Kamna Gorica

In the old village centre of Kamna Gorica you will find narrow streets and typical ironworkers houses with carved portals from green stone and shutters made from wrought iron.

The branched network of water troughs gives the village its unique appearance. Numerous small bridges lead over the water troughs. The water here never stops flowing and its gushing sounds can be heard throughout the village. The most interesting feature is the preserved wooden water troughs which give the village its unique appearance. The large linden tree and park from the central part of the village centre, where in bygone days there was a large blast furnace. In close proximity are the birth houses of the writer and politician Dr. Lovro Toman (Kamna Gorica 37) and that of the artist Matevž Langus (Kamna Gorica 48).

The parish Church of the Holy Trinity stands on a small hill above the village, and next to it the Sextons' Museum House. A stone staircase leads up from the village linden tree, and from the top there are superb views of the village and the surroundings. Together with neighbouring Kropa, from the 15th century right up to the 19th century, Kamna Gorica was one of the most important nail-making centres in Slovenia. The centuries-old tradition of iron forging died out in the first half of the 20th century when the large blast furnace in the centre of the village was dismantled.

Villagers in Kamna Gorica proudly preserve old customs and traditions. On the eve of St. Gregory's Day they float lights in the village stream, for every main holiday mortars are fired from a cannon, ahead of every new year they sing traditional carols, and on 15th August every year they sing in front of the village shrines.

Beside the road leading to Kropa, next to the house with the address 'Kamna Gorica 1' is where, after the second world war, axes and other tools were made, and a water wheel drove a large hammer. The water flowed to the wheel from the preserved large water reservoir.

Walking and hiking trails lead to Radovljica and to Lipnica Castle (The Lipnica Castle Natural Science Trail), to Dobrava, to the Vodiška planina mountain pasture, to Globoko, and onwards to Brezje. In winter ice 'curtains' form and create a magical scene from under the water channels. There is also a smaller ski piste and a cross-country ski track on the outskirts of the village.