Ribnica is a nice town/village about 45 minutes drive from Ljubljana, in the province of Dolenjska. The town has about 4,000 inhabitants and a beautiful old town center with a large church and a castle. But it is especially known for its old crafts and handmade utensils, mainly made of wood.

Once a year, always on the first Sunday of September, there is a large, busy annual fair where all kinds of old crafts are exhibited and where visitors can buy almost anything made out of wood. At the market you will find dozens of stalls with wooden chairs, stools, toys, cutting boards, brooms, baskets, crates, spoons, grape presses, decorative items, bread boxes etc. etc. There is too much to mention. We even saw a wooden sup ;).

An important word in the Slovenian language is ‘domače’, which means ‘home made’. At the annual market in Ribnica you can buy almost anything ‘domače’, from food such as dried sausage, cheese, cookies, honey and liqueurs to creams and ointments, leather bags, belts and shoes, ceramics, and much more. The Slovenians are very proud of their ‘domače’ products/items!

We visit the market almost every year to walk around and taste something here and there (and then buy it), but also because we like to see the different crafts. This year, for example, several ladies were sitting happily behind their spinning wheels.

There was also a friendly lady who braided, dried corn leaves and made doormats, hats, and shoes from it. Very special! She told us that they used to do this at home, but nowadays, it is more of a hobby than anything else. She told us that her granddaughter had recently made a doormat with her help and of course, she thought that was fantastic because it is a dying craft.

The man who makes flexible, narrow strips from wooden sticks to make various bowls and sieves also told us that there are now only 2 people in the area who still practice this craft, whereas there used to be dozens of them. It is actually a shame, but that is why it is so nice that this market still takes place every year.

In the past, the makers of these objects would come door to door with their merchandise on their backs. Nowadays, you still regularly see a van somewhere with all the merchandise displayed in front of it. Sometimes they also come door to door in villages. We had a van in front of our door a while ago and I bought a broom :).

So if you are in Slovenia on the first Sunday in September next year, make sure to put the market in your agenda because it is more than worth a visit!