The heart of the municipality: Šmartno pri Litiji
Šmartno pri Litiji lies at the confluence of three streams on the edge of a small basin. The settlement surrounds one of the largest churches in Slovenia. It is consecrated to St. Martin, giving the town its present name, and it is built in the neo-Gothic style. According to legend, the first church was built on the site where some buried miners managed to get safely back to the surface on the feast day of St. Martin. Although the settlement never achieved an official naming as a square, it was the economic, administrative, cultural, school and church centre of the wider surrounding area, until the construction of the railway. In the past, mining and viticulture were highly developed in this area, as in the 16th century, Šmartno was the seat of a mining and wine-growing judge. The development of the town was interrupted by the construction of the railway, when the role of the local centre was taken over by nearby Litija.
Additonal information
TIC Šmartno, Staretov trg 25, t: 01 898 78 67
The Church of St. Martin
stands on the site of an older church, first mentioned in 1345. It was designed by the Graz architect Adolf Wagner in the neo-Gothic style and was built in just two years (1899–1901). Most of the work was done by locals, who themselves made as many as 1,050,000 bricks. The interior is ornamented with beautiful frescoes by the renowned artist Anton Jebačin from Ljubljana.
The Chaplaincy (Benefice)
stands above the parish church and is the oldest house in Šmartno (built in 1586). It was depicted in graphics by Valvasor, so people mistakenly assumed that there was a copperplate printing house here – the polyhistor was printing his works in the nearby Bogenšperk.
The Chapel of Ecce homo
The Chapel (behold the man!) on Pungrt was built in the 18th century and was used for worship during the construction of the parish church.
The Šmartno Local Library
stands opposite the church. A school was originally located in the building (also a higher-level craft school for a while). It was used for educational purposes from 1876 to 1963, when the building was severely damaged by an earthquake. After restoration, it hosted a Žito bakery, then the Šmartno Local Library from 2007.
The buildings of the Savings and loans bank and the Association Home
appear to be a single building; however, there are two separately built houses. The Association home had a particularly connecting role during both world wars; it hosted diverse activities: a theatre, sports events, youth camps and gatherings of the “Orli” sports association. A library was also on the premises.
The birth house of Dr Slavko Grum
was owned by the leatherworker Knaflič, who was the employer of Slavko’s father. In 1905, the family moved to Novo mesto; however, they returned seven years later. When Slavko’s father stopped working for Knaflič in 1914, they moved out of the house. There is a memorial plaque on the house.