300 years of the Škofja Loka Passion Play
The first preserved text of the Slovene play was written by the Capuchin monk Romuald Štandreški in 1721.
Read moreŠkofja Loka is one of the oldest Slovene cities with wonderfully preserved medieval town centre. Due to colourful facades of the town’s houses it was also called Colourful Loka (Pisana Loka).
The beginnings of Škofja Loka go back to 973 when the German Emperor Otto II sold the land along the Selca River and Poljane River to the bishops from the Bavarian Freising. At the foot of the Škofja Loka hills, at the juncture of the Selca River and the Poljane River, a town was slowly developed. The oldest part of the town, the Town square developed on the upper terrace in the middle of the 13th century. Simultaneously with the Town square, the Lower square was being developed on the lower terrace. The Lower square has been mentioned as the New square since the end of the 14th century i.e. when the town was finally fortified with the city walls. The castle overlooking both squares gives the town a special thumbprint and scenery.
The Škofja Loka townspeople pursued mainly craft and trade activities. A favourable location at the juncture of trade routes towards the Littoral and Venetia as well as towards Freising in the north made the town prosper, with particular hustle and bustle going on during weekly fairs.
The Capuchins played an important role in the life of this town. They came to Loka from Ljubljana and Kranj to preach and to hear confessions years before the monastery and church of St. Anne were built in 1707.
Nowadays, with more than 22,000 inhabitants Škofja Loka is the economic, cultural, educational and administrative centre of the Škofja Loka region. The town and its surroundings have one of the highest standards of living in the state and continue to develop. Its ever-strong craft and enterprise tradition is reflected in well-developed economy with the vicinity of Ljubljana (20km) and Kranj (10km) making it even stronger. Škofja Loka also has a well-developed public infrastructure of social and health activities: education facilities, numerous sports facilities, cultural institutions and numerous social societies and a network of social and health services. In this naturally and artistically rich environment, numerous renowned artists, literary men, scientists as well as athletes were active and helped to create the rich cultural history of Škofja Loka.
