Ribnica

The Ribnica valley had poor soil and plenty of wood, and in 1492 the emperor granted its people the right to trade their own goods freely throughout the Habsburg lands, which turned the district into a producer of suha roba, dry goods: sieves, tubs, spoons, toothpicks, rakes and baskets, carried on foot across Europe by hawkers. The trade shaped the valley for four centuries. The craft is still practised, and the Ribnica museum keeps both the woodenware and the local pottery.

What you actually see

• The suha roba - sieves, tubs, spoons and baskets of the traditional woodenware trade.
• The 1492 licence - the imperial grant that let the valley's people trade across the empire.
• The Ribnica pottery - the local earthenware tradition shown alongside the wood.
• The Ribnica Fair - the annual craft fair held in the town.

When to go

April to October for the museum and workshops; the Ribnica Fair is in early September. Winter hours are shorter. Demonstrations need arranging outside fair days.

Honest expectations

The town itself is plain and the interest is the museum and the craft. Workshops are scattered around the valley and need a car. Much of the woodenware sold now is souvenir grade.

Nearby

Kocevje is south, and Sticna is northeast.