Photos

The most eminent building of the Town square (Mestni trg) of Škofja Loka is the former Town hall from the 16th century (the red building in the photo). That was the place of public life in Loka representatives with the judge at the head. There are several painting and architectural elements on the building pointing out important place of this building in the history. Portal, entrance hall and door are still made in Gothic style; arcade courtyard on the other hand is already of the renaissance. Restoring the building in 1972 Baroque frescoes, pictures of columns, flowers and several other figurative details were exposed. (skofjaloka.info)

The town history of Škofja Loka began in 973 when German emperor Otto II gave the territory of Loka as a present to Abraham the bishop of Freising in Bavaria. In the Middle Ages the locality of Loka was starting to spread around the confluence of the rivers named Selška Sora and Poljanska Sora. The name of Loka stands for grassland by the river. In the document from 1274 the locality was signed as the town. For major safety purposes the town was secured by town wall constructed in the beginning of the 14th century. There were five gates leading through the town wall each of them protected by guarding tower; most of the town wall is still well preserved. The history shows us that the town was many times experienced by attack, plague, fire and earthquake. The worst of the earthquakes in 1511 had badly damaged the town which was later rebuilt by bishop Filip. From that time on the image of Škofja Loka was just slightly changed so Škofja Loka is now known as the most preserved mediaeval town in Slovenia. (wikipedia.org)

Scanned from slide.