The Aljaž Tower at the top of Triglav
Cultural monument of national importance
Author: Rožle Bregar
The tower on the top of Triglav was designed and built by the priest from Dovje, Jakob Aljaž, after whom it is named. During Jakob Aljaž's time, our territory was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The priest from Dovje was so appalled by German influences and ideas that he came up with the idea of building the tower as a symbol of Slovenian identity and a defense of Slovenian heritage.
The German-Austrian Alpine Society had a strong presence in our mountains long before Jakob Aljaž arrived. They built paths and mountain huts, but there was no room for Slovenians. Aljaž bought the top of Triglav from the Dovje municipality for one gulden. He sent the plans for the tower to Anton Belc, a body shop mechanic from Šentvid, who then crafted the metal tower in his workshop.
On August 7, 1895, Aljaž, accompanied by five assistants, erected the tower on the top of Triglav. It took them five hours to attach the construction. The 190-centimeter-high tower with four windows contained three small stools, a registration book, a spirit stove, and a panoramic painting of Triglav by the artist Pernhart. The tower was also equipped with a telegraph, allowing communication with Kredarica and Dovje. A modest yet ceremonial opening followed 15 days later, on August 22, 1895.
you can watch the documentary film Aljaž Tower: "Ta pleh ima dušo" ("This Tin Has a Soul").
Author: Rožle Bregar
Some Germans from the German-Austrian Alpine Society attempted to have the tower demolished, but they were unsuccessful. The tin tower became the most recognizable symbol of the Slovenian nation.
Over the years, the Aljaž Tower has survived many challenges and has often been at the center of events. It has been modified several times, with memorial plaques added, and during the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the flag at its top was replaced with a five-pointed star. Triglav was, after all, the highest peak of the former country where Slovenians lived until independence. The tower has been repainted multiple times. Between the two World Wars, it was draped in green, white, and red colour. The border between the Kingdom of the SHS and Italy ran along it. During the socialist era, it was dressed in red. In June 1991, when Slovenia declared its independence, the Slovenian flag fluttered on the Aljaž Tower, or rather, above it, as the tower was covered in snow.
The tower has often represented a border between nations throughout history, but it has always united and connected the Slovenian people. In 2018, after 123 years, it was transported by helicopter to the valley, where it was restored and then returned to the top of Triglav.
Although Jakob Aljaž assured the Germans that the tower would not stand for long, as rust would eventually take its toll, it has endured to this day.
DO YOU KNOW?
- A year after building the tower on Triglav, Jakob Aljaž bought land below the mountain and built the first Slovenian hut on Kredarica. The hut now houses the highest-lying meteorological station in Slovenia.
- Jakob Aljaž erected a 6-meter-high wooden pole next to the tower. This allowed him to observe the snow cover at the top of Triglav using binoculars from the valley below.