5 valleys of Šmohor

KÁVŠKOVA DOLINA (Kávškovo)
Kavškovo is a valley, located to the west of the summit of Malič (936m) and is slightly smaller in area than Fižolovo. With its mean altitude of 825m, the Kavšek homestead was the highest homestead on Šmohor. It was established by Matevž Kavšek. Like his contemporaries, Gašper Zakotnik from Fižolovo and Matija Zupanc from Kolesjakovo, Matevž Kavšek gradually built his future in Šmohor, but he had fewer suitable land plots to choose from and the conditions for setting up a farm were the most difficult of the three. Based on the births of Kavšek’s children, the area was settled between 1770 and 1775. In order to live in harsh conditions, the Kavšeks needed help from freedmen families. Water sources were limited, although in later times there was also a well with a log for pulling out water buckets. Around 1825, the Kavšek estate was taken over by Anton Zupanc, and the Zupanc family managed it until the end of 1959, when they moved to the valley. At that time, the estate was taken over by the Rečica pri Laškem hunting family. Based on the first records of the surname Kavšek in Šmohor, we can conclude that it is the original surname Košak, which originated from Kal. Over time, the surname Kavšek became established in Šmohor, which grew into a household name and is still used day as a family name.

Following the descriptions of the three valleys on the northern slope of Malič (Fižolova, Kolesjakova in Kavškova), we can extract some of their common features, which also shed light on the changes that have taken place in this area over time:
the clearing of the forest and the provision of more grazing and arable land was a characteristic feature of all three homesteads, and the Kavšek homestead was called “Nove Trebeže” in the early period of settlement because of the clearing (Baptismal register of the Laško parish, 25/03/1770, p. 118);
water resources were limited, so they also used a common watering point in Šmohor;
the residential buildings and outbuildings in all three valleys were located in their central parts, and moved to their western slopes so that morning light reached them first, which had a beneficial effect on the daily rhythm of life on all three homesteads;
all three valleys used to be connected by pastures, but today these areas are covered by forest;
compared to 1825, the cultivated area of the valleys has been reduced by half or more, or has been covered by forest or scrub, and in some cases reforestation has taken place.

PAJKOVA DOLINA
Pajkova valley is a grassy area in the north-eastern foothills of Pernice, which once extended from the present house number Šmohor 12a almost to the northern foothills of Pernice on the side of Liboje. In the middle of the 20th century, in the middle of the valley, where it is crossed by the border between Šmohorje and Liboje, there was the so-called Trinova baraka barrack, owned by Blaž Deželak, known locally as Trinov Blaž, from the Slivne area. The barrack was used for storing tools and also for stowing hay before the rains, when the manual transport to the river side was not yet complete. From the valley floor, one of the accesses from Liboje to Šmohor used to exist along the Pajkova valley.

In the middle of the 20th century, Pajkova dolina was a favourite spot for skiers from Laško and also from Celje, as the snow stayed on this northern side until spring. Today, Pajkova dolina is mostly overgrown with shrubs, with only the upper part of the valley covered by meadows, and occasionally also by individual fields. The origin of the name and the time period when the valley was named are unknown.

KNEŠAKOVA DOLINA (Kneja, Kneje)
Kneja is the oldest recorded Šmohor local name (baptismal register of the parish of Laško, 03/06/1652, p. 48) for the area from the south side of Šmohor between Pernice and Tolsto to the border with Rečica. Historically, it was most likely a feud under which Hanns Meusenreuter, the Chancellor of the Count Hermann II. of Celje and founder of the Laško hospital, on 1 December 1421 was given possession of, among other things, two parcels of land at Sv. Mohor near Rečica (Retschitz). When in 1436 the Counts of Celje, as owners of a significant part of the Laško estate, were elevated to the rank of princes, it was a remarkable event not only for them, but also for the entire population. Locals probably didn’t refer to Hanns Meusenreuter, who was the owner of the feud at Sv. Mohor pri Rečici, as a chancellor, but rather as a glorified princely lord. The area on Šmohor owned by him was named by the serfs in their own way to say that this land was princely – kneje, that something had happened on the nearby princely estate – u knei, in short, the area could probably have been called Kneja or Kneje due to this. This name was retained in the later period, when the area belonged to the Celje Minorites, as did many of the parcels of land on the south side of the Šmohor ridge, which had previously been owned by the Counts of Celje.

