FAMOUS PEOPLE OF CERKLJE

Ignacij Borštnik was born on July 1st 1858. He went to primary school in Cerklje and to the high school in Ljubljana. His talent for acting was discovered by Ivan Hribar, whilst Borštnik was an employee at his bank branch office, Slavija. Hribar encouraged Borštnik to go to the theatre, and in 1882 Borštnik joined the Drama Society in Ljubljana. His first appearance was in a dramatic role during one act of Svojeglaveži, and he soon proved to be a great actor. The head of the society sent him to a drama school in Vienna, where he stayed until his return to Ljubljana in 1886. At this point he led the drama school and organized many performances in the old pride of rank theatre of the Drama Society. At the clubs 25th anniversary the country theatre was renovated at Tivoli Park (todays Opera), and at the opening in 1892 he organized and directed the play Veronika Desetniška, by Jurčič. Later he worked in Zagreb, where he stayed for 25 years, but he continued to appear often in Ljubljana. He often worked under the pseudonym Gorazd. Over the years he played many large roles (Hamlet, Tartuffe, Richard III), and his last appearance was as Cankar's Kantor. Many say that this was his greatest performance, his portrayal of Kantor in Cankar's Kralj na Betajnovi. Shortly before his death he returned to his homeland to play in the Slovenian theatre and devoted his time to educating young actors. Whilst ill he brilliantly played the role of 'Ritmojster' in Strindberg's drama Father (Oče). Soon after the play he was taken to the hospital where he died on September 23rd 1919.

Borštnik laid the groundwork of the Slovenian and Croatian realistic and naturalistic theatre. He was not only an actor and director, but also the author of plays (Stari Ilija, Ni moj okus, Ponesrečena glavna skušnjava), a translator, film actor, writer and a poet (in the poems he published in Ilustrovani tednik the unspeakable longing for his homeland Gorenjska can be felt). In 37 years, between 1882 and 1919, he re-enacted onstage over 400 roles. He is among the foudners of Slovenian art theatre, due to his status as the first director with a modern flavour, and one of the first actors with a realistic touch. The Borštnik awards are named after him for achievements in Slovenian Theatre, the highest of which being the Borštnik ring for lifetime achievement. In Slovenian culture Ignacij Borštnik is a staple part much like Primož Trubar, Friderik Barga, Anton Martin Slomšek, France Prešeren, Ivan Cankar, Jožef Plečnik and Jakov Gallus. There is a memorial plaque at his birthplace, and a statue of him in the memorial park.

After finishing primary school in Cerklje and high scool in Kranj, Fran Barle entered military service as N.C.O of Auditors in 1884. After ten years he became a Ljubljana police officer and later the director of the Military Office. Since 1899 he devoted himself entirely to fire service and transformed the operating of the fire fighters. He had an extremely important role in education, and published several books and guidelines. His memorial is the Barlet competition, which reminds Cerklje every year of that the organizer of Slovenian fire fighting was born there. Even before the first world war, he was a leading figure in the Alliance Carniola fire fighting teams, which was renamed the Slovenian fire fighting alliance in 1910. Among his merits are books and fire fighting guidelines in the Slovenian language. He was also an editor of the Journal Fire Fighter. The role of Fran barle was not only in instigating these initiatives, but also as a visionary and a model professional, as seen in his technical texts. He was interested in fire art equipment and different techniques of fire fighting. Due to his work for the development of Slovenian fire fighting he acquired the title of honorary member of many fire fighting teams across the country, and his reputation extended far beyound the Slovenian borders due to his membership in foreign fire fighting teams and organizations. The memorial plaque on Borštnikova street and his statue in the memorial park remind us of his role.

His career began as a soldier, a home teacher and a surveyor. For the majority of his service years he worked in print offices in Ljubljana, Graz and Vienna. He began writing at a young age. His most important literary work is his story Od pluga do krone, which describes the life journey of baron Jurij Vega. Less well known is his realistic rural story Sonce in senca. He also wrote for the theatre. He is best known for his translation of the play with singing by Revček Andrejček. Among his manuscripts remained a translation of the play Grosi in goske.

