Ljubl jansko bar je

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EP

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Nova Gorica

Koper

Postojna

LJUBLJANA

Kranj

MARIBORMurska Sobota

Celje

Novo mesto

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Prav na pragu glavnega mesta, Ljubljane, le nekaj korakovod zadnjih mestnih ulic, se razprostira Ljubljansko barje.Dobrih 150 km2 moœvirne ravnice zaznamuje neskonœenmozaik travnikov, steljnikov, njiv, jarkov in mejic. Sem in tjasilijo kviøku za alpsko deæelo kar sramotno nizko zeleniosamelci. Skoraj obkroæeno z avtocestami, barje v hiteœemupopotniku ne vzbudi posebnega zanimanja. Le kaj je lahkoposebnega v pokrajini, ki se dotika velemesta in ima zapovrh ime, povezano s moœvirjem? Toda kogar pot zanese vnotranjost, bo prijetno preseneœen. Kot da je œrna barjanskazemlja posrkala mestni hrup in je trdovratna barjanskamegla odœarala navzoœnost œloveka v teh krajih. Œeprav jeLjubljansko barje s svojimi neutrudnimi posegi soustvarilœlovek, oœi radovedneæa hitro pretenta neskonœno zelenilo,njegova uøesa pa zapolnijo pesmi ptic, æuæelk in æab. Kolesjevsakdanjika se ustavi.

On the very threshold of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, nomore than a few steps from its last suburban streets, spreadsLjubljansko Barje (Ljubljana Moors). This almost 160 km2

large marshy plain is marked by an interminable mosaic ofgrasslands, litter woodlands, fields, ditches and hedges. Hereand there, solitary green hillocks rise from this countryside,indeed “shamefully” low for this Alpine country. Almost encir-cled by motorways, the Ljubljansko Barje arouses no specialinterest in a hurrying traveller. What on earth can be so spe-cial in this landscape, which lies on the edge of the city andwhose name is, on top of it all, closely associated withmoors? All those, however, who happen to find themselves inits interior, are pleasantly surprised. As if the black palustrinesoil has sucked up the city bustle and as if the obstinatemoor mist has lifted a spell from the human’s presence inthese places. Although Ljubljansko Barje has been created byhumans through their tireless overexploitation of the area,the eyes of inquisitive people are quickly deluded by the infi-nite greenery, while their ears are filled with the songs ofbirds, insects and frogs. Here, the wheels of everyday life sim-ply stop.

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Narava je za oblikovanje kotline, katere del je Ljubljansko barje, potrebovala milijone let.Ker se razprostira na tektonsko aktivnem obmoœju, pripisujemo nastanek barja pogrezanjumatiœne kamnine. V udorino so se zlivale kraøke podzemne vode in potoki, ki so s sebojprinaøali prod in druge usedline. Reka Sava je nanaøala velike koliœine proda, kar jepovzroœilo zajezitev Ljubljanice ob izlivu v Savo in poplavitev celotne barjanske kotline.Tisoœletja reœnih nanosov so jezero poœasi zasipavala, voda je odtekala, dokler se predkakimi øest tisoœ leti koliøœarsko jezero ni osuøilo in omogoœilo nastanek velikega moœvir-ja, pozneje pa nizkega in visokega barja.

Ljubljansko barje je zemljepisno ime za obmoœje, ki leæi medLjubljano, Vrhniko, Krimom in Økofljico. Barje je skupno poimenovanje za obmoœje Œrna vas,Hauptmanca, Lipe, Ilovica in Iæanska cesta, torej za delLjubljanskega barja, ki sedaj leæi v Mestni obœini Ljubljana. Barje, pisano z malo zaœetnico, pa v slovenskem jeziku oznaœu-je moœvirnato obmoœje z znaœilno floro in favno.

Ljubljansko Barje is geographical name for the area spreadingbetween the Ljubljana, Vrhnika, Krim and Økofljica.Barje is a common name for the villages of Œrna vas,Hauptmanca, Lipe and Ilovica, and for Iæanska cesta (Ig Road),therefore for that particular part of Ljubljansko Barje, which isnow within the borders of Ljubljana City Council.In Slovene,“barje” denotes a boggy area with its characteristicfauna and flora.

For the making of the basin, with Ljubljansko Barje as its part, nature needed millions ofyears. As the Ljubljansko Barje spreads on tectonically active area, its origin has been attrib-uted to the sinking of bedrock. Into this depression flew numerous karst undergroundwaters and streams, bringing shingle and other sediments with them. The Sava river broughtwith it huge quantities of gravel, virtually damming the Ljubljanica river where it joined theSava and inundating the entire Ljubljansko Barje basin at the same time. Through millennia,the lake was gradually filled up by the river’s alluvial deposits, until the lake with its piledwellers dried up some six thousand years ago and enabled the origin of large marshes andeventually fens and raised bogs.

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Slovenski jezik pozna kar øtiriindvajset izrazov, veœinoljudskega porekla, za pojave v zvezi z zastajajoœo vodo.Ljubljanski morost, moœvir ali moœvirje so bili uveljavljeni izrazivse do 1880, ko Fran Levstik v poroœilu o melioracijah prviœuporabi naziv Ljubljansko barje in se s tem, marketinøko pravspretno, za vselej izogne med ljudmi skrajno nepriljubljenemumoœvirju.

The Slovene language knows no less than 24 expressions,mostly of folk origin, for the phenomena associated with stag-nate water. The terms Ljubljanski morost (morass) and moœvir(quagmire) had been generally used until 1880, when the nameLjubljansko Barje (Ljubljana Moors) was for the first time usedby Fran Levstik in his report on land drainage, upon which theextremely unpopular morass or quagmire completely disap-peared from the people’s vocabulary.

Zaradi visoke talne vode in posebnih kemijskih razmer nabarju zaœne nastajati øota. To je plast odmrlih delov barjan-skih rastlin, ki na barju zaradi pomanjkanja kisika ne segni-jejo, paœ pa se kopiœijo, tako da se plast øote poœasi debeli.Vse dokler ima rastlinstvo, zraslo na øoti, øe stik s podtalni-co in dostop do mineralnih snovi, lahko govorimo o nizkembarju. V ugodnih razmerah pa lahko plast øote postane takodebela, da se njen zgornji del preneha napajati s podtalni-co. Nastane visoko barje. Edini vir vode za rastline visokegabarja so padavine, koliœina hranil je neznatna. V tem skrom-nem, skrajnem okolju uspevajo le posebej prilagojene rast-line, najpomembnejøi graditelji visokih barij pa so øotnimahovi. Ti so sposobni hitro vsrkati izjemne koliœinedeæevnice in jo zadræati skozi suøno obdobje.

