»Burghers, sieve and pottery makers...«

A contribution towards the history of the dry goods market town of Ribnica

Abstract

Drawing upon various sources and literature, the author portrays the way of life in the market town of Ribnica at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Located in the southwest of Slovenia, Ribnica is a typical Carniolan market town which, like all such towns, required a strongly organised Church presence, as well as a castle with nobles or »purgerje« as the burghers were called, who elevated the town to a higher level of importance by dint of their status. However, unlike all other such towns, Ribnica had one additional characteristic: dry goods. This feature brought renown to the little town well beyond the borders of Slovenia; although to be precise, the goods were crafted in the countryside surrounding Ribnica, i.e. in the town's hinterland and not the town itself. The inhabitants of Ribnica were well aware of the special importance of this specific characteristic and would often decorate their town with these wooden dry goods for important events, not only on market days. Although the market town of Ribnica exuded the same, ordinary life of any other market town in Carniola, the colour added by the special wares it produced and by the townfolk's good sense of humour conferred it a special status of its own.