Tradition and Handicrafts

Meet Škofja Loka’s area mastercraftspeople

The Škofja Loka area has numerous preserved handicraft traditions and skills with specific ethnological and other traditions. Get acquainted with the work of blacksmiths and lacemakers, linen weavers, hat makers, comb makers and masters of other traditional crafts. Learn how to make Škofja Loka small breads and Dražgoše honey breads. Find inspiration in preserved tradition!

Art&Craft Centre of Škofja Loka

In Škofja Loka and the wider Gorenjska region, craftsmanship has a long and rich tradition. Nowadays, the bond between the rich past of craftsmanship and today’s creativity is presented in the Art&Craft Centre of Škofja Loka and by the craftsmasters who work there. The rich handicraft traditions are preserved, handicraft skills and knowledge are passed on and upgraded with contemporary creativity.

Creative centre KreativNice

In the immediate vicinity of the former Hat making Factory Šešir is a creative center KreativNice. It is an exhibition and creative space that represents the rich heritage of the textile industry in Škofja Loka and promotes creativity and co-working space for creative community and industry. At the same time, it intertwines with the identity of the local community, which is strongly connected with creativity and industry. It promotes and raises interest for these knowledges with young people.

Master Craftspeople and their Products

The arts and crafts products which are created by our master craftspeople are recognisable by their usability, quality, originality and use of original materials. The products are created as a result of the knowledge and experience of our ancestors, the creativity of master craftspeople, resourcefulness and the producer's sense for the aesthetic. These products have a special value because they demonstrate local characteristics and preserve the identity of the environment in which they are created – the Škofja Loka area. All products bear the certificate 'Art & Craft Slovenia', which ensures quality and genuine products.

Handicraft Exhibitions

At the Art&Craft Centre of Škofja Loka every month a new exhibition is opened showcasing handicraft masterpieces. On display there are pieces created by local master craftspeople, who use various techniques to create their works. Exhibitions displaying works by guest exhibitors and various themed exhibitions are also held in the centre.

Handicraft Events

The richness of handicraft creativity is also reflected in the wealth of handicraft events.

The Art&Craft Centre of Škofja Loka takes part in numerous events, which are in one way or another related to an intangible cultural heritage and handicraft creativeness. The centre also operates as an independent events organiser. Every year at Tavčar Manor in Visoko pri Poljane it holds a large handicrafts event, where the focus is on presenting a particular handicraft creativity of the area's master craftspeople.

Workshops and Courses

The transfer of traditional craftsmanship is known to be of key-importance in preserving and upgrading knowledge in communities, therefore the Art&Craft Centre of Škofja Loka organises and carries out handicraft workshops and courses, intended for various target groups. We follow an annual cycle and carry forward the knowledge of our ancestors.

Passion play souvenirs

Since 2008 the Škofja Loka Passion Play has been listed in the register of Live Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Slovenia and is also a candidate for inclusion on the representative UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Passion Play was the first dramatic text to be written in the Slovene language (in 1721) and its staging every six years is the largest theatre performance in the country. The Škofja Loka Passion Play also presents handicraft guilds of that time; today's master craftsmen produce Passion Play souvenirs, which serve as a reminder of the importance of the text and its theatrestaging.

More about the Škofja Loka Passion Play can be found here - www.pasijon.si