Page 11 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
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Stone narratives
Heritage, mobility, performance
Introduction
Katja Hrobat Virloget, Irena Weber
The monograph is one of the deliverables of the Kamen-Most Project (Stone-Bridge) car-
ried out within the framework of the European territorial collaboration Slovenia–Croatia
2007‒2013. The aim of the project has been to help preserve and promote the stone herita-
ge, the traditional knowledge of the exploitation and use of stone, the construction and re-
storation techniques of dry walls and other similar constructions in the area of Karst, Is-
tria and Kvarner.
Some of the articles are extended discourse studies derived from a selection of papers
presented at the international conference Stone & Story (Slovenian: Kamen pripoveduje,
Croatian: Kamen priča), held on 27 and 28 September 2014 in the Encuentros Centre of
the University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies in Portorož-Portorose. Besides the
authors of the conference papers, other experts have also been invited to contribute their re-
flections on the meaning and use of stone.
The objective of the monograph is to combine diverse stone narratives from different
geographical regions, though the predominant geographical focus stems directly from the
abovementioned research project. Thus in addition to the examples from Slovenia and Cro-
atia, the narratives include comparative analyses from Great Britain, Romania, Brazil, Ha-
waii, the Caribbean and the United States of America. As part of cultural traditions, stones
are considered within the conceptual framework of contemporary understanding of heri-
tage, constructed, contested, commodified. The mobility concept on the one hand perta-
ins to the ability of stones to move and be moved (by natural forces, animals and humans).
On the other hand, it refers to the historical and contemporary mobility of travellers and
tourists engaged in natural and cultural tourism. The stone worlds hold the potential of su-
blime experiences, whether in the from of the ancient monuments or »natural« awe-inspi-
ring stony landscapes. One such landscape is described by Petra Kavrečič discussing the 19th
century travellers to three caves in present day Slovenia, Vilenica Cave, Škocjan Caves, and
the best known among contemporary tourists, Postojna Cave. Drawing on historical docu-
ments, travelogues and diaries, she looks into the perceptions and motivations of travellers
in order to critically analyse the potentials of cave tourism.
9
Heritage, mobility, performance
Introduction
Katja Hrobat Virloget, Irena Weber
The monograph is one of the deliverables of the Kamen-Most Project (Stone-Bridge) car-
ried out within the framework of the European territorial collaboration Slovenia–Croatia
2007‒2013. The aim of the project has been to help preserve and promote the stone herita-
ge, the traditional knowledge of the exploitation and use of stone, the construction and re-
storation techniques of dry walls and other similar constructions in the area of Karst, Is-
tria and Kvarner.
Some of the articles are extended discourse studies derived from a selection of papers
presented at the international conference Stone & Story (Slovenian: Kamen pripoveduje,
Croatian: Kamen priča), held on 27 and 28 September 2014 in the Encuentros Centre of
the University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies in Portorož-Portorose. Besides the
authors of the conference papers, other experts have also been invited to contribute their re-
flections on the meaning and use of stone.
The objective of the monograph is to combine diverse stone narratives from different
geographical regions, though the predominant geographical focus stems directly from the
abovementioned research project. Thus in addition to the examples from Slovenia and Cro-
atia, the narratives include comparative analyses from Great Britain, Romania, Brazil, Ha-
waii, the Caribbean and the United States of America. As part of cultural traditions, stones
are considered within the conceptual framework of contemporary understanding of heri-
tage, constructed, contested, commodified. The mobility concept on the one hand perta-
ins to the ability of stones to move and be moved (by natural forces, animals and humans).
On the other hand, it refers to the historical and contemporary mobility of travellers and
tourists engaged in natural and cultural tourism. The stone worlds hold the potential of su-
blime experiences, whether in the from of the ancient monuments or »natural« awe-inspi-
ring stony landscapes. One such landscape is described by Petra Kavrečič discussing the 19th
century travellers to three caves in present day Slovenia, Vilenica Cave, Škocjan Caves, and
the best known among contemporary tourists, Postojna Cave. Drawing on historical docu-
ments, travelogues and diaries, she looks into the perceptions and motivations of travellers
in order to critically analyse the potentials of cave tourism.
9
