ZASAVSKA - Geography and history
Slovenia's smallest region
The smallest Slovenian region by size and population, and the only one without an external border, is situated in the Sava Mountains in the centre of Slovenia and was formed around the brown coal deposits found in the three narrow valleys of the Sava river's tributaries. In the 19th century, these deposits were the key reason to construct the Southern Railway between Vienna and Trieste through the narrow and nearly impassable Sava gorge, since they were at that time the only source of engine fuel between Graz and Trieste.
Due to its steep mountainous terrain, which presents a major constraint on agricultural development, Zasavska remains largely a mining and industrial region. Since mining operations in two out of the three existing mines are closed and the third is in the process of being closed, great structural changes and new challenges await the region in the forthcoming years, including tackling the region's rather polluted environment.
In the mid-19th century, the mining towns of Zagorje ob Savi, Trbovlje and Hrastnik grew from the villages where the three main mines were established, resulting in a regional division which has been preserved until today. Each town acts as a focal point for its own municipality. Thanks to the close ties between these towns and their outlying villages, the three Zasavska municipalities are among the few that remained unchanged after the local self-governance reform in 1994. Since the 19th century, when Trbovlje established its position as a regional centre, it has been performing certain functions for the entire region. However, the three town centres retained a considerable level of individuality and strong ties with other centres. Zagorje ob Savi and Trbovlje are closely tied to Ljubljana, 60 km away, while Hrastnik maintains strong ties with Ljubljana as well as with nearby Celje.
Although the railway no longer depends on Zasavska coal, the role of the railway in the region remains very important due to its mountainous terrain.
Comprehensive restructuring required
In the near future, the mining region of Zasavska will be subject to the most radical economic and structural changes in the country, and it is anticipated that they will largely be financed from the national budget. Due to the region's poor natural resource base and unfavourable location, there are relatively few alternatives for its further development. A comprehensive programme of restructuring for the whole region will have to be carried out at the same time as the gradual shutdown of the mines, otherwise the region will find itself in a very difficult position.
The pull of other, larger regional centres, especially Ljubljana and Celje, together with the region's small population, does not offer many possibilities for the development of a services sector, so that the only viable option would be to attract new branches of industry.
Factors working in the region's favour include its position along the main railway line, the existing infrastructure, and its pool of labour with almost two centuries' experience of a classical industrial tradition. Furthermore, favourable conditions for new investment will be offered by the state in the framework of the restructuring programme.
In addition to its high dependency on brown coal, the region's environment is also heavily polluted by the burning of coal with a high sulphur content in the Trbovlje thermal power plant. The fact that all three towns are located in narrow valleys means that traffic, domestic heating and several other large industrial plants also contribute their share of pollution.
Three brown coal mines
Zasavska region, which covers only 264 km2 (1.3% of the national territory), is located in the central part of the Sava Mountains with their limestone ridges (the highest peak, Kum, at 1 220 m). Here too, the Sava river carved a gorge more than 30 km long and up to 500 m deep. A few km north of the gorge, the Moravce-Trbovlje-Laško valley system runs in an east-west direction. The Sava's left tributaries carved their transverse narrow valleys into this system, facilitating access to brown coal deposits.
A continental climate is found here, with annual precipitation between 1 200 mm and 1 300 mm. In the winter, the temperature inversion is common, bringing fog into the valleys and causing heavy air pollution.
Due to severe faulting of the coalbearing strata, coal extraction is very difficult and extractable deposits are nearly depleted. The Zagorje mine was being gradually shut down since 1996. The rest of the mines in Trbovlje and Hrastnik, which are planned to gradually close down until 2012, provide the coal for the Trbovlje thermal power plant. Besides coal, limestone is extracted in several quarries for the local cement and lime industry.
Near the mines, three towns developed in the 19th century, each in its own valley. These towns are Zagorje ob Savi (population 6 900), Trbovlje (16 300) and Hrastnik (5 900).
Due to its mostly steep slopes, agricultural land covers only one quarter of the region, predominately in the lower, more gently inclined sunny slopes. Almost two thirds of the area is covered by forest, which is heavily affected by sulphur dioxide emissions from the thermal power plant and is therefore of low economic significance.
Although the Sava runs through a narrow gorge, it is at present not exploited for energy production. There are, however, plans to construct hydroelectric plants here in the future.
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