Vol. 69 No. 3 (2021): From the history of Šoštanj
The round anniversary (a hundred and ten years ago, Emperor Franz Joseph elevated Šoštanj into a town) presents us with an opportunity to revisit the history of Šoštanj and discover new, still hidden details that may help us to obtain a better understanding of its past and present.
It is likewise quite hard to imagine that Šoštanj once served as the most important centre in the Šalek Valley. Despite its perpetual rivalry with the nearby Velenje, Šoštanj retained its primacy until the mid-twentieth century, when the new, postwar government, chartering a new course, stripped it of its prominent status. Not only that. For the sake of ensuring constant economic growth, Šoštanj was even to be sacrificed along with its neighbouring villages that disappeared under water. Fortunately, this did not happen. Šoštanj withstood the trials of time—if only as a living reminder of capital triumphing over the environment.