Owing to the high groundwater level and specific chemicalconditions, peat begins to form on bogs. This is a layer ofdead marsh plants, which due to the lack of oxygen do notrot but accumulate there, making the layer of peat graduallythicker. Until the plants grown on peat retain their contactwith groundwater and access to mineral substances, we canspeak of fens. In favourable conditions, however, the peatlayer can become so thick that its upper part can no longerbe supplied with groundwater. A raised bog is formed. Theonly water source for the raised bog plants is precipitation,the quantity of nutrients is insignificant. In this extreme butmodest environment can survive only plants that are specif-ically adapted to these conditions. The most importantbuilders of raised bogs are peat mosses, which can rapidlyabsorb exceptional quantities of rainwater and retain itthrough dry spells.

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Voda je temeljni element nastanka in obstoja barjanske ravnice, obenem pa element, ki ga jena Ljubljanskem barju vedno bodisi premalo bodisi preveœ. Voda ima tu dve podobi. Prva jeumazano rdeœa, mirujoœa in se odceja iz barjanskega zemljiøœa. Barjanska voda. Druga jeæivahna, œista voda kraøkega izvora, ki se steka iz øtevilnih kraøkih izvirov izpod Krima vpotoke in reœice, katerih zadnja barjanska postaja je reka Ljubljanica. Pravimo ji tudi rekasedmih imen, saj v svojem toku veœkrat ponikne in se spet prikaæe na povrøju. Zadnjiœ iz izvi-rov okrog Moœilnika in Retovja kot Ljubljanica. Kot niæinska reka s komaj metrskim padcemod Vrhnike do Ljubljane je svojœas tekla v okljukih, ki pa jih danes ni veœ videti.

Water is the basic element of the origin and survival of the Ljubljansko Barje plain, and atthe same time the element, which has been in this area always either lacking or superfluous.At the Ljubljansko Barje, water has two different faces. The first is dirty red, stagnant water,slowly trickling from the Ljubljansko Barje soil. The other is vivacious, pure water of karstorigin, flowing from numerous karst springs under Mt. Krim into streams and rivulets, whoselast stop at the Ljubljansko Barje is the Ljubljanica river. We also call it the river of sevennames, for during its course it sinks and reappears on the surface several times, the lasttime from the springs around Moœilnik and Retovje as the Ljubljanica. Once upon a time itflew, as a lowland river with no more than a meter drop from Vrhnika to Ljubljana, alongnumerous meanders which, however, can no longer be seen today.

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Due to its quality and scientific narrative features, the bedof the Ljubljanica river between Vrhnika and Ljubljana isconsidered one of the most significant archaeological sitesin Slovenia. Various random finds during the first regula-tions at the end of the 19th century led to one of the firstunderwater archaeological investigations in Europe underthe direction of Karel Deæman, head of the ProvincialMuseum of that time, and with the aid of divers of theAustro-Hungarian Navy. The found artefacts dating to dif-ferent periods, from prehistory to the modern age, andespecially the rich localities and contents of the finds, indi-cate that in prehistory as well as in the period when theSlavs settled in this part of the world the Ljubljanica had acultic meaning. Owing to the story told by the river aboutthe history of the Ljubljansko Barje, the Ljubljanica hasbeen since 2003 protected as cultural property.

Struga reke Ljubljanice med Vrhniko in Ljubljano zaradisvoje kakovosti in znanstvene izpovednosti sodi mednajpomembnejøa arheoloøka najdiøœa v Sloveniji. Nakljuœnenajdbe v œasu prvih regulacij so ob koncu 19. stoletja prive-dle do ene prvih podvodnih arheoloøkih raziskav v Evropipod vodstvom tedanjega ravnatelja Deæelnega muzeja KarlaDeæmana ob pomoœi potapljaœev avstro-ogrske mornarice.Najdeni predmeti iz razliœnih obdobij od prazgodovine donovega veka, øe posebej bogate lokacije in vsebina najdbkaæejo, da je imela Ljubljanica tako v œasu prazgodovine kottudi kasneje v œasu naselitve Slovanov kultni pomen. Zaradizgodbe, ki jo o zgodovini Ljubljanskega barja pripovedujeLjubljanica, je od leta 2003 reka zaøœitena kot kulturnispomenik.

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Except in museums and deep under the Ljubljansko Barjefloor, we can no longer see any evidence of millennia oldculture, which was the first to choose, as its home, themoors that were in those times still restrained with water.In the vicinity of Ig, at Resnikov graben, the remains of piledwellings dated to the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) wereexcavated. This particular settlement announced a signifi-cant rise in the very special pile dwelling culture ofLjubljansko Barje, which reached its peak in the CopperAge. Twenty-three pile dwellings have been discovered sofar, but the Ljubljansko Barje grounds lay bare new findspractically each year. About the Ljubljansko Barje piledwellers’ contacts with the wider European territory speaka fairly recent find of a wheel and axle of a two-wheeledcart dated to around 3200 BC. For the time being, this isthe oldest find of this kind in the world.

Razen v muzejih ali globoko pod barjanskimi tlemi danes niveœ mogoœe videti dokazov o tisoœletja stari kulturi, ki si jekot prva za svoj dom izbrala tedaj øe ojezerjeno barje. Vbliæini Iga, na Resnikovem grabnu, so odkopali ostankekoliøœ, ki segajo v paleolitik (staro kameno dobo). S tonaselbino je bil napovedan razcvet posebne koliøœarskekulture Ljubljanskega barja, ki je svoj vrh dosegla v bakrenidobi. Doslej je znanih 23 koliøœarskih naselbin, barjanskatla pa vsako leto postreæejo z novimi najdbami. O vpetostibarjanskih koliøœarjev v øirøi evropski prostor priœanedavna najdba kolesa in osi dvokolesnika iz œasa okoli3200 let pred naøim øtetjem. Za zdaj gre za najstarejøonajdbo te vrste na svetu.

