Zelezniki

Železniki was an ironworking town from the fourteenth century, smelting local ore with charcoal from the forests around it, and a reconstructed blast furnace stands in the middle as the reminder. When the ironworks closed in 1902 the town turned to what the women had been doing alongside it, bobbin lace, and Železniki lace is still made and taught here. In September 2007 the Selška Sora rose in a few hours and tore through the town, killing three people and destroying much of the centre.

What you actually see

• The blast furnace - a reconstructed charcoal furnace in the middle of the town.
• The lace tradition - bobbin lace still made, taught and shown at the summer festival.
• The Zelezniki Museum - the ironworking and lace collections in an old ironmaster's house.
• The flood marks - levels of the 2007 flood recorded on buildings.

When to go

April to October for the museum; the lace festival is in summer. Winter opening is limited. The valley is narrow and gets dark early in the afternoon.

Honest expectations

The town is workaday and much of the centre is post-flood rebuilding. Museum hours are short outside summer. Public transport up the valley is infrequent.

Nearby

Skofja Loka is east, and Kropa is northeast.