Mihael Boršnik came to Cerklje in 1779 during the construction of the new church. His predecessor, the old priest Jernej Dolenc, was unable to finish the building, gave up the parish and moved to Lahovče. Mihael Boršnik finished the magnificent building and equipped it in 1783 and 1790 with seven altars, of which unfortunately only three remain to this day. In 1788 he founded a parish school and installed his educated nephew John there as a teacher.

Janez (born 1761 in Raktina, died 1838 in Cerklje, where he is buried)

At the request of his uncle, the dean of Cerklje Mihael Boršnik, Janez Boršnik started teaching in the parish school in Cerklje in 1788. During the French occupation he became Cerklje mayor and renewed the Cerkno School in 1810, which had closed previously. When the Austrian authorities returned to the area his parish and teaching service came to an end and he lived out his life as a farmer.

Leopold Cvek was born into a family of teachers and musicians. In 1849 he became a teacher and organist in Cerklje, and worked there until 1855. In the school he grew to be an excellent methodologist and was the first to systematically educate the young generations of Cerklje in music. With the founding of the first mixed choir he had a strong influence on the musical development of the people of Cerklje. As a composer he released tunes for sacred songs whilst working in cerklje, for adults and children among sixty songs for the church and the school in a short time. Later on he was to released 12 ecclesiastical songs and five christmas songs. A number of instrumental compositions remained in manuscrpits.

Janez Čebulj was the youngest of five priest cousins – janez and Anton Globočnik from Poženik and Joseph and Michael Lombergar from Šenturška Gora. When he was 27 years old, he became a missionary in Baraga's mission at Lake Superior in America. Whilst in the Indian environment he built five churches and was one of the most loyal employees of Bishop Baraga. He had an unusual talent for languages, as in addition to the two classical languages he spoke most European and even Arabic languages, combining an extraordinary sense of speaking and presenting. He was a vibrant and tireless speaker, and the soul of every society. Čebulj was also an excellent singer and a trained musician. He played several instruments and also introduced among the Indians choral singing as well as teaching organists. He also composed poems in both Slovenian and Greek languages, and perfect literary English. However, the majority of his songs were unfortunately lost due to his constant travelling and migrating.

In his earl age, Ivan Franke moved with his mother to Cerklje. After studying painting in Vienna and Venice, he travelled throughout the countries of the Middle and Far East. He was employed as a drawing teacher in the high school in Kranj and later in Ljubljana. His paintings can be found in many churches, including – Way of the Cross and St Michael. These paintings are dedicated to his staying alive during childhood. In 1867 he painted saint Aloysius and a guardian angel for the school banner of Cerklje. He also painted a portrait of St. Andrew, St. Cecilica, St Aloysius and Venetian for the teacher Andrej Vavek. He researched many historical monuments and wrote about his research in Zora and the magazine Dom in svet. As an intelligent writer he presented his journeys with interesting travelogues; dashes about the Chinese and burial in the Indian Ocean. In the magazine Ljubljanski zvon he published the novel Postillon amour under his pseudonym Savec. He was also a big fan of fishing, his knowledge of which would be spread to professional organizations and aquaculture.

The life’s journeys of General Jernej Basaj and the protonotary apostolic Peter P. Glavar are closely related. Only some weeks old Peter Pavel was found at the threshold of Komendska mansion. Vicar Andrej Rogelj (1684 – 1751) from Lahovče interceded on him and put him in foster care to Jernej and Maria Basaj in Volopovje, where they already had two children, Jera (*1717) and Jernej (*1719), a third had shortly before died. There the foundling spent 14 years and the foster parents took care of him as their own. When the talented son Jernej went to school in Ljubljana in lived there with the brother of the housekeeper Basaj, Peter Pavel wished to go to school too. The adoptive parents supported him with the help of vicar Rogelj. Jernej Basaj soon thereafter entered military service and rapidly progressed. When he was 23 years old he was already officer of the Military Border in Senj. Peter Pavel wanted to become a priest, but it seemed that the birth of an illegitimate child this wish won’t materialize. The influential familily Zandonatti, which was a good friend of Jernej Basaj, intervened so that the Bishop of Senj Glavar already devoted two years before he got his exemption from Rome (waiver of illegitimate birth).

