Iron Bread

Departure by bus in the morning from your location and a drive towards Koroška. This is a story about iron; it is the story of the Meža Valley, which was born from iron. This is the story of the “factory,” our mother, whose strong steel heart still beats in the center of today’s town of Ravne. The path of the ironworking tradition began in Črna na Koroškem, where we will also begin our tour. The tradition and image of the mining town are depicted by the open-air mining museum, ingeniously set into the rock in the middle of the square. We will continue our journey through the Meža Valley and see various ore mining sites on the way to Mežica; the devastation of the former lead smelter in Žerjav is also still visible. In Mežica, there is a museum mine where we will take a train ride. Once we arrive deep into the heart of the former mine, we will walk through the tunnels with a museum guide and learn much about the extraction of lead and zinc ore in these parts and the former difficult life of miners. The “iron thread” will lead us further to Prevalje, where the Rosthorn brothers’ zinc works and later ironworks were located. It was here that so-called puddling was invented—a then-revolutionary technique for using brown coal, which was mined in nearby Leše. During a walk through Prevalje, we will see where iron was melted in blast furnaces. The memory of the Prevalje ironworks is honored with a sculpture made of rails on a slag wall and a Forma Viva sculpture in the middle of a roundabout. We will also stop at the Memorial Park, where the Rosthorn monument stands. We will also see copies of the remains of Roman graves found near the town, taking us even deeper into history. Then we will drive towards Ravne na Koroškem, which is still known today as an ironworking town. In the ironworks complex, we will see the “Mother Factory” exhibition, the story of how the ironworks built the town. Throughout the journey, we will be accompanied by “Forma Viva” steel and iron sculptures placed in the urban environments of the towns and their surroundings.

Included: outdoor sightseeing and entrance fees according to the program (museum mine, “Mother Factory” exhibition), organization and tour guidance, basic accident insurance for passengers on the trip.
Surcharges: tourist bus transport, lunch, additional tastings, drinks at lunch.