FIGHTING FLOODS. ANTI-FLOOD MEASURES ON THE LOWER STYRIAN SAVINJA RIVER IN THE LONG 19TH CENTURY

Due to snowmelt and heavy rainfall, the Savinja River and its tributaries were historically prone to significant flooding. The Celje District Office dealt with the river and its tributaries from the beginning of the 19th century onwards. Until the mid-19th century, affected landowners were responsible for clearing the riverbed, building embankments, and reinforcing banks, while the district (later regional) engineer prepared the plans. However, work progressed slowly and was only of an emergency nature, thus not particularly effective during major floods. In the first half of the 19th century, Celje and the Savinja Valley were hit by the worst floods in 1814 and 1824, while in the second half of the century, the most severe flood occurred right at the beginning, in 1851. After this flood, efforts were made to approach the regulation of the “mountain” river more seriously, but until systematic regulation between Mozirje and Levec, works remained quite inconsistent and slow. With a thorough approach, the river was finally regulated and straightened over a relatively long section between 1876-93, suggesting that major floods would no longer occur. However, this significantly threatened Celje; all the material carried by the river accumulated in the city, and at the turn of the centuries, the most severe flooding occurred precisely there.