Kolo dvokolesnika iz jesenovine(staro pribliæno 5200 do 5600 let) /The wheel of a two-wheeler made ofash tree (approximately 5200 to5600 years old)

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Pile dwellers were tillers, stockbreeders and hunters, livingin settlements built on wooden piles rammed into the lakefloor. They believed in Mother Earth, worshipped the Sunand made gorgeous pottery applicable for everyday andspiritual use. At times they also traded with peoples fromthe Near East to the European north. Along this ancienttrade route from the Black Sea, along the Danube, Savaand Ljubljanica rivers, and then with the ship on the shoul-ders down to the Adriatic Sea, the old Greek hero Jasonwas supposed to sail with the Argonauts in search of theGolden Fleece. In passing, he created the most beautifullegend about the origin of Ljubljana, which could not havebeen tackled till this very day even by the most scientifical-ly substantiated argumentations.

Koliøœarji so bili poljedelci, æivinorejci in lovci, æiveli so vlesenih naselbinah, zgrajenih na lesenih kolih, zabitih v jez-ersko dno. Verovali so v Mater zemljo, œastili Sonce in izde-lovali prelepo keramiko, uporabno za vsakodnevne induhovne potrebe. Vœasih so tudi trgovali, z ljudstvi odBliænjega vzhoda do evropskega severa. Po tej stari trgovs-ki poti od Œrnega morja, po Donavi, Savi in Ljubljanici,potem pa z ladjo na ramenih vse do Jadranskega morja najbi se po zlato runo odpravil tudi starogrøki junak Jazon zargonavti. In mimogrede ustvaril najlepøo legendo o nas-tanku Ljubljane, ki ji do dandanes niso priøli do æivega øetako znanstveno utemeljeni argumenti.

Equrna, krilata koliøœarska boginja trgovcev, priœa tudi okulturnem vplivu koliøœarske kulture v øirøemsrednjeevropskem prostoru. Ali je mogoœe, da je Merkur,kasnejøi rimski bog trgovcev, dobil krila po Equrninem vzoru?

Equrna, the winged goddess of the pile dwelling tradesmen,speaks of cultural influence of the pile dwelling culture in thewider European territory. Is it possible that Mercury, the laterRoman god of commerce, acquired his wings on the pattern ofEqurna?

Æenski idol s koliøœpri Igu (3. tisoœletjepr.n.ø.) / A femaleidol from a piledwelling near Ig(3rd millennium BC)

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The issues of how to curb the marsh waters and to subduethem to their needs have been dealt with by humans formillennia. If the legendary Jason preferred to shift his shipon land when running out of rivers, and if the inhabitants ofthe Ljubljansko Barje, the pile dwellers, were still able toadapt to the natural environment, it was the Romans whowere the first to actively reshape the landscape. In the areaof the present-day Ljubljana, an important town, calledEmona, was built, donned with marble brought from underMt. Krim. The enthusiastic builders found it not at alldifficult to dig a regulation channel for an easier transportof marble blocks from the Podpeœ quarry. All the ensuinginterventions into the bed of the Ljubljanica river and otherLjubljansko Barje streams were also meant to improvenavigability, while the regular Ljubljansko Barje floods infact troubled nobody at all due to the fact that the area waspractically unpopulated.

Œrn podpeøki marmor, iz katerega je nastajala Emona,je øe danes cenjen gradbeni material. Morda v najlepøiluœi nam ga je predstavil Joæe Pleœnik, ki je s podpeøkimmarmorjem opremil interiere svojih neponovljivihstvaritev.

The black Podpeœ marble, the building material ofwhich Emona was actually built, is still in greatdemand. Its true beauty was perhaps best presented bythe architect Joæe Pleœnik, who equipped the interiorsof his unforgettable creations with it.

Z vpraøanji, kako ukrotiti barjanske vode in jih pokoritisvojim potrebam, se œlovek ukvarja æe tisoœletja. Œe jelegendarni Jazon svojo barko raje prestavljal po kopnem,ko je zmanjkalo reke, in so prvi prebivalci Ljubljanskegabarja, koliøœarji, øe prilagodili svoje bivanje naravnemuokolju, so Rimljani prvi aktivno posegli v oblikovanjekrajine. Na obmoœju danaønje Ljubljane je nastajalopomembno mesto, Emona, odeto v marmor izpod Krima.Navduøenim graditeljem ni bilo odveœ skopatiregulacijskega kanala zaradi laæjega transporta marmornihblokov iz podpeøkega kamnoloma. Tudi nadaljnji posegi vstrugo Ljubljanice in drugih barjanskih potokov so bilinamenjeni izboljøanju plovnosti, medtem ko rednebarjanske poplave zaradi nenaseljenosti obmoœjapravzaprav niso nikogar motile.

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The idea of draining the moors and changing them into arable land was highly appealing tovarious individuals as early as in the 16th century, and it was the empress Maria Theresawho in 1769 issued a decree, ordering an inventory of the Ljubljansko Barje to be made, aplan for its reclamation to be prepared, and finally the area to be turned into land suitablefor farming. The person, who in the ensuing decades, and even up till this very day, mostclearly marked human interventions into the Ljubljansko Barje, was Gabriel Gruber, theauthor of the plans and leader of the reclamation projects. The deepening of beds, diggingof drainage channels, pulling down of dams, and above all the digging of the so-calledImperial, today’s Gruber Channel (named after him), soon brought certain results. Thegroundwater level fell, the floods became predictable and controllable, and after a fewmillennia the authorities managed to recolonise the Ljubljansko Barje, although more orless by force.

Nad zamislijo, da se “moœvirje” osuøi in spremeni v plodno kmetijsko zemljo, so se vse od16. stoletja navduøevali razliœni posamezniki oblasti. Sliøala jih je øele cesarica MarijaTerezija in leta 1769 z dekretom ukazala, da se napravi popis “Ljubljanskega moœvirja”,pripravi naœrt osuøitve in moœvirje spremeni v rodovitni svet. Ime, ki je v naslednjihdesetletjih, celo vse do danes, najbolj zaznamovalo œlovekove posege v Ljubljansko barje,je Gabriel Gruber, avtor naœrtov in vodja osuøevalnih del. Poglobitve strug, izkopiodvodnikov, podrtje jezov, predvsem pa izkop Cesarskega, danes po njem imenovanegaGruberjevega kanala so kmalu prinesli doloœene rezultate. Gladina podtalnice se je zniæala,poplave so postale predvidljive in obvladljive, po nekaj tisoœletjih in bolj na silo kot ne sooblasti Ljubljansko barje znova naselile.

