“This will be a red-letter day in the history of our reading society.”

The First Decade of the Reading Society in Kranj

Abstract

The reading society in Kranj was established on the 29th January 1863 as the eighth in a series of national societies that followed the model of the National Reading Society in Ljubljana. Regional government verified the reading society’s regulations on the 16th December 1862 (these were amended at the end of 1866). The society started organizing cultural events called “bésede”. By the end of 1863 it had 113 members. The society moved from the original temporary location into Mayr’s house, in which the Kazina society had been located since 1846, and marked this occasion with a celebration on the 16th August 1863 (one of the celebrations took place at the grave of the poet France Prešeren). On the 13th September the society organized the first outing and organized a reception for members of the Južni sokol (Southern Falcon) society from Ljubljana on the 29th of June 1864. On this occasion, a musical performance took place in the society’s reading room. On the 20th August 1864 a branch of Južni sokol was founded. Following the example of the society in Ljubljana, it engaged in charitable activities (for the poor from Notranjska, victims of fire in Stražišče and poor school children). The society organized a solemn burial of Simon Jenko in 1869 and initiated raising a tombstone in his memory (it was uveiled in September 1873). In the 1870s enthusiasm for participation in the society waned. After a few years, however, the number of members began to rise again.