For most travelers, Celje is a pretty Slovenian town full of interesting baroque architecture. For entire generations of Slovenians, however, it has also been synonymous with gold.
The gold making tradition in Celje began early; the first workshops were certainly around by the 15h century. In the years that followed, an elaborate guild system was established in the town. Soon, special marks were used to distinguish between jewelry pieces from different workshops.

In the 19th century, goldsmiths from across Austria-Hungary and beyond came to Celje to practice their trade. According to historian Marjetica Simoniti, the contribution of Italian jewelers was especially significant. In 1844, an Italian immigrant named Giuseppe Pacchiaffo began to make gold and silver pieces, and his workshop soon became renowned for its quality.

In the years that followed, his company passed from generation to generation and underwent an almost continuous expansion. By the end of the 19th century, it had transformed from a workshop into a veritable factory.

In the 20th century, the Knez brothers - Alojz and Ivan - also emerged as skilled goldsmiths. In the 1920s, they joined forces with the Pacchiaffos to form a large company known as Knez & Pacchiaffo.

World War II charged the company forever. According to Simoniti, the Pacchiaffos were expelled from Slovenia, while Ivan Knez - his brother had died several years earlier - lost his share of the company, despite having refused to cooperate with the Germans during the war. The company became a state enterprise known as Zlatarna Celje.

In the immediate postwar era, gold was difficult to come by and the company initially struggled, but within a few years, Zlatarna Celje staged a remarkable comeback. It combined original molds with inventive new designs and began to manufacture tableware. Some of Slovenia’s top designers were asked to come up with fresh ideas for the company, and Zlatarna Celje soon became renowned across Yugoslavia for its modern designs. Many of its gold and silver pieces were exported; some even made it to the United States.

After Slovenia’s independence, the loss of the Yugoslav market almost drove Zlatarna Celje to bankruptcy. However, he company underwent a successful restructuring and began to grow again within a few years. It also became the official Slovenian mint for the manufacture of commemorative gold coins. Its sponsorship of ski races paid off when Slovenian skier Tina Maze emerged as one of the top skiers in the world. Her successes didn’t just bring Zlatarna Celje increased international visibility; they also sparked a partnership between the skier and the company in the form of a special collection bearing Maze’s signature - just the latest chapter is the always-interesting chapter in Celje’s gold-making tradition.

Jaka Bartolj