The surname Knešak (after 1865 occasionally spelled Knežak) was most probably derived from the local name Kneja, which, according to the earliest civil registration records, covers the southern Šmohor area between Pernice and Tolsto. It remained in its original location at least from the beginning of the Laško civil registers (1640) until the end of the 19th century, and is often still used as a house name today. The fact that Kneja is a place name that covers a wider area is confirmed by the old civil registry records, which, in addition to Knešak homestead, also place the neighbouring homestead with the house name Golouh on/at Kneja.

The 1825 Franciscan cadastre shows that in that period, up to the pointed border of Šmohor with Rečica, the area below Golouh was also assigned to the Golouh family, which means that the whole area formed by the natural border with the sides: the Šmohor ridge and the inner foothills of Pernice and Tolsto, was once considered to be Kneja.

FIŽOLOVA DOLINA (Fižólovo)
Fižolovo is the first or lowest of the three characteristic valleys of the northern slope of Malič. It is located northeast of Dom na Šmohorju (Šmohor Cabin), about 400 m away along a macadam road that leads to the top of Malič The road climbs gently from the level meadow (Leniše) to the edge of the valley, from where a track descends into it, leading to the Cajnar homestead on the Liboje side. The ascent from Leniše leads us astray and gives us the impression that Fižolovo is at a much higher altitude than Leniše. In fact, Fižolovo, in its central part, lies at the same altitude as Leniše (757m), but its northern location is slightly less favourable for farming. The first settlers in Fižolovo were shortly after 1760 the Zakotnik family, who brought the house name Fižol with them, which has remained until today. Today, the Fižolovo covers less than a half of the area it used to.

The same applies to the other two higher-lying valleys. Fižolovo and Kolesjakovo used to be valleys connected by a pasture. Fižolovo had a small water spring but occasionally they used muddy water, as did their neighbours in Kolesjakovo. They were engaged in livestock and crop production for their own needs. In addition to the Zakotnik family, the Jelenšek, Petelinšek, Vizovišek, and Maček families lived in Fižolovo, and the Smeh, Podkoritnik, and Lah families were later owners. Since the mid-1960s, the owner of Fižolovo has been the Rečica pri Laškem hunting family.

KOLESJÁKOVA DOLINA (Kolesjákovo)
As the unpaved road meanders through the spruce forest on the south side of Fižolovo and cuts through the grassy patch, a larger flat and almost circular grassy area that used to be double in size can be seen on the right side. The area is named Kolesjakova ráun (Kolesjakova raven – Plain of Kolesjak) after the location of the area and the house name of the original settlers.

Kolesjakovo is the second in a series of three valleys on the north side of Malič, and still has the largest surface area, although more than half of its former surface is now covered by forest. The three valleys used to be connected by pastures, but the abandonment of grazing, mowing and livestock farming in general caused the valleys to shrink and become isolated from each other. They are oriented from south to north, and the Kolesjakova dolina Valley has a distinctive elongated shape. Its mean altitude is around 790m, which is only 30m higher than the mean altitude of the Fižolova dolina.

During the period of intensive settlement of Šmohor, the Zupanc family bypassed Fižolovo and settled in the next valley towards Malič between 1763 and 1773, which was soon named after their house name Kolesják, which the Zupanc family brought with them to Šmohor. The Zupanc family remained in Kolesjakovo until 1934, and on the female side, when Marija Zupanc married Jože Golouh, until 1948. At that time, the homestead was taken over by the Laško Livestock Cooperative.