Kamnik, nestled snugly beneath the Slovenian Alps, is best known for its picturesque old town, but for many decades, it also had a reputation for its ceramic majolica jugs.

The tradition began in the 19th century, when Kamnik got a workshop that made various objects from tine-glazed ceramics. The process, which has its roots in 16th-century Italy, enabled decorative pieces to be covered with intricate decorations at the fraction of the cost of porcelain.

The technique of making the ceramics evolved over the years, but a distinctive local design emerged in the process: a small jug with decorations based on folk patterns. Most the Kamnik majolica jugs featured local themes, often the town’s coat-of-arms.

In the 20th century, the jugs became a popular souvenir for people visiting Slovenia. The factory in Kamnik grew at a steady rate, and in the period after World War II, the jugs began to be exported a number of countries around the world. Molds in different sizes enabled an expansion of the product line, and by the 1970s, 18 people were employed making the jugs. The craft had become one of the most prominent examples of Slovenian folk art. The hand-painted jugs were even put on public display at regular exhibitions.

Eventually, however, similar but cheaper products from elsewhere led to a decline in the sale of the Kamnik original. The competition and bad management practices led to the closure of Kamnik’s ceramics factory in 2008. For a while, it seemed that the story of local decorative majolica had come to an end.

But Irena Radej, who had spent 32 years making the jugs, was determined to keep the old craft alive. She wrote a book about the tradition and diversity of Kamnik’s majolica ceramics. The book caught the attention of Igor Bahor, a ceramics expert who had spent some time studying Native American pottery. He bought the original molds that had been abandoned after the Kamnik factory closed its doors. He set up a new workshop in the spa town of Topolšica, where he continues the tradition of majolica ceramics, albeit on a smaller scale.

Meanwhile, several former majolica makers in Kamnik have opened the House of Ceramics, where the make custom-made jugs in a studio that doubles as a shop. Both Bahor’s workshop and the House of Ceramics hope to revive a tradition that had been passed down from generation to generation – and once again make it a popular keepsake for visitors to Slovenia.