“Almost All the Rivers in Upper and Central Styria Have Been Regulated, While the Rivers in Lower Styria Have Been Left […] to Run Wild […] and Cause Inestimable Damage.” Regulation of the River Savinja Between Prihova and Levec (1876–93) and Its Consequences

Abstract

Since the start of the 19th century, the district office of Celje faced frequent flooding of the river Savinja and its tributaries, caused by snowmelt and heavy rainfall. However, during the first half of the century, the river regulation activities were somewhat inconsistent and slow. After the disastrous flood of 1851, more serious attempts were finally made to regulate the “mountain” river. Nevertheless, until the middle of the 1870s, when the systematic regulation of the river began on a longer stretch between Prihova and Levec, the works were still carried out in a manner similar to that of the pre-March period. Between 1876 and 1893, a significant length of the river was carefully and thoroughly regulated and straightened, giving the impression that there would be no more severe flooding. However, with this project, the river Savinja began to pose a serious threat to Celje; all the materials the river carried accumulated in the city, and by the turn of the century, it often flooded there.