Page 268 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 268
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
commons) were mostly owned by feudal lords, while after 1848 they were
assigned in collective property to the local village communities. The com-
munities were then able to use the natural assets of their territory also for
tourism purposes, which was since then practiced in the Vilenica, Škocjan
and Divača Caves. Anyway, the most significant development of cave tour-
ism during the 19th century took place in the Postojna caves, which became
one of the main tourist attractions in the region at that time. The caves were
under public administration; in fact the district governor of Postojna was
also the president of the Cave Committee (Habe 1979, 177).
In general, tourist destinations represented an increasing income op-
portunity for the local population, since the organisation of a tourist desti-
nation required a lot of investment in infrastructure, new labour force and
an offer of what could be found in the surrounding areas.
3.1 Postojna Cave
An accidental discovery by the local inhabitant Luka Čeč in 1818 inaugura-
ted the Postojna cave as a very successful tourist destination. After his di-
scovery, the entrance was closed and in 1819 the cave was officially opened
to tourists (Čuk 2003; Kariž 2008). The administrative organ of the cave
was the Cave Committee established in 1824 (1823) and ran by local autho-
rities (district governor).3 The Cave Committee took over the organisation
of paths, the guiding and lighting service in the cave and it introduced the
entrance fee.
A crucial moment for the intensive development of cave tourism in
Postojna occurred with the construction of the South railway leading from
Vienna to Trieste in 1857, on which one of the stops was also placed in Pos-
tojna. The tourism development required great investments in tourist in-
frastructure, such as accommodation facilities, arrangements of the sur-
roundings, guiding service, a lighting system (electric light arrived in 1884),
and maintenance of the railway tracks of the small train in the cave which
were laid in 1872 (Kavrečič 2007). The local newspaper Notranjec (published
from 1904 to 1909) reported that the local population was also involved in
this process, in fact, besides guiding, it also supplied restaurants with ag-
ricultural products or offered transportation for tourists (Kavrečič 2007;
Čeč 2001).
Due to greater tourist visits, an increase in prices for tourist services
can be followed. According to Schaffenrath’s guide in 1834 the entrance fee
3 Since 1848 the cave was directly under the property of the state (Savnik 1958, 144).
266
commons) were mostly owned by feudal lords, while after 1848 they were
assigned in collective property to the local village communities. The com-
munities were then able to use the natural assets of their territory also for
tourism purposes, which was since then practiced in the Vilenica, Škocjan
and Divača Caves. Anyway, the most significant development of cave tour-
ism during the 19th century took place in the Postojna caves, which became
one of the main tourist attractions in the region at that time. The caves were
under public administration; in fact the district governor of Postojna was
also the president of the Cave Committee (Habe 1979, 177).
In general, tourist destinations represented an increasing income op-
portunity for the local population, since the organisation of a tourist desti-
nation required a lot of investment in infrastructure, new labour force and
an offer of what could be found in the surrounding areas.
3.1 Postojna Cave
An accidental discovery by the local inhabitant Luka Čeč in 1818 inaugura-
ted the Postojna cave as a very successful tourist destination. After his di-
scovery, the entrance was closed and in 1819 the cave was officially opened
to tourists (Čuk 2003; Kariž 2008). The administrative organ of the cave
was the Cave Committee established in 1824 (1823) and ran by local autho-
rities (district governor).3 The Cave Committee took over the organisation
of paths, the guiding and lighting service in the cave and it introduced the
entrance fee.
A crucial moment for the intensive development of cave tourism in
Postojna occurred with the construction of the South railway leading from
Vienna to Trieste in 1857, on which one of the stops was also placed in Pos-
tojna. The tourism development required great investments in tourist in-
frastructure, such as accommodation facilities, arrangements of the sur-
roundings, guiding service, a lighting system (electric light arrived in 1884),
and maintenance of the railway tracks of the small train in the cave which
were laid in 1872 (Kavrečič 2007). The local newspaper Notranjec (published
from 1904 to 1909) reported that the local population was also involved in
this process, in fact, besides guiding, it also supplied restaurants with ag-
ricultural products or offered transportation for tourists (Kavrečič 2007;
Čeč 2001).
Due to greater tourist visits, an increase in prices for tourist services
can be followed. According to Schaffenrath’s guide in 1834 the entrance fee
3 Since 1848 the cave was directly under the property of the state (Savnik 1958, 144).
266