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In the 1930s, almost immediately after the Gruber Channelwas built, the City Council of Ljubljana, led by its mayorHradetzki, began to let out and sell, at reasonable prices,20 acres large plots of land, the only condition being that aresidential building and an outbuilding were built and thatdrainage channels were regularly maintained. Many seizedthis opportunity, particularly as the property ownershipmeant a dismissal from the Imperial Army. In the areas,where this had not been possible earlier on, newsettlements grew, and owing to the soft palustrine soil anew type of architecture developed, i.e. building of houseson pile foundations. In 1828, the first road was constructedacross Ljubljansko Barje - Iæanska cesta. This floating road,built on bundles of brushwood and filled with sand, still hasthe same basis as in the year when originally made. Withmuch zeal, although with less success, agriculture began tobe practised. During the very first years of colonisation itwas ascertained, however, that the Ljubljansko Barje’s truewealth lay somewhere else.

V tridesetih letih devetnajstega stoletja, skoraj takoj pozgraditvi Gruberjevega kanala, je ljubljanska obœina podvodstvom æupana Hradeckega poceni prodajala in oddajalapo 20 oralov velike parcele. Pogoj: postavitevstanovanjskega in gospodarskega poslopja ter rednovzdræevanje odtoœnih jarkov. Mnogi so zgrabili priloænost,øe posebej, ker je lastniøtvo posesti pomenilo odpustek izcesarske vojske. Na obmoœjih, kjer to prej ni bilo mogoœe,so zrasla naselja, zaradi mehkih barjanskih tal se je razvilanova zvrst stavbarstva, graditev hiø na pilotih. Leta 1828 jebila zgrajena prva cestna povezava œez Ljubljansko barje -Iæanska cesta. Plavajoœa cesta, zgrajena na butarah izdraœja in zasuta s peskom, ima øe danes enako osnovo. Zveliko vneme, a z nekaj manj uspeha, so se lotili tudipoljedelstva. A æe v prvih letih kolonizacije so ugotovili, dase pravo bogastvo Ljubljanskega barja skriva drugje.

Zabijanje kolov za hiønetemelje je zahtevalo moœin vztrajnost, predvsem pakakovostno delo, saj barjene odpuøœa povrønosti innaglice. Do dvesto øest- inveœmetrskih kolov za enoposlopje so zabijali roœno,øest moøkih s posebnim,veœ kot sto kilogramovteækim ovnom.

Ramming of piles into theground for house founda-tions required muchstrength and persistency,and above all skilled work,for the Ljubljansko Barjepardons no carelessnessand rashness.Up to two hundred at leastsix metres long piles wererammed manually into theground for a single, usual-ly by six men and with theaid of a ram weighingmore than a hundredkilos.

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Zaloge øote so se sredi petdesetih let 19.stoletja zdele neskonœne. Popolnomanatanœen matematiœni raœun je pokazal,da bo ob nemajhni letni porabi øote vzasebnih in industrijskih peœeh barjanskaøota zadostovala za nadaljnjih 659 let.Pozabili pa so, da se enkrat naœeta øotasama seseda in prhni.

In the 1950s, the peat supplies seemedinexhaustible. A very accurate mathemat-ical calculation showed that with its notat all modest annual consumption in pri-vate and industrial furnaces, the accumu-lated peat would suffice for further 659years. But they forgot that once the peatis cut it begins to sink into itself andmoulder.

During the centuries, when humans were not yet encroaching upon natural processes atthe Ljubljansko Barje, a great quantity of peat piled up - from two to quite unbelievablenine metres here and there. Tradition says that once upon a time the belfry of the Igchurch could not be seen from Lavrica due to the height of the accumulated peat.Agriculture, which in spite of some great efforts and investments did not yield theexpected results, was gradually abandoned and replaced by intensive digging of peat,which brought the people much higher earnings. The peat cutting expanded into a trueindustry, for peat was used not only by the Ljubljana people for heating, but it alsopropelled trains, steamships, sugar refinery, gunpowder factory ... Still, it ran out muchquicker than expected. The floor subsided, and water yet again returned to theLjubljansko Barje, becoming an object of derision to the century-old attempts to drain thewater from it.

V stoletjih, ko œlovek øe ni posegal v naravne procese na Ljubljanskem barju, se jenaloæila precejønja koliœina øote, od dveh pa do ponekod neverjetnih devetih metrov.Izroœilo pravi, da se svojœas zaradi viøine øote z Lavrice ni videlo zvonika cerkve na Igu.Poljedelstvo, ki kljub velikim naporom in vlaganjem ni dajalo priœakovanih rezultatov, sopoœasi opustili in zaœeli intenzivno izkopavati øoto, ki je zagotavljala bistveno viøjezasluæke. Rezanje øote se je razmahnilo v pravo industrijo, z barjansko øoto so se greliLjubljanœani, øota je poganjala vlake, ladijske parnike, rafinerijo sladkorja, tovarnosmodnika… A zmanjkovalo je je mnogo hitreje, kot so naœrtovali. Barjansko dno se jeniæalo, voda se je vrnila na Ljubljansko barje, v posmeh stoletnim poskusom osuøitve.

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Man, however, is a stubborn creature. The greater part ofthe twentieth century was yet again dedicated by a wholeseries of people to the plans “for this time indeed finaldrainage of the Ljubljansko Barje”. The technologychanged, but not the idea itself. Additional deepening ofriverbeds, reservoirs, dykes, drainage channels, pumpingstations etc. were a constant in the development plans ofthe municipal authorities until no less than the 1980s. Atthat time, the inflation of great promises about a better lifewas met by reality in the form of insufficient money as wellas in the shape of increasingly louder warnings by naturelovers. In a millennium long mutual struggle and love, manand nature created an exceptional interlacement of naturaland cultural values.

