Page 20 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
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stone narratives
nologist and curator of the Gorica Museum, Naško Križnar5, performed the most compre-
hensive research of the material culture of the Karst in the late 1970s, which was rounded
off with an exhibition in Sežana. At the initiative of the director of the Gorica Museum,
Branko Marušič, local inhabitants could also sell stone products to the museum in organ-
ised actions of collecting old materials, so that the museum could acquire as many discard-
ed objects as possible. Stone materials were later incorporated into the Kromberk Castle,
which is now a museum. Nevertheless, according to Križnar, the Karst people preferred
to sell stone products to Italian buyers as they were willing to pay more than the museum.
The regional institute of the Protection of Monuments from Ljubljana was established in
Nova Gorica in 1961 (Hazler, 1999, p. 68); its purpose was not so much educating the pub-
lic, but rather recording, researching and protecting artistic and only later other historical,
ethnological, and cultural monuments. Moreover, due to conservation guidelines for reno-
vation of protected areas (e.g. the village of Štanjel), houses or architectural details, which
observed the strict protection of the original state, experts often had disagreements with
the owners of the buildings. At that time, institutions paid more attention to the history
of the National Liberation Struggle (NOB); exhibitions were organized, books6 were writ-
ten, and more funds were provided for the restoration and protection of buildings and oth-
er things associated with the NOB. According to Hazler, folk architecture was more of a
»hobby« for the then leading conservators and experts in the field of the protection of
monuments (Hazler, 1999, pp. 56, 64); state money was given to the reconstruction of par-
tisan hospitals, workshops, bunkers, and illegal printshops.7 The Karst architect Ljubo Lah
similarly explained that the general opinion seemed to be that only peculiar people, »an-
tique-lovers«, would occupy themselves with renovation of old houses, and only exception-
ally various institutes for the protection of culture heritage, interested in the cultural value
of still well-preserved built monuments (Lah, 1994). Interestingly, Slovenian experts only
began to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving natural and cultural
features of the Karst landscape when this was suggested by experts from abroad. Zofija Kle-
men Krek, who was the Director and Secretary General of the Slovenian National Com-
mission for UNESCO in the late 1990s, emphasized in two round-table discussions8 in the
Karst that national experts had failed to include the natural and cultural landscape of the
Karst in their list of suggestions for the parts of the Slovenian landscape that should be in-
cluded in the World List of Natural and Cultural Heritage. An expert of world renown had
to come to Slovenia to stress that the Classical Karst of Slovenia is worldly considered the
5 Naško Križnar was employed at the Gorica Museum from 1972 to 1983.
6 See Makuc, Marušič, Domoznanske publikacije o Primorski [Publications of Local Studies on Primorska], 2005.
Works of cultural and social history were published in great numbers only among the Slovenian minority in the
Italian part of the Karst, which is partially connected with the attitude of the minority to the Slovenian national
identity.
7 Evaluation of cultural NOB monuments sometimes exceeded the firm professional evaluation framework as
accepted by the profession of the protection of monuments; however, for the sake of »peace of mind« and due
to influential »prominent male and female revolutionaries«, the service for the protection of monuments often
allowed a relatively low level of standards (Hazler, 1999, p. 65).
8 The round-table discussion from 1995 »Ženska in njena vloga pri varovanju naravne in kulturne dediščine Krasa«
[Women and their role in protecting natural and cultural heritage of the Karst ] and the round-table discussion
from 1998 »Zakaj izgineva avtentična kraška arhitektura« [Why the authentic Karst architecture is disappearing].
Both meetings were organized by the Kras magazine and sponsors.
18
nologist and curator of the Gorica Museum, Naško Križnar5, performed the most compre-
hensive research of the material culture of the Karst in the late 1970s, which was rounded
off with an exhibition in Sežana. At the initiative of the director of the Gorica Museum,
Branko Marušič, local inhabitants could also sell stone products to the museum in organ-
ised actions of collecting old materials, so that the museum could acquire as many discard-
ed objects as possible. Stone materials were later incorporated into the Kromberk Castle,
which is now a museum. Nevertheless, according to Križnar, the Karst people preferred
to sell stone products to Italian buyers as they were willing to pay more than the museum.
The regional institute of the Protection of Monuments from Ljubljana was established in
Nova Gorica in 1961 (Hazler, 1999, p. 68); its purpose was not so much educating the pub-
lic, but rather recording, researching and protecting artistic and only later other historical,
ethnological, and cultural monuments. Moreover, due to conservation guidelines for reno-
vation of protected areas (e.g. the village of Štanjel), houses or architectural details, which
observed the strict protection of the original state, experts often had disagreements with
the owners of the buildings. At that time, institutions paid more attention to the history
of the National Liberation Struggle (NOB); exhibitions were organized, books6 were writ-
ten, and more funds were provided for the restoration and protection of buildings and oth-
er things associated with the NOB. According to Hazler, folk architecture was more of a
»hobby« for the then leading conservators and experts in the field of the protection of
monuments (Hazler, 1999, pp. 56, 64); state money was given to the reconstruction of par-
tisan hospitals, workshops, bunkers, and illegal printshops.7 The Karst architect Ljubo Lah
similarly explained that the general opinion seemed to be that only peculiar people, »an-
tique-lovers«, would occupy themselves with renovation of old houses, and only exception-
ally various institutes for the protection of culture heritage, interested in the cultural value
of still well-preserved built monuments (Lah, 1994). Interestingly, Slovenian experts only
began to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving natural and cultural
features of the Karst landscape when this was suggested by experts from abroad. Zofija Kle-
men Krek, who was the Director and Secretary General of the Slovenian National Com-
mission for UNESCO in the late 1990s, emphasized in two round-table discussions8 in the
Karst that national experts had failed to include the natural and cultural landscape of the
Karst in their list of suggestions for the parts of the Slovenian landscape that should be in-
cluded in the World List of Natural and Cultural Heritage. An expert of world renown had
to come to Slovenia to stress that the Classical Karst of Slovenia is worldly considered the
5 Naško Križnar was employed at the Gorica Museum from 1972 to 1983.
6 See Makuc, Marušič, Domoznanske publikacije o Primorski [Publications of Local Studies on Primorska], 2005.
Works of cultural and social history were published in great numbers only among the Slovenian minority in the
Italian part of the Karst, which is partially connected with the attitude of the minority to the Slovenian national
identity.
7 Evaluation of cultural NOB monuments sometimes exceeded the firm professional evaluation framework as
accepted by the profession of the protection of monuments; however, for the sake of »peace of mind« and due
to influential »prominent male and female revolutionaries«, the service for the protection of monuments often
allowed a relatively low level of standards (Hazler, 1999, p. 65).
8 The round-table discussion from 1995 »Ženska in njena vloga pri varovanju naravne in kulturne dediščine Krasa«
[Women and their role in protecting natural and cultural heritage of the Karst ] and the round-table discussion
from 1998 »Zakaj izgineva avtentična kraška arhitektura« [Why the authentic Karst architecture is disappearing].
Both meetings were organized by the Kras magazine and sponsors.
18
