At the streams that flow into Lake Cerknica, many mills and sawmills were erected where the locals ground flour and sawed wood.
Most were located along the Cerkniščica, a 22-km-long stream, which springs on the Vid plateau and feeds Lake Cerknica. They were also built along other lake tributaries, such as the Žerovniščica, the Lispenjščica and also the Martinjščica.
On the Vid plateau, they were also erected along the Zala and Iška rivers. In order to step up the exploitation of the Cerkniščica, a 125-metre-long independent channel of the Mlinščica was dug out in the so-called Chicken Valley (Kurja dolina) in Begunje, which then supplied three mills: the upper, the lower and the Čopec mill. These facilities used to represent one of the most important agricultural activities.
| Number of mills and sawmills at the Cerkniščica: | 31 |
| Number of mills and sawmills at the Lipsenjščica: | 2 |
| Number of mills and sawmills at the Žerovniščica: | 5 |
| Number of mills and sawmills at the Martinjščica: | 2 |
| Types of millstones: | black, white, meslin |
