GENERATIONS OF CARPENTERS LIVED HERE
Carpentry in Solkan developed in the 1850s. Its growth was influenced by the carpentry trade in the nearby Friuli region, by the opulence of wood in the Trnovo Forest Plateau, and by the energy from the river Soča. In that period the newly-established middle classes in the nearby cities of Gorizia and Trieste needed new furniture for their homes; this caused the initial increase in the families’ trades in Solkan.
The peak of the trade was reached at the beginning of the previous century with around 350 carpenters working in Solkan. Their fame reached even Dalmatia and the Near East (Egypt). Then Dr Henrik Tuma, politician and writer (1858-1935), encouraged the establishment of the first co-operative which was meant to aid the growth of the trade and to facilitate the expansion toward other, more distant, markets.
During the First World War carpentry in Solkan suffered enormous damages. During the first year of war most men were mobilised, in 1916 the proximity of the frontline caused the evacuation of the population, and the village was almost entirely demolished during the conflict. During the interwar period Produktivna zadruga solkanskih mizarjev (The Productive Cooperative of Carpenters in Solkan) was established, followed by Comunità artigiani mobiliari (The Cooperative of Carpenters), which was adapting to the needs of the Italian market. With the beginning of the Second World War, after two decades of prosperity, the trade died out again.
After the Second World War ended, Združenje mizarskih obrtnikov – ZMO (The Cooperative of carpentry handicraftsmen) was founded. The development of the trade was quick and unstoppable. Many young Solkan carpenters were employed by the new Tovarna pohištva (The Furniture Factory), later called Meblo. When the factory closed at the beginning of this century, more than a century of carpentry in Solkan died out with it. Rezbarsko, intarzijsko in restavratorsko društvo Solkan – RIRDS, (The Carving, Intarsia and Restoration Association of Solkan) keeps the tradition of carpentry in Solkan alive by producing and exhibiting wooden artworks.
The members of the Association have prepared a museum collection in one of the old workshops, “Stara solkanska mizarska delavnica” (“The Old Solkan Carpentry Workshop ”), where utensils and equipment from the old workshops can be found, together with a few pieces of old furniture and photographs. All the material is displayed in such a way, that it is possible to follow the whole process of furniture making.
Carpentry in Solkan is remembered by Mizarska ulica (Carpenter’s street) and its memorial sign of a carpenter. This was created following the woodcut of the local artist Jože Srebrnič (1902-1991). The RIRDS association has placed plaques with the same model of the Solkan carpenter and with the carpenters’ names on the houses that used to be carpentry workshops.