Market town of Vače until the mid-nineteenth century

Abstract

The contribution discusses the development of Vače, one of the smallest Slovenian market towns, from its beginnings to the mid-nineteenth century. The place first appeared in written sources at a relatively late stage (1429), and its main feature was that, unlike most Slovenian market towns, it did not develop as a suburban settlement below the castle as the seigniorial seat but a bit further away, around the vicariate and later parish church. Of the four market towns in Upper Carniola, Vače was the only »classical« market town, meaning that it emerged in the Middle Ages, exercised the standard economic functions of market-town settlements, and enjoyed a full administrative-judicial autonomy. Due to the specific structure of the sources preserved, much more is known about the normative aspect of the market town’s internal structure than about the practical implementation of its self-administration and the lower judiciary. In terms of economy, Vače functioned as a typical small market town with well-established trade fairs and craftsmen, whose basic craft services catered to the needs of the local population.