Page 133 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 133
a bst r acts
Visiting the Karst underground: development of cave tourism
in Slovenia
Petra Kavrečič
Cave tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourist activity to have developed in the Kras re-
gion of the Slovene territory. The stony world of caves has captured the interest of curious
adventurers and researchers seeking to discover the secrets of the Kras underground. In the
period before the development of modern tourism, visiting caves was influenced by a num-
ber of factors, one of which was associated with religious beliefs; however, the main motive
for visiting the underground world was curiosity, research and a desire for adventure. Caves
such as the Postojna Cave, Škocjan Caves, Vilenica, Planina Cave, Predjama, Magdalena
Cave, Socerb Cave and others were frequently visited by foreign travellers.
The paper aims to present three underground localities, namely the caves of Vilenica, Škoc-
jan and Postojna, showing their potential attraction in terms of tourism and the reason for
their (lack of) success. The analysis is based on historical sources (diaries, journals) as well
as on scientific literature, as caves were visited and described in travellers’ journals and dia-
ries, in which emphasis was placed on interesting, intriguing and sometimes terrifying nat-
ural stony images of the underground world. The most frequently visited locations were the
ones which were easily accessible - whether located on a transitional road, in the vicinity of
a bigger city (Trieste) or easy to access.
Keywords: travel in the pre-industrial period, Vilenica Cave, Škocjan Caves, Postojna Cave,
cave tourism
Public presentation of stone monuments
Nigel T. W. Mills
The purpose of this article is to explore some of the opportunities and challenges in the
public presentation of stone monuments, to suggest how principles of heritage interpreta-
tion can help to address these challenges and to provide examples of good practice in the ap-
plication of these principles. The first two aspects are covered in the introduction through
the personal experience of the author in developing his knowledge and skills as a heritage
interpreter. The good practice examples focus on the Hadrian’s Wall Interpretation Frame-
work and the Roman Frontier Gallery at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle.
Keywords: Interpretation Framework, interpretation, interpreting, presentation, stone,
landscapes
Versatility of mosaics: psychological, sociological, aesthetic
and organizational aspects
Maja Frencl, Boštjan Žvanut
The art of mosaic making is a form of craftwork, in which various materials (e.g. pieces of
stone, tiles, glass, plastic) are combined to form different motifs. From the Bronze Age on-
wards and especially in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, mosaic was not only a dec-
orative element, but also a symbol of power and prosperity. Today, with the development
of human consciousness, mosaic is gaining new dimensions. This chapter presents the var-
ious functions of mosaic that we use in our work: mosaic as a team building tool, mosaic
131
Visiting the Karst underground: development of cave tourism
in Slovenia
Petra Kavrečič
Cave tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourist activity to have developed in the Kras re-
gion of the Slovene territory. The stony world of caves has captured the interest of curious
adventurers and researchers seeking to discover the secrets of the Kras underground. In the
period before the development of modern tourism, visiting caves was influenced by a num-
ber of factors, one of which was associated with religious beliefs; however, the main motive
for visiting the underground world was curiosity, research and a desire for adventure. Caves
such as the Postojna Cave, Škocjan Caves, Vilenica, Planina Cave, Predjama, Magdalena
Cave, Socerb Cave and others were frequently visited by foreign travellers.
The paper aims to present three underground localities, namely the caves of Vilenica, Škoc-
jan and Postojna, showing their potential attraction in terms of tourism and the reason for
their (lack of) success. The analysis is based on historical sources (diaries, journals) as well
as on scientific literature, as caves were visited and described in travellers’ journals and dia-
ries, in which emphasis was placed on interesting, intriguing and sometimes terrifying nat-
ural stony images of the underground world. The most frequently visited locations were the
ones which were easily accessible - whether located on a transitional road, in the vicinity of
a bigger city (Trieste) or easy to access.
Keywords: travel in the pre-industrial period, Vilenica Cave, Škocjan Caves, Postojna Cave,
cave tourism
Public presentation of stone monuments
Nigel T. W. Mills
The purpose of this article is to explore some of the opportunities and challenges in the
public presentation of stone monuments, to suggest how principles of heritage interpreta-
tion can help to address these challenges and to provide examples of good practice in the ap-
plication of these principles. The first two aspects are covered in the introduction through
the personal experience of the author in developing his knowledge and skills as a heritage
interpreter. The good practice examples focus on the Hadrian’s Wall Interpretation Frame-
work and the Roman Frontier Gallery at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle.
Keywords: Interpretation Framework, interpretation, interpreting, presentation, stone,
landscapes
Versatility of mosaics: psychological, sociological, aesthetic
and organizational aspects
Maja Frencl, Boštjan Žvanut
The art of mosaic making is a form of craftwork, in which various materials (e.g. pieces of
stone, tiles, glass, plastic) are combined to form different motifs. From the Bronze Age on-
wards and especially in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, mosaic was not only a dec-
orative element, but also a symbol of power and prosperity. Today, with the development
of human consciousness, mosaic is gaining new dimensions. This chapter presents the var-
ious functions of mosaic that we use in our work: mosaic as a team building tool, mosaic
131
