The Trbovlje Valley lies in the heart of Slovenia. The terrain is characteristically hilly, with settlements running along the narrow valley. This area became known during the last two hundred years due to the mining and coal industry. Both have left their mark on the people and the region. In the town there are all types of typical mining colonies – Njiva, Terezija, Žabja Vas, Kurja Vas, mounds of tailings, slopes with mineshafts and galleries, overgrown with acacias. Due to these characteristics, this area was also known as the "black valley". The forests represent the opposite of the mining industry; they range out over half of the municipality and include the regional parks Kum and Mrzlica, as well as other botanical and regional features.
Work in the mines and factories also moulded the people. “Graft” made them tough and secluded. Their ideas, souls and softer side were only brought to life after work, through artistic expression, escaping to the slopes of the green Mrzlica, Kum and Planina, by socializing in the colonies’ yards, in the community centre, the Zasavje Museum, galleries and in various societies.
Just as we were known for our mining and coal in the past, so we are now recognized for our many musicians, artists, sculptors, painters, writers, choirs, orchestras and so on. Trbovlje’s mining heydays are slowly ending. The gradual closing of the mines will complete a two-hundred-year period which greatly influenced this town. In its place comes the development of new activities, directed towards the future and the development of the valley, as well as its people. A new era awaits us, when our jobs, habits and ways of thinking will have to change, while still keeping to our roots, respecting the past and conserving our love of art, music and creativity. And as the author Ludvik Mrzel wrote:
“He who has once been at home in Trbovlje will have trouble finding another, where everything beautiful, good and passionate that he has experienced in this queen of black valleys he shall take with him for the rest of his days. The word Trbovlje will forever remain a bright memory, a pleasant hope in his heart, as the one final goal.”