Œlovek pa je trmasto bitje. Tudi preteæni del dvajsetegastoletja so mnogi posvetili naœrtom za, zdaj pa res,dokonœno osuøitev Ljubljanskega barja. Tehnologija se jesicer spreminjala, osnovna ideja pa ne. Dodatne poglobitvestrug, akumulacije, nasipi, odvodni kanali, œrpalne postaje…so bile stalnica razvojnih naœrtov in planskih dokumentovljubljanskih mestnih oblasti vse do osemdesetih letprejønjega stoletja. Takrat je inflacijo visokoleteœih obljub oboljøem æivljenju sreœala realnost v obliki pomanjkanjadenarja pa tudi vse glasnejøih opozoril ljubiteljev narave.Œlovek in narava sta v tisoœletnem medsebojnem boju inljubezni ustvarila izjemen splet naravnih in kulturnihvrednot.

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Man had settled on the margins of Ljubljansko Barje long before venturinginto its heart for the first time. The visitors can see traces of the people’shabitation, work and spiritual life virtually on every safe elevation. They willin fact find it quite difficult to look around without letting their eyes dwellon numerous Romanesque and Gothic little churches standing on everyhillock. And at least at two Churches of St. Michael they should well shortentheir stride. At Iøka vas, for example, the builders of the village churchhelped themselves with material nearest at hand - the Roman tombstones!In the middle of Œrna vas, the place that was given its name after housesprotected with the black palustrine soil, the great architect Joæe Pleœnikcreated a lace-like masterpiece out of white stone.

Œlovek je naselil obrobje Ljubljanskega barja æe dolgo pred œasom, ko sije prviœ drznil stopiti v njegovo osrœje. Obiskovalca priœakajo sledoviœlovekovega bivanja, dela in duhovnega æivljenja pravzaprav na vsakivarni vzpetini. Teæko se bo ozrl naokrog, ne da bi se njegov pogled ustavilna brezøtevilnih romanskih in gotskih cerkvicah, ki pogledujejo z vsakegagriœa. In vsaj pri dveh Sv. Mihaelih naj zastane njegov korak. V Iøki vasi sosi pri graditvi vaøke cerkve pomagali z materialom, ki je bil najbolj pri roki- rimskimi nagrobniki. Sredi Œrne vasi, kraju, ki je svoje ime dobilo pohiøah, zaøœitenih s œrno barjansko zemljo, pa je mojster Joæe Pleœnikustvaril œipkasto mojstrovino iz belega kamna.

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Legenda / Legend

• Koliøœa / Pile dwellings

Habitatni tipi z Direktive ohabitatih / Habitat typesfrom Habitat Directive

Obmoœje Natura 2000(predvidena mejaKrajinskega parkaLjubljansko barje) / Natura2000 site (proposed borderof the Landscape parkLjubljansko barje)

Izdelava karte / Cartography Center za kartografijo favne in flore

Viri / Sources Center za kartografijo favne in floreMinistrstvo za okolje prostor in energijo, Agencija RS za okoljeUniverza v Ljubljani, Filozofska fakulteta, Oddelek za arheologijo

Merilo / Scale1:100.000

barje 17/6/04 7:29 am Page 24

Vrhnika

Borovnica

Ljubljanica

Ig

Økofljica

Ljubljana

Brezovicapri Ljubljani

0 2,5 5 10 km

N

Bistra

BevkeNotranje Gorice

Podpeœ

Tomiøelj

Iøka vasIøka Iøœica

Œrna vas Matena

Pijava Gorica

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In the last few millennia, the environment of LjubljanskoBarje has undergone some stormy changes: from theshallow lake to the cultural landscape with some wetlandelements, as is its image today. The changes, however,affected not only the landscape, but nature as well. Someplant and animal species disappeared, while others, betteradapted to the new life conditions, settled here for the veryfirst time. One of the regular guests of the shallowLjubljansko Barje lake at the time of pile dwellers was thepelican. Prior to the initial land drainage, the moors wereinhabited by cranes and geese. But the changes were slowand nature followed them with ease and managed to retainits diversity. And so has been till these very days, whenenviable biodiversity can still be noted in the LjubljanskoBarje’s cultural landscape. But, for how long?

Zadnjih nekaj tisoœ let se je okolje Ljubljanskega barjaburno spreminjalo. Od plitvega jezera prek moœvirja dokulturne krajine z nekaterimi elementi mokriøœ, kakrøna jepodoba danes. Skupaj s podobo pokrajine se je spreminjalatudi narava. Nekatere rastlinske in æivalske vrste soizginjale, naseljevale so se nove, bolj prilagojene novimæivljenjskim razmeram. V œasu koliøœarjev je bil redni gostplitkega barjanskega jezera pelikan. Pred zaœetkomosuøevalnih del so moœvirje naseljevali æerjavi in gosi.Spremembe so bile poœasne in narava jim je z lahkotosledila ter ohranjala svojo pestrost. Vse do danaønjih dni,ko na Ljubljanskem barju, v kulturni krajini, øe vednobeleæimo zavidljivo biotsko pestrost. Toda, kako dolgo øe?

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The Ljubljansko Barje plains cover a good 15,000 hectares. As the true palustrine peathas almost gone, the Ljubljansko Barje’s natural values are not hidden in the scantyremains of the past but in the rich cultural landscape. At Ljubljansko Barje, the latterhas retained its traditional character, for the high groundwater level and regular floodsprevent intensive farming and reduce its economic efficiency. Today, the LjubljanskoBarje is an endless mosaic of grasslands, litter woodlands, fields, ditches and hedges,while the interlacement of all these diverse habitats is home to numerous plants andanimals that can rarely be still seen elsewhere in Slovenia and Europe in general.

Barjanske ravnice je za dobrih 15 tisoœ hektarov. Prave barjanske øote jeostalo le øe za vzorec, zato barjanske naravne vrednote niso skrite v bornihostankih preteklosti, paœ pa v bogati kulturni krajini. Krajina je naLjubljanskem barju ohranila svoj tradicionalni znaœaj, saj visoka talna vodain redne poplave onemogoœajo intenzivno kmetijsko obdelavo oziromazmanjøujejo njegovo ekonomsko uspeønost. Ljubljansko barje je danesneskonœen mozaik travnikov, steljnikov, njiv, jarkov in mejic, preplet vsehteh razliœnih æivljenjskih okolij pa zagotavlja bivaliøœe mnogim rastlinam inæivalim, ki jih drugod po Sloveniji in Evropi le øe redko sreœamo.