Jernej Basaj was promoted to general, Peter Paul became chaplain and administrator of the Malta-estate in Komenda, after the death of Rogelj he became also priest until 1766, when he moved to the mansion Lanšprež. All his power he devoted to simple people, as he met in his childhood, educated and taught them with spoken and written word and thereby helped them also to the material well-being. General Basaj died when he visited Lanšprež, in the same year died also his pick Pater Paul.

Jožef (*1796 in Poženik, †1863 in Ljubljana, where he is buried)

After studying theology he was a professor at the gymnasium of Ljubljana, the Latin school in Indrija, director and catechist of the main school in Škofja Loka, and then again as much as 25 years at the gymnasium of Ljubljana. He is important for Cerklje because he founded four secondary school scholarships, aimed primarily to the students of Cerklje. He bequeathed also some money (interest of high funds) to the poor people of Cerklje.

Janez (*1824 in Poženik, †1877 in Gorica, where he is buried)

The nephew Janez became after studying theology a catechist and director of the main school in Kranj. He has the most merit that in Kranj the gymnasium could be established in 1861, because of that he became an honorary citizen of Kranj. He taught at the gymnasium until he became a diocesan chancellor in Gorica. The life stories of the patrons of Kranj he described in his work Nova cvetlica v duhovnem vrtu or Življenje sv. Mučencev oglejskega Kancijana, Kancija, Kancijanile in Prota.

Anton (*1826 in Poženik, †1858 in Ljubljana, where he is buried)

Anton, the younger brother of Janez, finished after secondary school his theology study in Ljubljana and in Innsbruck classic philology. Only 25-years-old he became already a regular professor of classical languages at the gymnasium of Ljubljana, soon after also a catechist. He taught students also music and singing. He devoted a lot of his time to the deaf-mutes, because he mastered their language.

Josip (*1881 in Češnjevek, †1957 in Ljubljana, where he is buried)

After graduating he studied geography, then law and both concluded with a doctoral degree. After First World War he was lawyer in Ljubljana. Early on he concentrated on literature. He published prose in the magazines Vrtec, Domači prijatelj, Slovenec and Slovenski narod, poetry in Ljubljanski zvon. Ever since college he translated a lot from French, Czech and Russian.

Janko(*1884 in Češnjevek, †1956 in Ljubljana, where he is buried)

Brother Janko was also a lawyer. After First World War he took part in the peace negotiations in Paris and then he worked as a consultant for international treaties at the Foreign Ministry in Belgrade, at last he was director of Agrarna bank. Most he wrote about economic issues.

Fridolin (*1891 in Češnjevek, †1956 in Ljubljana, where he is buried)

His occupation was a mechanical engineer, he devoted his time to educate young engineer, at last he was director of the Central Technical School in Ljubljana.

Rozalija Košir from Tacen, the aunt of their father Jožef (domestically called Zorman), was the mother of the famous Franja Malenšek, who has welcomed guests at the large Slovenian camp in Vižmarje in 1869. The poet Fran Levstik devoted to her the famous songs Franjine pesmi.

Ivan Hribar, known primarily as Mayor of Ljubljana from 1896 to 1910, is responsible for reconstruction of the city after earthquake, was an important economist, poet, writer and translator and Nestor of Slovenian banking. He occupied himself with literature in the gymnasium and published some poems and prose. He translated from German, French and Russian languages. My memories I and II (Moji spomini I in II) were published in 1928, the third part in 1932 and next year the fourth part. Early on he devoted himself to politics, he was also the provincial and national deputy. The significance of Hribar for Cerklje is mainly in his contribution to economic and cultural life. Here he bought the gutted Lukež’s house, which he then converted into his own summer residence, where he later hosted a number of Slovenian cultural figures and politicians. His activities enrich the life of the place, he supported Ignacij Borštnik’s study of directory and play at Vienna. His merit is the modernization of the road from Spodnji Brnik to Vodice. He organized 80 percent of funds for the pipeline in Cerklje but the realization did not occur. His merit was also the summer holiday resort Zatišje in Sangrad.

