to a larger water source, the Sava Dolinka River, creating a settlement that was to become Jesenice. The ironworks continued to mine ore from the slopes of the Karawanks. Members of the House of Ortenburg were the most prominent landowners in the area from the 11th century onwards. They were at their apex in the 13th century in terms of land, encompassing almost all of the Sava Valley from its source to its confluence with the Sora River. The House of Ortenburg promoted colonization of the Upper Sava Valley, especially in ore-rich areas. Throughout the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, small settlements of Plavž, Sava, Murova, and Slovenski Javornik were founded. By decree of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, all of these settlements were amalgamated into the town of Jesenice on March 20, 1929. Industrial growth The settlements evolved independently of each other and, until the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century, they were only connected by a gravel road. In addition to mining and ironworking, locals made a living from agriculture and stockbreeding. Different iron foundries belonged to different owners - the Zois, Ruard and Bucelleni families. Compared to other foundries around the world at the time, the Jesenice ironworks were out of date because modernization required substantial investment funds, beyond what the Zoises, the Ruards and the Bucellenis could raise. Help was offered by the Luckmann family of bankers from Ljubljana, who agreed to modernize the iron foundries in return for the foundation of a new shareholder company. The company, named the Carniolan Industrial Company () was founded by the Luckmann family on September 18, 1869. The Zois family was the first to join the company, with the Ruards following three years later. The company soon expanded its activities to the Tržič ironworks, and to Topusko in Croatia. This was the first time that all of the Upper Carniolan ironworks had been joined under a single administration, with central management in Ljubljana, and business administration in Jesenice. The greatest achievement was the scientific discovery of a process for obtaining ferromanganese in a smelting furnace, which brought KID a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Vienna in 1873, and worldwide fame. The Jesenice ironworks achieved a status as a pioneering center of technical invention in the history of ironworking. KID was also the basis for the new ironworks facility, which expanded quickly, from