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Although the Ljubljansko Barje plains cover no more than 1 % of Slovene territory, ahalf of all Slovene birds are known to breed there - about a hundred of them. At theLjubljansko Barje, the sizes of their populations reach twenty and even more percentof the entire Slovene population. Even more numerous are the birds that overwinter orstop here during migration. The most deserving for their diversity and numbers arethe wet meadows - those that have not yet been transformed into arable land due toland drainage and are still being farmed and mown in traditional, extensive way:irregularly, late and without additional aid of various fertilisers. As such, they are anideal habitat not only for birds but for many other species as well, and are, on top of itall, most pleasing to our eyes.

Œeprav barjanska ravnica pokriva komaj odstotek slovenskega ozemlja, gnezdi na njejpolovica vseh slovenskih vrst ptic, okoli sto jih je. Velikosti njihovih populacijdosegajo tudi dvajset in veœ odstotkov celotne slovenske populacije. Øe øtevilnejøe sotiste vrste ptic, ki na Ljubljanskem barju prezimujejo ali pa se tu ustavijo na svoji potiv toplejøe kraje. Za njihovo pestrost in øtevilo so najbolj zasluæni vlaæni travniki, tisti,ki jih osuøevalna dela øe niso spremenila v plodne njive in zaradi œesar jih lastniki øevedno negujejo na tradicionalen, ekstenziven naœin. Neredno, pozno koøeni in brezdodatne pomoœi razliœnih gnojil. Takøni so idealno æivljenjsko okolje ne le za ptice,marveœ øe za øtevilne druge vrste, poleg tega pa so prava paøa za oœi.

Velik

i øku

rh /

Eur

asia

n Cu

rlew

/ N

umen

ius

arqu

ata

Kose

c /

Corn

Cra

ke /

Cre

x cr

ex

Siva

œap

lja /

Gre

y H

eron

/ A

rdea

cin

erea

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Barjanski travnik je zelen le kratek œas, saj ga æe zgodajspomladi prekrije temno rdeœa preproga moœvirskih logaric(Fritillaria meleagris) in bleøœeœe rumene kaluænice (Calthapalustris). Kasneje na njih vzniknejo bela soplodja muncev(Eriophorum spp.), roænate kukaviœje luœce (Lychnis flos-cuculi) in baldrijan (Valeriana officinalis). Med njimi vzcvetiveœ vrst travniøkih orhidej, mesnordeœa kukavica(Dactylorhiza incarnata), pegasta prstasta kukavica(Dactylorhiza maculata), moœvirska kukavica (Orchispalustris) in navadni kukoviœnik (Gymnadenia conopsea),ponekod pa tudi øe evropsko ogroæena Loeselijevagrezovka (Liparis loeselii). Poleti cvetovi œistca (Betonicaofficinalis) obarvajo travnike rdeœe in kot zadnji, na jesen,zacvetijo neæni, beli cvetovi moœvirske samoperke(Parnassia palustris). Pisane barve dopolnjujeta cvrœanjeæuæelk in petje ptic.

The meadows of Ljubljansko Barje are green for a rathershort period, as in early spring they are overlaid by a darkred carpet of Snake’s head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)and glittering yellow Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris).Later on, they are filled with white infructescences ofCottongrass (Eriophorum spp.), Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Amongst them,several species of meadow orchids burst into blossom, suchas Early Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), SpottedOrchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), Lax-flowered Marsh Orchid(Orchis palustris), Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)and, in places, at the European level endangered Fen Orchid(Liparis loeselii). During the summer, the flowers of Betony(Betonica officinalis) tinge the Ljubljansko Barje meadowsred, while in the autumn, the gentle white flowers of BogStar (Parnassia palustris) begin to bloom as the last one inthe year. All these variegated colours are supplemented bythe chirping of insects and singing of birds.

Vodn

a pe

runi

ka /

Yel

low

Fla

g /

Iris

pse

udac

orus

Vodn

a gr

eben

ika

/ W

ater

-vio

let /

Hot

toni

a pa

lust

ris

Loes

elije

va g

rezo

vka

/ Fe

n O

rchi

d /

Lipa

ris lo

esel

ii

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Wet meadows are inhabited by numerous species of gaily-coloured butterflies -there are no less than eighty-nine of them. As in many other butterflies, theirexistence is closely associated with unfertilised grasslands. At Ljubljansko Barje,some butterfly species are very common indeed, such as Small PearlborderedFritillary (Clossiana selene), False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina) and LargeCopper (Lycaena dispar). The Scarce Large Blue (Maculinea teleius) and Alcon Blue(Maculinea alcon) have greater demands, for they totally depend on a singlenutrient plant species (Great Burnet and Marsh Gentian respectively) and oncertain species of host ants, which are the main diet of their caterpillars.

Vlaæne travnike naseljuje veliko øtevilo pisanih metuljev, kar devetinosemdesetvrst. Kot mnoge druge vrste je njihov obstoj vezan predvsem na negnojenatraviøœa. Nekatere vrste metuljev so na Ljubljanskem barju moœno razøirjene, karvelja predvsem za srebrnolisega bisernika (Clossiana selene), moœvirskegapisanœka (Melitaea diamina) in moœvirskega cekinœka (Lycaena dispar). Straøniœinmravljiøœar (Maculinea teleius) in sviøœev mravljiøœar (Maculinea alcon) imata veœjezahteve, saj sta vezana na zgolj eno vrsto hranilne rastline (veliko straønicooziroma moœvirski sviøœ) in doloœeno vrsto gostiteljskih mravelj, ki so glavna hranagosenic teh metuljev.