His occupation was a lawyer, but he was mostly active in politics and was editor of the magazine Slovenec. He was also secretary of various magazines, especially of Straža v viharju. At the end of war he moved to South America, where he continued writing. His first independent work beyond the ocean was Huda pravda, where he describes the events in his homeland in the years 1944/45. Dashes in the collection of Domestic stories (Domače zgodbe) (1958) are told in a pithy language of Gorenjska. In the novel Gospod Šimen (1961 and 1962) he describes the environment of Cerklje during the parish of Simon Robič. His last work was a historic novel Zadnji rabin in Ljubljana (1975). Most of his works were published at the Mohor association in Klagenfurt, but on this side of Karavanke they were not desirable, because of that they are almost unknown.

The family tradition and the preserved plate at the family grave at the graveyard in Cerklje lists the following sculptors, drawers and gilders who worked in Zalog: Peter (*1700), Lojze (*1732), Tone (*1765), Aleš (*1796), Janez (*1823), Feliks (*1862) and Tone (*1890).

Peter is the author of an extensive sculptural opus, because beside the six altars (in the municipality of Cerklje at Zgornji Brnik and in Šmartno) also over 30 altars and more individual sculptures are attributed to him. Some works, which were made at the end of the 18th century, could also be counted to one of his successors, Lojze or Tone, whose work is unfortunately not documented.

Much better known is the work of Aleš. Only in the municipality of Cerklje there are firmly his the main altar in Šmartno, both side-ones in Štefanja Gora, both side-ones in Češnjevek, and probably also the side-ones in Grad. The last three were less involved with new creations, but have focused more on restoration and conservation of material heritage.

After finishing school in Kranj, Davorin Jenko continued his studies in Ljubljana, where he studied music under Gašper Mašek and Gregor Rihar, before completing his education in Trieste with the composer Luigi Ricci and Francesco Sinico. Even before he finished law in Vienna he achieved fame as a conductor and composer. Because of this, he was offered a job in Pančev, in the far east of Austra-Hungary. In Vienna, he met some of his former classmates, including Simon Jenko, with whom he established the Slovenian Singing Society. After several years of choirmaster work he became bandmaster and composer of the Serbian National Theatre, where he remained until his retirement. He lived out his retirement back home in Slovenia, in Ljubljana and Cerklje.

He wrote the majority of his Slovenian works whilst studying in Vienna. The most famous of these are: Lipa zelenela je, Blagor mu, ki se spočije and Naprej zastava slave, which was to become the Slovenian national anthem. He was also one fo the first to write solos, the most important of which were written to the texts of Prešeren. During his time in Belgrade he composed mainly for Serbian theatre, but he also set the foundations for Serbian choral music. He published the following collections: Slovenian songs for quartet, duet, solo and piano, Slovenkam, songs of Fr. Prešeren, Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian songs for male choir, Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian Poetry.

After the First World War in 1929, Ivan Jonetz moved to Canada and then on to the US. Through good work he was promoted to officer and dealer. He had been a fan of literature ever since his childhood. He managed many Slovenian papers in America, even the literary magazine Cankarjev Glasnik. He has a good reputation for being the most productive Slovenian writer in North America, being one of the few to continue publishing whilst out there. He wrote in English and Slovenian. Excluding his short stories, his most important Slovenian works are his novels Senca preko pota (Shadow over the ways) (1940) and Jutro brez sonca (Morning without the sun) (1949). In addition to prose he always write poetry. His poetry was first about love, before later becoming about social and sometimes religious subjects. During the Second World War he also devoted himself to epics. He was very successful in childlike humourous poems. Despite his lack of education, Jontez successfully created immense depth to his characters, with destiny and coincidence playing a large role in all of them. It was often possible to see analysis of social conditions in his literary work. Before the Second World War he was one of the most prominent Slovenian cultural creators in America, but after the war he was on the list of banned writers in his homeland, due to his outspoken anti-regime views

Since she was 14 years old until retirement she was member of the theatre of Ljubljana, first Opera, then Drama. Her first major role was Majda v Divjem lovcu. Beside the character-roles she best managed farm female characters. For the people of Cerklje it is especially interesting that she often performed beside Ignacij Borštnik from Cerklje. The retirement with her husband she spent in their villa Polonca in Cerklje. At that time she was the soul of the acting group of KUD of Cerklje, which reached under her leadership its high level, as it reached the top positions at the country’s amateur stage competitions. Beside plays with smaller bands she directed also the play Goljeva Sneguljčica with a large cast.

In Cerklje they spent their holidays and later their retirement also Polona’s daughter Vida and her husband Slavko Jan, both theatre artists.

