Ribnica's famous handicrafts

boast many centuries of tradition and are closely linked to nature. Two basic natural elements fostered these handicrafts: the area's vast forests and its deposits of clay.
The earliest settlers were involved in producing wooden objects, and the Slavs brought new influences in the 6th century. The first known mention of Ribnica's "suha roba," the name for woodenware that Ribnica people later carried throughout the world, appears in a Loška dolina/Loški potok fair document from the 14th century. After 1492 when the Austrian Emperor Frederick III decreed that the peasants from the Kočevje area had permission to trade freely throughout Austrian territories, the trade in "suha roba" flourished so strongly that Ribnica and Ribnica peddlers became "known all around the world" forever-at least, so claims the song "Ribniška" that praises Urban from Ribnica. On October 23rd, Ribnica celebrates a municipal holiday in memory of the Emperor's decree.
In addition to producing "suha roba," the people of Ribnica also earned their bread with pottery.

Production of woodenware and pottery

Once woodenware and pottery was made by farmers, but today the producers are small manufacturers or people in various occupations who supplement their income with these crafts. The skills are passed from generation to generation. Until World War II, woodenware and pottery items were made at home where the family ate, prayed, and slept... Only in the 1950's was the work moved into workshops, and more recently, hands have been replaced by machines.

Products

SUHA ROBA activity is divided into nine branches:
- making rims,
- making sieves,
- making bottoms,
- cabinet making,
- woodturning,
- making tools,
- making spoons,
- making dishes,
- wickerwork, and
- peddling.

Each branch is linked to a particular household, a particular place, and the particular type of wood that grows nearby.
Three products have been the most typical from the start: sieves, spoons, and wooden buckets.

POTTERY is made in the southern part of the Ribnica Valley where clay is found. Pottery items were fired in "ožage," kilns built in wooden sheds. Firing pottery was a social event, and the ožage" were the economic and social centers of the villages.
The most famous item of Ribnica pottery is the toy horse that "whistles in the ass."

Sales

Ribnica peddlers developed their sales skills to perfection and thus became a synonym for salesmen with an extremely clever method of hawking their wares and a unique sense of humour.
At first, of course, they traveled from place to place on foot or by wagon with their famous "krošnja" or "kanon" on their backs that carried an entire store. They traveled throughout Austria, Germany, Hungary, Friulia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Each peddler had his own "becirk" (from the German "Bezirk" meaning "district"), as they called the areas where they had an unwritten exclusive right to sell. Thus they avoided unnecessary competition.
Later, the peddlers traveled by train or entrusted their goods to middlemen. Because of their singing dialect, humour, and ingenuity, they were always welcome everywhere.

Handicrafts today

Ribnica people have adapted to the times and the market, to the needs of households and husbandry. Some items have therefore disappeared, and new more modern items have developed. Most products are useful, some are souvenirs, and the rest are toys. Recently, items from wood and clay have regained fame and their significance and beauty have been rediscovered.

Presentation and preservation of the heritage

Ribnica has several events where its handicraft heritage is presented. Among them, the Ribnica Fair held every year on the first Sunday in September is naturally the most famous. One of the most important tasks of the museum located in Ribnica Castle is the presentation of the history of "suha roba" and pottery. It is also possible to visit woodenware makers and potters in their homes and observe the production of wooden and clay items.
Today we can see the production of "suha roba" at the Jaklič workshop in Sajevec and pottery production at Tone and Jakob Nosan's workshop in Prigorica and at the Bojc and Češark workshops in Dolenja vas.