The beginning of the rise of gunmaking in Slovenia can be traced back to 1558, when Emperor Ferdinand I called some 100 gunmakers from Liege in Belgium to introduce gunmaking among the ironworkers in Borovlje. In Borovlje, the iron industry was well developed. J.F. Hayward states that a gunmakers’ guild was founded in 1633, that flintlock rifles were then being made and successfully exported to Italy and Venice. In his book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, J.V. Valvasor describes not only the gunsmiths in Borovlje, but also the gunsmith Botti at Stara Sava in Jesenice. He writes: “In this place lives a master called Peter Botti. His skilful work deserves to be remembered here, for in the manufacture of neat and beautiful weapons he is second to none, surpassed by none, and rivalled by the best masters in Brescia in Italy, as well as in France and Holland.”
In the 18th century, the Borovlje gunsmiths were a major supplier of weapons to the Austrian army. Particularly mentioned are the gunsmiths J.Kulnig, M.Scheinig, J.M.Mischnitz and T.Hamerlitz, who worked from 1698 to 1766. Gunmaking in Borovlje reached its peak at the end of the 18th century, but declined rapidly when a large arms factory was built in Vienna. At that time, the Borovlje inhabitants began to produce special rifles for private hunters. In 1878 they founded a rifle school, in 1883 a rifle testing centre and in 1886 a rifle cooperative. It is important to note that in the years 1885 to 1903, the average number of Germans in the rifle school was only 15% and the average number of Slovenes 85%. Before World War I, the proportion of Germans increased rapidly, but after the war, in 1919/20, the rifle school and the cooperative were in Slovenian hands, the manager was Dr. Ing. V.Jeločnik. A new era for the gunmaking industry began with the plebiscite in 1920, when Carinthia was separated from the mother country. After the plebiscite, due to the pressure of the Germans, many gunsmiths came to Slovenia, among them almost the entire gunsmith school. In 1920, a gunsmith’s shop called Obrtna zadruga Kranj was founded in Kranj. In 1922, Janko Mišič, an artisan gunsmith, also appeared in Kranj. In 1922, the cooperative gunmaking was taken over by the Czech company Zbrojevka and then in 1925 by the industrialist Poschinger, who moved the company to Užice in the summer of 1928 because of the conditions at that time. Janko Mišič’s rifle factory remained in Kranj and continued to develop. In 1931 Omerza founded a cartridge factory. In 1947, Janko Mišič’s rifle factory and, in 1948, Omerza’s factory for hunting cartridges came under the administration of the Invalid Economic Enterprises. In 1954, the rifle factory and the cartridge factory merged and were registered as an industrial enterprise.
The National Rifle School in Kranj was established between 1921 and 1931 to provide professional training for gunsmiths. For the same purpose, the Rifle School was founded in 1951 and operated in Kranj until 1957. Between 1954 and 1957, the company Puškarna Kranj developed and mastered the manufacture of the modern air rifle. Around 35,000 of them were produced. During the same period, a team of experts led by Ing. Peter Mihelič developed and produced the technology of the Bock combined hunting rifle. Some 100 pieces were produced. During these years, the first generation of gunsmiths, young capable makers, completed their training. It was also at this time that the Crvena zastava of Kragujevac produced its own air rifle. As the division of arms production was regulated by the generals, the Puškarna Kranj had to stop making air rifles. The municipal men were also more in favour of the textile industry at that time and the rifle factory was forced to merge with the company Kovinar Kranj, which was in financial and personnel difficulties at that time. It can be said that the municipal leaders of the time did not have enough national pride to protect the long tradition of gunmaking in Kranj and Slovenia.
After one year, 30 gunsmiths split from Kovinar and continued their interrupted path as the company Puškarna Kranj. They left without equipment and without quality management staff, despite the “dowry” they brought with them when they merged. They retained and developed the handmade manufacture of hunting weapons, and the manufacture of hunting cartridge cases, pins and cartridge boxes. The products were sought after by the market throughout Yugoslavia and beyond. From 1964 onwards, Czech and Russian rifles began to appear on the market. Due to their low price, sales of handmade rifles from Puškarna Kranj stopped, as the price of an imported rifle was 5 000 dinars and a domestic rifle 25 000 dinars. Crvena zvezda also contributed to the competition with its cheaper, fairly well-made rifles. The management of the company decided to launch a new programme: the production of cutting and drawing tools for moulds for the glass industry, plastics… Gunsmiths started to be successfully retrained as toolmakers, while at the same time the purchase of machinery for the needs of the toolmaking industry was under way. I can say that in this period Puškarna Kranj was a modern high quality toolmaking plant, because it also produced tools with great success for foreign customers in Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia… In 1975 Puškarna Kranj was merged into Sava Kranj. At that time, only three gunsmiths were still working on the gunsmithing programme, but after the transfer of staff and equipment to the new location in Sava, they were left without equipment, and a patronage shop. However, with the listening of the management of Sava Kranj, the young boys started to learn to be riflemen again. By 1987, 30 of them had been trained. In 1985, an expert team consisting of; economist Tomič, Prof. Jože Hlebanja and gunsmith Valentin Jenko developed a new hunting cartoon. In 1986, this cartoon was technologically processed and finally designed by Ing. Bogdan Ambrožič. In 1975, Gorenje Velenje came up with a new product for defence purposes. As they could not test the weapon with the military authorities in Belgrade (they did not have the registration to manufacture weapons), a procedure was initiated to separate the gun-making business from the Sava Kranj company and to merge it into Gorenje. The Kranj rifle factory was renamed Orbis, with a programme of MGV and hunting weapons. The management of Orbis, with the exception of the production manager, is entirely from Velenje. At this time, the company puts into production the newly developed M-113 hunting rifle and the M-112 hunting rifle in left-handed and right-handed versions with detachable magazine. Orbis was a successful company, exporting most of its production of hunting weapons, but in 1992 it was closed down in a scenario familiar at the time. Thus, the long tradition of gunmaking in Kranj and Slovenia, at least on a large scale, came to an end. After independence, several attempts were made to revive the gunsmithing programme at the Slovenian Chamber of Crafts and Trades, so that those interested could be trained in this profession, but unfortunately there was no real interest from the State. This leaves only the rifle school in Borovlje – Austria. Nowadays, tradition is slowly being lost, the old masters who mastered the profession to perfection are slowly disappearing and, unfortunately, so is the knowledge. There are still a few small gunsmith workshops in Slovenia, so there is hope.
In the times we live in, we are not able to appreciate the tradition of production programmes that have been cultivated for decades and centuries in a particular place. This is also proof that we are incapable of valuing the traditions of a nation and not ourselves. How, then, can we expect others to value us?
– Roman and Valentin Jenko