After a doctorate in theology and a degree in sacred art he completed also study of music in Vienna. Beside top positions he achieved in church hierarchy where he finally became cathedral provost in Ljubljana, he devoted all his life to music. He was a big admirer of Slovenian folk songs and stimulated its singing everywhere. He composed primarily choral music but did not neglect the instrumental one. In the journal Cerkveni glasbenik he wrote about church organ masters, composers, bells, music history and evaluated new music issues. He made dispositions for a number of new church organs in Slovenia, in 1940 also for Cerkljansko.

Five years old he moved with his parents to Poženik. Here he spent the happiest young years and considered himself his whole life long as a Poženčan. He worked first as a post officer first in Ljubljana, then in many other cities in Austria. Already as a school boy in the 6th class he began writing poems which were published in the journal Učiteljski tovariš, Novice and Kres, later in Trstenjakova Zora. Even more as a poet he established himself as a storyteller. Beside a long line of short texts (Viženčan, Rokovnjaška ljubica, Drobne povesti, Gospod Anton…), which were published in Ljubljanski zvon, Slovenski narod and Mohorjeva družba, there are three important novels: Zvezdana, Luteranci and Kmetski triumvirat. For his last resting place he chose the earth of Cerklje. At the graveyard behind the church he has the most magnificent tomb stone with the inscription: “Let me rest in Slovenian soil, which I loved so immensely”. In the will he left a lot of money for the poor of Cerklje and Poženik, but most for the build up for the church in his beloved Poženik, which has no church. Unfortunately, in most respects the testament could not be realized.

He was a celebrated master builder; to who is also attributed the setting up of presbytery of Cerklje’s church, but this is nowhere documented. His most important work is the dome at the Ljubljana cathedral (1841). Medved said: “If ever Šenklavž should fall apart and fall down to the ground, the dome will fall unscratched between the ruins.” Indeed, the cathedral showed after the earthquake in 1895 many cracks, the dome was completely undamaged. In addition to this large work he built nine new and rebuilt and completed a number of other churches. Especially known are the vaults or arches in the parish church in Šmartno near Kranj and in Nova Štifta in Štajerska, his work is also the pyramid on the top of Kranj’s bell tower. Among the secular buildings is Alojzijevišče in Ljubljana.

After studying painting in Vienna and Zagreb he belonged to the so called fourth generation with his contemporaries (Olaf Globočnik, Miha Maleš, Nikolaj Pirnat and Mira Pregelj). Despite the fact that he was very attached to the home region, his job way led him always far away from home: to Novo mesto, Maribor and Ptuj. He was a very prolific artist, as about 6000 of his paintings, graphics and drawings were preserved. Motifs of his works range from portraits to landscapes. His most important religious works are in the Plečnik’s church in Bogojina – Altar’s image and Way of the Cross. His Way of the Cross creation is a significant contribution to post-war church painting. He left for the home parish the fresco of Saint Marin with goose (in the church in Šmartno). He was very attached to his birth place. Every year he returned during his holidays back to Brnik and to Cerklje and searched with paper and colours for interesting motifs and so saved many from oblivion. Mežan’s tomb stone in form of a chapel reminds us on his favourite motif.

He taught in Kamnik and Ljubljana. His service obligation he decided as a school supervisor for the Kamnik district. He is the author of the textbooks Practical Slovenian-German Grammar (Praktična slovensko-nemška gramatika), Geographical Start Up (Zemljepisna začetnica) and Grammar in the Public School (Slovnica v ljudski šoli). He was active as a committee member of the Association of Slovenian teachers and regulated the newspaper Učiteljski tovariš, where he published many articles with methodical content. At his birthplace in Zalog he has a memorial plaque.