Gri

ntav

œev

pisa

nœek

/ M

arsh

Fri

tilla

ry /

Eup

hydr

yas

aurin

ia

Stra

øniœ

in m

ravl

jiøœa

r /

Scar

ce L

arge

Blu

e /

Mac

ulin

ea te

leiu

s

Moœ

virs

ki c

ekin

œek

/ La

rge

Copp

er /

Lyc

aena

dis

par

Zdra

viln

a st

raøn

ica

/ G

reat

Bur

net /

San

guis

orba

off

icin

alis

barje 17/6/04 7:41 am Page 32

At Ljubljansko Barje, the last larger populations of Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodusflocciferus) can be found. At places we can still chance upon False Ringlet (Coenonymphaoedippus), the small brown butterfly from the list of seven critically endangered butterflyspecies in Europe. Together with wet grasslands, which used to be mown as late as in July andAugust but have been replaced by drained and intensively farmed and fertilised meadows andfields, it has totally disappeared from Spain, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia andBulgaria, and is now considered the most endangered European butterfly species. This poorflier, which prefers to keep close to vegetation, sips nectar in wet meadows only fromTormentil’s flowers (Potentilla erecta). Some of its isolated populations can be seen only in theeastern part of Ljubljansko Barje, where eggs and caterpillars manage to survive on unmownplants or mown grass that cannot be accessed and taken away by agricultural machinery.

Na Ljubljanskem barju najdemo øe zadnje moœnejøe populacije moœvirskega debeloglavca(Carcharodus flocciferus), pojavlja pa se celo barjanski okarœek (Coenonympha oedippus).Slednji sodi med sedem kritiœno ogroæenih vrst metuljev v Evropi. Skupaj s pozno, v juliju inavgustu koøenimi vlaænimi traviøœi, ki so jih zamenjali osuøeni, intenzivno obdelani in gnojenitravniki in njive, je popolnoma izginil v Øpaniji, Nemœiji, Belgiji, Œeøki, Slovaøki in Bolgariji, zatovelja za najbolj ogroæeno vrsto med evropskimi dnevnimi metulji. Na vlaænih travnikih ta slabletalec, ki se najraje zadræuje med vegetacijo, srka nektar le s cvetov srœne moœi (Potentillaerecta). Nekaj osamljenih populacij najdemo le øe na vzhodnem delu Ljubljanskega barja, kjerjajœeca in gosenice preæivijo na nepokoøenem rastlinju ali na pokoøeni travi, ki je nedostopnaza odvoz s kmetijsko mehanizacijo.

Bar

jans

ki o

karœ

ek /

Fal

se R

ingl

et /

Coe

nony

mph

a oe

dipp

us

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Na barjanskih travnikih, v mejicah in nizkem grmiœevju kajhitro lahko opazimo ali sliøimo najznaœilnejøe barjanskevrste ptic. Kosec (Crex crex), veliki økurh (Numeniusarquata), prepelica (Coturnix coturnix), sloka (Scolopaxrusticola), veliki skovik (Otus scops), repaljøœica (Saxicolarubetra), kobiliœar (Locustella naevia) in pepelasti lunj(Circus cyaneus) pa so tiste, ki sodijo na sezname najboljogroæenih v evropskem in svetovnem merilu, a jih naLjubljanskem barju øe lahko sreœamo dokaj pogosto. Karseveda ne pomeni, da jih tudi tu ne œaka podobna usoda,kot so jo na Ljubljanskem barju v zadnjih desetletjihdoæiveli œrnoœeli srakoper (Lanius minor), smrdokavra(Upupa epops) in kozica (Gallinago gallinago). Izginila jetudi pomembna, v Srednji Evropi zadnja kolonija juænepostovke (Falco naumanni). Tudi druge, bolj prilagodljivevrste vztrajno izgubljajo bitko s œlovekom in njegovim vseveœjim apetitom po prostoru, kjer so kraljevale øe nedavno.

Avtocesta proti Vrhniki in juæna ljubljanska obvoznica staLjubljanskemu barju iztrgali nekaj sto hektarjev, ali okoli 200gnezd repaljøœic (Saxicola rubetra), 250 gnezd drevesnih cip(Anthus trivialis) in 300 gnezd poljskih økrjancev (Alaudaarvensis).

The Ljubljana - Vrhnika motorway and southern Ljubljanabypass have deprived the Ljubljansko Barje of few hectares ofland or 200 Whinchat’s nests (Saxicola rubetra), 250 TreePipit’s (Anthus trivialis) nests, and 300 Sky Lark’s nests (Alaudaarvensis).

In the meadows, hedges and low shrubbery of LjubljanskoBarje one can quickly notice or hear some the mostcharacteristic wetland bird species. Corn Crake (Crex crex),Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Common Quail(Coturnix coturnix), Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopaxrusticola), Scops Owl (Otus scops), Whinchat (Saxicolarubetra), Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia) and HenHarrier (Circus cyaneus) are those that have been includedon the list of most endangered species in Europe andworldwide, but can still be seen fairly often in this part ofthe country. Which of course does not mean that they willnot share the fate of Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor),Hoopoe (Upupa epops) and Common Snipe (Gallinagogallinago), which have disappeared from Ljubljansko Barjein the last decades, the same as the last and therefore mostimportant colony of the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) inCentral Europe. Furthermore, there are some other moreadaptable species that are persistently losing their fightagainst man and his ever-increasing appetite for theterritory where these birds have reigned supreme not solong ago.

Repa

ljøœi

ca /

Whi

ncha

t / S

axic

ola

rube

tra

Velik

i øku

rh /

Eur

asia

n Cu

rlew

/ N

umen

ius

arqu

ata

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Kosca, globalno ogroæeno ptico, ki gnezdi na Ljubljanskembarju, bomo prej sliøali kot videli, saj se ves œas skriva vtravniøkem rastju. Prepoznali ga bomo po znaœilnemoglaøanju “krrek-krrek”, s katerim samec v pomladanskih inpoletnih noœeh vabi samico v svatbeni objem. Kosci najrajenaseljujejo spomladi dalj œasa poplavljene travnike, ki jihnjihovi lastniki kosijo precej pozno. Na barjanskih travnikihgnezdi kar øtirideset odstotkov slovenske populacije teptice, ki je iz veœine evropskih dræav æe izginila, medtem koso na Ljubljanskem barju ornitologi naøteli øe okoli 200pojoœih samcev. Vendar tudi tu njihovo øtevilo upada, sajnjegova gnezda ogroæajo zgodnja koønja, uporaba teækekmetijske mehanizacije, opuøœanje koønje in zaraøœanje.

