Page 272 - 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. 272
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
ey could have meant for the single guide, we may again divide it with the
number of households in the same year (225: the total yearly income would
have been 808.36 kr.) (Table 11.2). To make a comparison, a decade later
(1891) the average annual income of a regular worker in the Idrija quick-
silver mines was of 21,200 kr. (212 gld.; Kmetijske in rokodelske novice, 1. 1.
1892, 4). The 1880 annual income as a cave-guide in Postojna we estimat-
ed, (808.36 kr.) represents 3.81% of the annual income of the mine worker.
In 1869 the income was 789.35 kr., which represents 3.72%. Considering that
most probably not every household in town was involved in guiding, and
that visitor groups might have been smaller, requiring more guides, these
figures are surely underestimations: for those who did the guiding it should
have been possible to make a month or two’s living out of it.
Table 11.2: Income of households from guiding in Postojna cave in 1869 and 1880
Year Number of households in Number of visitors in the Annual income of a house-
Postojna cave hold from guiding (estimated
1869
1880 199 3927 average in kr.)
225 4547 789.35
808.36
The present comparison of guidance fees with food prices, salary,
number of visitors and the population does not provide completely satisfac-
tory information about the relevance of the source of income of the peasant
population from this non-agricultural activity, but rather sketch it rough-
ly. Indeed, there are some more reasons that prevent us from gaining more
precise data. In fact, the information about the social status of the guides is
relatively scarce, although they are mostly referred to as locals or peasants
from the nearby areas; neither is there data about the level of their involve-
ment in the tourist process, namely about how often did a person guide,
and if it was a regular occupation or only an occasional activity.
3.2 Škocjan, Vilenica and Divača Caves
As we have already said, the first important step that enabled the growth of
the visits to the Škocjan Caves was the construction of stairs in 1823 (Mül-
ler 2013, 30). The rural population of the cave’s surroundings was involved
in the underground research activities that took place since the second half
of the 19th century and especially after the foundation of a speleology divi-
sion by the Primorska Section of the German and Austrian alpine Socie-
ty of Trieste (Deutschen und Österreichischen Alpenverein, Section Küsten-
270
ey could have meant for the single guide, we may again divide it with the
number of households in the same year (225: the total yearly income would
have been 808.36 kr.) (Table 11.2). To make a comparison, a decade later
(1891) the average annual income of a regular worker in the Idrija quick-
silver mines was of 21,200 kr. (212 gld.; Kmetijske in rokodelske novice, 1. 1.
1892, 4). The 1880 annual income as a cave-guide in Postojna we estimat-
ed, (808.36 kr.) represents 3.81% of the annual income of the mine worker.
In 1869 the income was 789.35 kr., which represents 3.72%. Considering that
most probably not every household in town was involved in guiding, and
that visitor groups might have been smaller, requiring more guides, these
figures are surely underestimations: for those who did the guiding it should
have been possible to make a month or two’s living out of it.
Table 11.2: Income of households from guiding in Postojna cave in 1869 and 1880
Year Number of households in Number of visitors in the Annual income of a house-
Postojna cave hold from guiding (estimated
1869
1880 199 3927 average in kr.)
225 4547 789.35
808.36
The present comparison of guidance fees with food prices, salary,
number of visitors and the population does not provide completely satisfac-
tory information about the relevance of the source of income of the peasant
population from this non-agricultural activity, but rather sketch it rough-
ly. Indeed, there are some more reasons that prevent us from gaining more
precise data. In fact, the information about the social status of the guides is
relatively scarce, although they are mostly referred to as locals or peasants
from the nearby areas; neither is there data about the level of their involve-
ment in the tourist process, namely about how often did a person guide,
and if it was a regular occupation or only an occasional activity.
3.2 Škocjan, Vilenica and Divača Caves
As we have already said, the first important step that enabled the growth of
the visits to the Škocjan Caves was the construction of stairs in 1823 (Mül-
ler 2013, 30). The rural population of the cave’s surroundings was involved
in the underground research activities that took place since the second half
of the 19th century and especially after the foundation of a speleology divi-
sion by the Primorska Section of the German and Austrian alpine Socie-
ty of Trieste (Deutschen und Österreichischen Alpenverein, Section Küsten-
270