The image of Josip Murn is quite tragic. Born in extreme poverty on the 4. March 1879 in Ljubljana, mother Marija Murn and father Jože Cankar, about who we know very little. Mother had no physical possibility to support and feed her illegitimate son, so she gave him away and moved to Trst, where she earned money as a maid. From the foster family his way led to Ljubljana, where he spent most of his short life and where he died in 1901. Murn has indelibly marked the Slovenian modern poetry, he was a master of impressionistic and lyrical poetry. His contemporaries were Dragotin Kette, Ivan Cankar and Oton Zupančič. Josip Murn Aleksandrov is connected to Cerklje by the birthplace of his mother Marija Murn, she was born in Lohovče. During his school holidays he went to Zalog at Cerklje na Gorenjskem. Staying in Gorenjska marked his peasant songs, because it meant for him that it was a counterpart to town, society, civilization – exactly this part of his opus is the most remarkable. Here he composed series of lyrical declarations, so emotional and mood poetry, where he describes his inner world, a world of his mental states. Gorenjska was for Murn a place with people to who he was strongly connected with because he spent his best years of his life here. Alexander is the pseudonym he assumed by the name of the homestead in Vipavska dolina, where he spent his school holidays. His pseudonym Jurij Zaloški puts Murn to the region of Cerklje, inspiration to his famous emotional lyrics.

As a chaplain he worked in Cerklje. He is most famous as the inventor of photography on glass for what he was awarded in 1851 with the bronze medal at the London Idustrial Exhibition. The Nationale Agricole Paris Acadmie, commerciale et manufacturiere, called him in 1852 as one of its member and handed him the diploma, in which he is called “inventeur de photographie sur verre”. He was also a skilful painter and drawer. Interesting are the pencil made drawings of Bled and of the composer Gregor Rihar in a boat. He was an excellent musician and played several instruments that he created himself. Most of his german songs were lost, the Slovenian ones were composed by the composers Leopold Cvek and Andrej Vavken from Cerklje.

After a couple of chaplain services he became a parish priest in Predoslje. He is known as a collector of popular goods. He saved many Slovenian folk songs from being forgotten. He first recorded folk stories, tales and legends. In Drobtinice he published short stories, intended for popular education (Martinez iz Podloma, Jakec Osredka, Očalar…). From French he translated for Mohor’s society the briefly drowned and instructive tale Utopljenci. As a poet Poženčar was a lyric personality. He wrote many poems, but most stayed in manuscript form. Most famous was Pri žaljah Kranjskega mesta, which he wrote in memory of Prešeren, soon after his death. He was also busy with the Slavic history, but the romantic homesickness was more attractive to him, the idea of large scale of Slavic nations and uniformity of Slavic languages. On the church wall in Predoslje there is a tombstone with carved inscription: “Happiness we desire the world won’t give, happiness is true only in the homely heaven.”

As the seventh of nine children of middle-class parents he was educated in Ljubljana. As a priest he had his longest job done as the Ljubljana cathedral vicar. He was a mentor of the music chapel and guardian of musical archive. His musical ideas he put forward with a songbook Oseminšestdeset sveteh pesm. To this songbook he added Viže the odspredej postavljeneh pesm (1776), which is the first Slovenian printed songbook with a circular notation, published in Vienna. In the preface to the songbook he presents its purpose: “Slišite Kranjski Pevci, inu Pevke! Koku vas David ta kronane Pevc k petju vabe /…/ Po kaj be vam blu treba na poredne pesme misliti, ke se vam sveteh mankalu nabo.” However, with the thoughts of the preface match only the words of the published poems. The songs are to happy to be spiritual songs, to baroque-stylish and boil over with secular spirit. The songbook is a result of enlightened thinking and allowed the participation of the people in worshipping. Already well in the years he settled to the monastery in Velesovo.

He was educated in his home town, later in Ljubljana, where the famous botanist Frančišek Hladnik strongly influented the young lover of nature. As a priest he served in Slovenia and in 1874 came to parish at Šenturška Gora, where he stayed 23 years. With findings from animal and plant species which are also found in Cerklje area, he became famous in whole Europe. After him many bugs and even 5 species of snails have been named. Robič was most proud of finding a beautiful snail, that scientists later named Amalia Robiči Simroth. In the ditch at Doblice he discovered a completely unknown moss. His special joy were vipers, which he cultivated in the rocks below vicarage. In the Mokrška-caves he discovered an entire skeleton of a cave bear, which now boasts the Museum of Natural History in Ljubljana. As a geologist, palaeontologist and a caver he was active around Kamnik and gained recognition at home and abroad. His name bears the society for exploring caves from Domžale. Verses on the tomb, which celebrate his merits, end with: “Ko tu učenjakov slavijo te krogi, raduj se naš Simon v nebesih pri Bogi!” At his activities at the Šenturška Gora shows also the memorial plaque, which was presented by the society from Dob.