Corn Crake, this globally endangered species that breeds atLjubljansko Barje, will be sooner heard than seen, for itconstantly hides in grassland vegetation. We shallrecognise it by its characteristic and persistent calling“errp-errp” or, if you like it, “crex-crex”, with which themale invites, in spring and summer nights, the female to belocked in a loving embrace. In spring, Corn Crakes love toinhabit the meadows that have been inundated for a longerperiod of time and are mown fairly late. In the meadows ofLjubljansko Barje breed no less than forty percent of theSlovene population of this bird that has alreadydisappeared from the majority of European countries, whileat the Ljubljansko Barje ornithologists have counted around200 singing males. Unfortunately, their numbers aredecreasing here as well, for their nests are threatened byearly mowing, use of heavy agricultural machinery,abandoned mowing, and overgrowing.

Kosec (Crex crex) je latinsko ime dobil na osnovi svojegaznaœilnega oglaøanja. Njegovo slovensko poimenovanje izhajaiz podobnosti njegovega oglaøanja z zvokom bruøenja kose zoslo.

Corn Crake (Crex crex) was given its Latin name on the basis ofits characteristic rasping calling. Its Slovene name, i.e. kosec(scytheman), derives from the similarity of its calling to thesounds of a scythe being sharpened by a whetstone.

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Obilje vode, predvsem pa obseæna mreæa odvodnih kanalovin jarkov z bogato razvito vodno vegetacijo so domlesketajoœe pisanih, spretnih letalcev - kaœjih pastirjev. Med48 vrstami kaœjih pastirjev, ki æivijo na Ljubljanskem barju,mnoge sodijo med ogroæene, na Ljubljanskem barju pa sonjihove populacije øe dokaj øtevilœne. V pomladnih noœeh na Ljubljanskem barju æivahno odmevaregljanje zelenih reg. Preplet razliœnih tipov tekoœih instojeœih voda je izjemno pomemben za øtevilne dvoæivke.Na Ljubljanskem barju bomo naøli kar 70 odstotkov vsehvrst, ki æivijo v Sloveniji, med njimi hribskega urha(Bombina variegata), velikega pupka (Triturus carnifex),zeleno rego (Hyla arborea) in zeleno krastaœo (Bufo viridis).Dvoæivke, ki imajo raje gozd, pa z vsakoletnimi pohodi œezceste na barjanskem robu opozarjajo, da je Ljubljanskobarje zanje pomembno mesto za mrestenje.

The abundance of water and particularly the extensivenetwork of drainage channels with well-developed watervegetation are home to glittering, gaily coloured and skilfulfliers - dragonflies. Many amongst the 48 species thatinhabit Ljubljansko Barje are considered endangered, buthere their populations are still fairly numerous.In spring nights, we can hear vivacious European TreeFrogs’ croaking echoing all over the Ljubljansko Barje. Theinterlacement of different types of standing and runningwaters is extremely important for numerous amphibians. AtLjubljansko Barje, we shall find no less than seventypercent of all species living in Slovenia, such as Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata), Alpine Crested Newt(Triturus carnifex), European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea) andGreen Toad (Bufo viridis). The amphibians that preferforests as their home, warn us with their yearly marchesover the roads on the edge of Ljubljansko Barje that thisplace is an important breeding site to them.

Slastno meso in poslediœno pretiran lov sta bila skoraj usodnaza enega redkih barjanskih plazilcev, moœvirsko sklednico(Emys orbicularis). Ob koncu devetnajstega stoletja ste lahkoto delikateso redno kupovali na ljubljanski trænici.

Its delicious flesh and consequently its overhunting have beenalmost fatal for one of the rare Ljubljansko Barje reptiles, theEuropean Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis). At the end of the19th century, this delicacy could be regularly bought at theLjubljana Market.

Hri

bski

urh

/ Y

ello

w-b

ellie

d To

ad /

Bom

bina

var

iega

ta

Zele

na r

ega

/ Eu

rope

an T

ree

Frog

/H

yla

arbo

rea

Moœ

virs

ka s

kled

nica

/ E

urop

ean

Pond

Ter

rapi

n /

Emys

orb

icula

risKo

øœiœ

ni ø

krat

ec /

Orn

ate

Dam

selfl

y /

Coen

agrio

n or

natu

m

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Pisatelj Janez Jalen je Ljubljansko barje vcepil v zavestSlovencev skozi svoj zgodovinski roman o mostiøœarjih“Bobri”. Ti spretni graditelji jezov, sicer tudi kar pogosto nakoliøœarskih kroænikih, so bili skupaj z velikimi vodami zLjubljanskega barja pregnani æe davno. Vidra (Lutra lutra) jeøe vedno pogost prebivalec Ljubljanskega barja, kljub temuda bomo danes precej bolj pogosto ob vodi sreœalipiæmovko (Ondatra zibethicus), ki jo je œlovek zaradi krznaraznesel po vsem svetu. Poleg manjøih sesalcev, preteænoglodalcev in æuækojedov, Ljubljansko barje zaradi obiljahrane pogosto privabi tudi ogroæene in zavarovanenetopirje male podkovnjake (Rhinolophus hipposideros) -obiskovalce iz dinarskih gozdov, ki se raztezajo nanjegovem juænem obrobju.

The Slovene writer Janez Jalen instilled Ljubljansko Barjeinto the minds of Slovene people through its history novelabout pile dwellers “Bobri” (Beavers). As far as theseanimals, skilful dam builders and among those that werequite often on the plates of pile dwellers, are concerned,they were driven away from the Ljubljansko Barje, togetherwith high waters, ages ago. The Otter (Lutra lutra) is still afairly common inhabitant of the Ljubljansko Barje, althoughnowadays we are much more likely to meet the Muskrat(Ondatra zibethicus), which has been due to its fur spread,by man, all over the world. Apart from some smallermammals, mostly rodents and insectivores, the LjubljanskoBarje also often attracts, owing to the abundance of food,endangered and protected Lesser Horseshoe Bats(Rhinolophus hipposideros), the visitors from Dinaricforests that spread along its southern margins.

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Na Ljubljanskem barju je narava lahko tisoœletja sledilaspremembam, ki jih je s svojo dejavnostjo povzroœalœlovek. Skoraj œudeæno je, da je vsem posegom navkljubostala izjemno pestra vse do danes. A kaæe, da se to soæitjepoœasi konœuje. Œlovekovi posegi v najveœje slovenskomokriøœe in najjuænejøe evropsko visoko barje postajajovse bolj agresivni. Globoki, redno œiøœeni osuøevalni jarki.Vsak dan nova, okolju in terenu neprilagojenastanovanjska poslopja. