Page 17 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 17
interpretations of stone in the karst yesterday, today and tomorrow
premises and spray vines in vineyards. In order to heat lime kilns, the Karst people cleaned
up the commons, which are today mostly overgrown. An important element of stone herit-
age of the Karst are domed shepherd’s cottages, in particular their skilful construction, be-
cause, like dry stone walls, they were built of stone without a binder. These cottages were
simple provisional shelters for bad weather conditions on the pasture. According to the eth-
nologist Eda Belingar, the construction style of shepherd’s cottages influenced the develop-
ment of dwelling forms, in particular the construction style of using shaped, evenly placed
stones, which gave the Karst house an ascetic look (Belingar, 2007, p. 5). Used in a specific
way of wall construction, stone as a building material was a particularly good temperature
regulator because, unlike a cement wall, a stone wall breathed and maintained the temper-
ature better. In the times of manual labour, quarrying was a very tough and difficult work;
therefore, people, especially stonemasons, quarrymen and stone-builders, who worked with
it daily, established a special emotional connection with stone (for more information, see
Renčelj, 2007, Kernel, 2003).
In the period before World War II, geographical features of the Karst landscape, in
particular stone areas, marked the identity of the Karst people, which began to develop in
the relations with the people of Trieste, where the Karst people went mainly for economic
reasons. For the Karst farmers, Trieste was the first major urban centre, where they learnt
about innovative ideas and other cultures. After 1719, more and more people from near and
far Austrian places and provinces came to Trieste. Initially, they named themselves after
Figure 1: Kopriva, Quarry Kremenjak in the 1950s (The photo is property of Sonja Peroci,
Kopriva).
places (e.g. Vipava), regions (e.g. the people of Karst, Istria, Friuli), or provinces (the Go-
rizia/Gorica identity) of their origin; however, after the first nationalist movements in the
pre-March period, especially in the second half of the 19th century, people started to refer
15
premises and spray vines in vineyards. In order to heat lime kilns, the Karst people cleaned
up the commons, which are today mostly overgrown. An important element of stone herit-
age of the Karst are domed shepherd’s cottages, in particular their skilful construction, be-
cause, like dry stone walls, they were built of stone without a binder. These cottages were
simple provisional shelters for bad weather conditions on the pasture. According to the eth-
nologist Eda Belingar, the construction style of shepherd’s cottages influenced the develop-
ment of dwelling forms, in particular the construction style of using shaped, evenly placed
stones, which gave the Karst house an ascetic look (Belingar, 2007, p. 5). Used in a specific
way of wall construction, stone as a building material was a particularly good temperature
regulator because, unlike a cement wall, a stone wall breathed and maintained the temper-
ature better. In the times of manual labour, quarrying was a very tough and difficult work;
therefore, people, especially stonemasons, quarrymen and stone-builders, who worked with
it daily, established a special emotional connection with stone (for more information, see
Renčelj, 2007, Kernel, 2003).
In the period before World War II, geographical features of the Karst landscape, in
particular stone areas, marked the identity of the Karst people, which began to develop in
the relations with the people of Trieste, where the Karst people went mainly for economic
reasons. For the Karst farmers, Trieste was the first major urban centre, where they learnt
about innovative ideas and other cultures. After 1719, more and more people from near and
far Austrian places and provinces came to Trieste. Initially, they named themselves after
Figure 1: Kopriva, Quarry Kremenjak in the 1950s (The photo is property of Sonja Peroci,
Kopriva).
places (e.g. Vipava), regions (e.g. the people of Karst, Istria, Friuli), or provinces (the Go-
rizia/Gorica identity) of their origin; however, after the first nationalist movements in the
pre-March period, especially in the second half of the 19th century, people started to refer
15
