Traditional Blacksmithing

Traditional Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing is a traditional craft in which a blacksmith heats metal, usually iron or steel, and shapes it with hammer blows on an anvil. Using this ancient technique, they create tools, horseshoes, hardware, knives, artistic objects, and even sculptures. A blacksmith needs well-developed skills, strength, and precision, as the work involves mastering fire, temperature, and the properties of metal.In Slovenia, blacksmithing has a long history connected to mining and ironworking, especially in areas like Kropa, Železniki, and Ravne na Koroškem. Today, the craft is less common, but it is still preserved by artistic blacksmiths, museums, and ethnographic events. Besides Krmelj, there is only one other blacksmith in Slovenia that produces practical (cutting) tools.

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practices,uppercarniola

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Intangible

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Kovaštvo Krmelj

13/01/2026

13/01/2026

Baš, Angelos (ed.), 2004: Slovenski etnološki leksikon (Slovene Ethnological Lexicon). Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga. https://prvi.rtvslo.si/podkast/intervju-radio/3633109/174860660 https://www.centerduo.eu/mojstri-rokodelci/kovastvo-krmelj/ Slavec Gradišnik, Ingrid, 2011: Kovaštvo (Blacksmithing). In: Slovenika, slovenska nacionalna enciklopedija. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga (pp 627-628). https://www.etno-muzej.si/en/digitalne-zbirke/kljucne-besede/kovastvo

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current,46.1276625914593,14.229099836053459;

University of St Andrews

TEXT

Blacksmithing is closely connected to various other cultural practices, as it has historically helped shape community life, traditional crafts, and symbolic expressions. Craftsmanship – Blacksmithing is intertwined with woodworking (metal parts for furniture and tools), pottery (metal tools for shaping), leatherworking (metal buckles and fittings), and carpentry (nails, pins, door hardware). Oral traditions and storytelling – Tales of blacksmiths are common in folklore, where they are often portrayed as wise and strong figures. In mythology, the blacksmith often held a special status (e.g., Perun’s blacksmith in Slavic mythology). Festivals and fairs – Blacksmiths frequently participated in traditional fairs, where they showcased their products. In Slovenia, events like Kovaški šmaren in Kropa are still popular today. Performing arts – Folk plays, songs, and dances often include themes of blacksmithing (e.g., the rhythmic sound of hammering). Puppet theatre also occasionally features blacksmith characters. Social and economic practices – Blacksmiths played a central role in local communities as essential craftsmen, often with high social status. Beliefs and symbolism – Blacksmithing is often associated with protective symbols (e.g., the horseshoe as a sign of good luck) and was once believed to offer magical protection against evil spirits. These connections show that blacksmithing is not merely a technical craft but a rich cultural practice that weaves together knowledge, tradition, and community life.

Barbara Ivančič Kutin

The work of a blacksmith requires enjoyment of work, sufficient physical strength, agility, and endurance for working in hot conditions, as well as a sense of design and precision. Although the work is rough and requires physical strength, a forger must also have a soft side, because without softness and the right feeling, a beautiful product cannot be created.

Today, traditional (manual) blacksmithing is dying out. Kovaštvo Krmlelj is one of the few tool-making smithies in Slovenia (or the only one???). Master blacksmith Jože Krmelj has passed on all his knowledge to a younger employee, and for the last two years they have also had an apprentice from a vocational metalworking school. Every Saturday, Jože Krmelj holds one-day workshops for 5 to 7 people, but these are not intended for training, but rather for viewing and experiencing blacksmithing. The workshops are booked up several months in advance and are attended by interested people from Slovenia, including design students, as well as people from abroad, including Australia, Tasmania, and the USA.

In the case of Krmelj blacksmithing, it is a family tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for seven generations. That is why blacksmithing and its products are a family heritage. Only men are employed in the workshop, as the working conditions are extremely difficult: physical strength is required, and the workshop is hot and noisy.

Transfer of traditional crafts, providing income for the workshop owner and thus for the family and workshop employees.

Blacksmithing was an important craft in the past, enabling the production of metal products needed for tools and other implements used in agriculture (farming, livestock breeding) and household chores, etc.). The most important advance came with the invention of the spring hammer machine, which greatly facilitated the work of blacksmiths, who previously used only their own physical strength to shape metal products, and other electric machines (welding apparatus, grinding machines). On the machine it is possible to regulate the speed and power of the punch. Nevertheless, most of the work is still done by hand, using open fire and manual shaping and hardening. The Krmelj blacksmith's workshop still uses machines and tools that are 100 years old and are still perfectly adequate today. This is why all products are unique, which distinguishes them from mass-produced (industrial), technologically advanced, and automated production. Access to raw materials is easier today, and the product assortment has also changed to some extent, as customer needs are different.

No specific organisation is linked to this practice.

There are only two blacksmiths in the region who make tools; traditional blacksmithing is now a very rare craft.

Mining

Industrial production

Machine-made products are all the same and can be much cheaper; they don't involve as many hours of manual labour. Not all customers recognise this.

Diminishing youth interest

This is an artistic practice, so none of these threats are relevant.

The village Log nad Škofjo Loko (Log above Škofja Loka) is situated in the Poljanska valley, about 10 km south-west of Škofja Loka, where the municipal center is located. Škofja Loka, one of Slovenia’s oldest and best-preserved medieval towns, is rich in historical, natural, social, cultural, and economic significance. Founded in the 10th century, Škofja Loka was a key administrative center under the rule of the Bishops of Freising, who governed the area for over 800 years. The town’s medieval layout remains largely intact, with landmarks like Škofja Loka Castle, historic townhouses, and remnants of defensive walls. Historically, Škofja Loka thrived on trade, crafts, and agriculture, with traditional industries such as ironworking, textile production, and woodworking playing an essential role. Today, the local economy is diverse, with tourism, small-scale manufacturing, and services being dominant sectors.

These are forged tools of all kinds, but mostly cutting tools (various axes, sickles, pruning hooks, as well as ice pickaxes, shovels, hammers, etc.). They are used for various tasks in the garden, in the field, in the forest, in the household, but also as equipment for firefighters, tools for masonry, butchery, and archaeological excavations.

The craft of blacksmithing in Krmelj has been passed down from generation to generation.

There is almost no waste, as it is completely recycled, and a few buckets per year are sold to a landfill site for raw materials. Heat from the stove is stored in storage tanks and used to centrally heat the house and both workshops.

It provides a living for the owner and 5 employees.

Decent Work and Economic Growth,Industry Innovation and Infrastructure,Sustainable Cities and Communities,Responsible Consumption and Production,Life On Land

Log nad Škofjo Loko, Gorenjska, Slovenia

stable

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