ly:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black" lang="EN-US">The Auersperg family established a notable
ironworks in the town, and the steel industry was important to the economy. The
Auersperg installed a blast furnace and ironworks in 1763, and were granted
permission for extensive iron mining in the area.
By 1891, however, the industry operations in
Žužemberk faced excessive competition and costly production and ceased
operating. A
number of sawmills and water mills also developed in the town, and Žužemberk
also has one of the oldest paper mills in Slovenia.In 1775, the Empress Maria
Theresa gave consent to guild of
seventeen tanners in Žužemberk, and it became an important trade, with
merchants in Žužemberk making trousers, aprons, wine-skins and wheat sacks. 
