King Alexander’s hunting lodge in Kamniška Bistrica was built and furnished between 1932 and 1934, and was meant as a holiday house for the royal family.
The lodge is located on the right bank of the river, Kamniška Bistrica. It is designed as a wooden pavilion on a stone base, and thus it is well-incorporated into the natural environment of woods and rocks. The interior design of the building is quite simple. On both floors, a corridor runs along the entire southern façade, and allows access to the rooms. Service rooms are lined up on the ground floor (the room next to the kitchen, the kitchen, the dining room, the guest room). The children’s room, bathroom, governess’s room, queen’s and king’s rooms are on the first floor. Interior furnishings are quite modest. King Alexander never used the completed lodge, as he was assassinated in Marseille, France, in 1934. After the Second World War, the house was nationalized and managed by the Zavod za gojitev divjadi Kozorog (Kozorog Wild Game Breeding Institute).
Its function was henceforth a protocol building, frequented by the political elite, including Tito. During this period, its interior was slightly altered. In 1988, the building was leased for a long-term period to the Kamnik-based company, STOL. During this period, the preserved furnishings were returned to their original locations. The building has been little-used, and today it needs renovation.
Literature:
Andrej Hrausky: Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana and Slovenia: guide and maps. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2007.
Saša Lavrinc: “The Architect Jože Plečnik’s Heritage in Kamnik and Surroundings (II).” Kamniški občan, 20 September 2007.