He spent his youth modestly. He was educated in Velesovo in Ljubljana. After the classic gymnasium he first studied Slavicism, later he turned to theology. Already as a grammar school boy he was very actively involved in the newspaper of the Salesian students Naše delo and edited it also for some time. There he published his literary-theoretical discussion Analysis of a poet’s style (Analiza pesniškega stila). He participated also in other publications. He preferred writing in linked words even he did not avoid writing prose. Most of his literary legacy is lost. In May 1945 he retired in Koroška, was sent back to Vetrinje, where he was killed.

His employment at the school of Cerklje was his first and last. Here he taught nearly 36 years and created a school that has been among the best in Gorenjska. He was also Cerklje Mayor for whole 30 years, he founded a post office and a fire brigade. His most important sphere of activity was music, 41 years he was an excellent organist and an exemplary choirmaster in the parish church. In addition he diligently composed. He published two volumes of famous Vigred se povrne based on the text of Janez Puhar. The songbook Pesmi in napevi za cerkev in šolo (1863), which was intended for young people is unfortunately lost. For church use he published the collection of seven books with the title Napevi cerkvenih pesem (1863-1874). With this work he made himself a magnificent monument among the Slovenian church composers. He also wrote the music for a Borštnik’s play Stari Ilija, which was carried out at the Ljubljana’s Drama. Vavken’s tombstone is built in the wall of the rear right pillar of the Plečnik’s hangar in front of the old mortuary.

After graduating in law he worked in various administrative offices in Ljubljana. Even as a high school student he wrote the student journals Jutranja zarja, of which he was editor, and Domače vaje. On Cerklje’s stage he was active as author, director and actor. His first theatre works were Pod Lutrovim jarmom, Je pač tako and Daritev. Late he wrote even more folk plays. The comedies Water (Voda) and Golden Calf (Zlato tele) were shown also on the stage of Ljubljana’s Drama. In addition the these the drama Return (Vrnitev) (1932) was published in book form, which is his most played work – till 1939 more than thousand times. He was the first Slovenian author of radio plays Epiphany (Sveti trije kralji), Charmed Veronica (Zakleta Veronika) (both in 1935)… Most popular was the cycle The Happy and Sad Ones (Vesele in žalostne) from the life of Jaka Smodlaka in njegovih (1935-1941). At the Midsummer Day in 1937 were published the radio single act The Wonder of Midsummer Night (Čudo kresne noči) and The Holy Brothers Ciril and Metod (Sveta brata Ciril in Metod). After the war he moved to Argentina, where he maintained and developed the Slovenian culture together with other leading Slovenian intellectuals. He continued writing theatre play’s among which was the most popular satirical comedy from Levstik’s story Martin Krpan, which was staged in Argentina, Austra (1969 and 2000) and Slovenia (1969).

The family of elder Zorman, the Velesov’s compatriot, emigrated in 1893 to America, returned after five years for one year to Adergas and then permanently left the old place forever. Young Ivan Zorman was already as a child musically educated by his father, who was organist and bandmaster, and he chose music as his life profession. For many years he was organist in the Slovenian church in Cleveland and a private music teacher. He was especially admired among his compatriots in the U.S. because of his poems. His poetry is simle, often caught in the problems of exile and does not hide the longing for their old homeland. The content of his lyrics tells about known places of emotion, where mostly serenity prevails over feelings of bitterness. He published his poems in six collections by his own publishing house in the years from 1919 to 1938

After grammar school he studied Slavicism first, then he transcribed in theology. He began writing poetry already in gymnasium, later he established himself in prose. His larges work Mati in Mariča, a story about his home environment, was published shortly before the war. At the start of the war he wrote some shorter stories, later literary creativity has been lost. In May 1945 he retracted to Koroška, as he returned he was killed.

After finishing grammar school he studied law, but before the end of study he devoted to journalism, so that he ranks among the first Slovenian professional journalists. Almost 20 years he was editor of the Slovenian nation, in addition he published some humorous newspapers. He was also occupied with literature. Among other things he translated Nestroy’s farce Danes bomo tiči, which was first staged in Ljubljana in 1873.