Bled, Tržiè and Kokra area became involved in the timber trade. The largest owners of forests and sawmills were the Born family from Tržiè and the Fuchs family from Jezersko, as well as the Carniolan Industrial Company. In the late 19th century, the latter sold its extensive forests on the Pokljuka, Jelovica and Mežakla plateaus to the state and they later became the property of the Church fund. The early 20th century saw the establishment of two large local timber merchants, Franc Dolenc and Ivan Heinrihar, who within two decades took over most of the timber trade in Upper Carniola.
(Gorenjska Museum collections)
8 Gorenjskia Museum collections
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Kranj, showing the railway station, on a postcard from the early 20th century.
LONG LIFE TO ALL NATIONS /France Prešeren/