The Rough Guide to Slovenia by Rough Guides

Author:Rough Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780241314685
Publisher: Rough Guides Ltd

LACE-MAKING IN IDRIJA

The art of bobbin lace-making first took off in Slovenia in the seventeenth century and, despite having been practised in many towns and rural areas throughout the country, its roots have remained strongest in Idrija, where the craft has been taught in the town’s Lace School since 1876.

Traditionally, lace-making was practised by most women as a means of supplementing a miner’s often very meagre wage – a state of affairs that became even more pressing following the decline of this and other traditional industries (such as iron smelting) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lace-making industry continued apace, with its products sold mainly to the Church, until World War II. After this, however, its popularity waned, only to be revived in the 1980s. Today’s lace products are primarily made as gifts and souvenirs.

Idrija lace (Idrijska čipka) takes many forms, from simple flower-based patterns to intricately woven cloths featuring folk or peasant motifs, many of which are technically superb; you can view, and buy, many such specimens in several shops in town, though the best places to buy are the shops in the castle courtyard and the Lace School. This exquisite handicraft’s ongoing importance and enduring popularity is celebrated in the annual Lace Festival (Čipkarski Festival) on the third weekend of June, involving lace-making competitions, arts and crafts exhibitions and evening entertainment.

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