Flood Dams, Klavže
History
The first Klavže were built in 16th century, but were too dependent on rainfall and high waters. Around 1770 monumental Klavže were built out of brick, stone and mortar, mechanisms enabled that only pair of oxen were enough to lift or close the dam barriers, also in extreme weather conditions. The biggest Klavže were Master Mrak's Klavže, where the river Idrijca formed an 800-metre long lake that could drive some 10,000 m3 of timber at a time, downstream to Idrija 20km away.
It has been calculated that river Idrijca carried approximately 3,600,000 m3 of fuel wood and 300,000 m3 of pit wood and round timber. The transportation of timber via rivers ended in year 1926, after catastrophic floods that took away rakes in Lenštat in the centre of Idrija. Being a klavžar ("dam operator") was a very responsible, but also highly valued, position among the people.
See also
- Idrija Municipal Museum
- Idrija Mine Museum
- Miner's House - Ethnological Collection, Idrija
- Idrija Kamšt
- Cerkno Museum