Medvode (; german: Zwischenwässern
[''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 110.]) is a town in
Slovenia. It is the seat of the
Municipality of Medvode. The
Sava and
Sora rivers join in Medvode, from which the town's name (which means 'between the waters') is derived.
History
Following the
annexation of Carantania by Bavarians, the area came under control of Germanic nobles and feudalists. These noticed that the nearby Medanski hill provided a good view over the Medvode and
Ljubljana Basin.
Medvode gained greater importance in the 15th century, when the Emperor gave Kranj, Radovljica and Trzin the right to build a bridge and collect bridge tolls. In the 19th century, the town also began collecting
road tolls
A toll is a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway.
History
Tolls usually had to be paid at strategic locations such as bridges (sometimes called a bridge toll) or gates. In Europe, the road toll goes back to the practice of the Germ ...
.
During that period, Medvode also got a railway station and a savings bank. Due to that, industry began to develop in the town as well, along with an older paper mill in
Goričane. A food oil factory was established in Medvode prior to World War 1. During the Interwar, textile and carpentry industries were established as well, many of which persist up until this day (namely the factory Donit).
After the
Second World War, a
Yugoslav labor camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...
for
political prisoners operated in Medvode.
Industry
Two large factories, Color and Donit, are based in Medvode. The
Sava River at Medvode is also the location of the
Medvode Hydroelectric Power Plant. The hydroelectric plant was built in part using forced labor by Catholic priests held as political prisoners after the Second World War. There are a total of 1570 companies registered in Medvode that generate a total of 454,714,000€ annuall
Previously, there was a
lead and
quicksilver
Quicksilver may refer to:
* Quicksilver (metal), the chemical element mercury
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Quicksilver, a bluegrass band fronted by Doyle Lawson
* "Quicksilver" (song), a 1950 hit for Bing Crosby
* ''Quicksilver'' (sound ...
mine in Ločnica Valley, to the south of Medvode. In the 19th century, the town was increasingly famous to cities as far as Vienna as a tourist spot. The Sora River once attracted many bathers. During summers, a special vacations train connected the town with Kranj and Ljubljana. In 2018, a total of 35,802 tourists spent their nights in Medvode, including 33,966 foreign and 1,836 Slovene ones.
References
External links
*
Medvode on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Medvode
Cities and towns in Upper Carniola
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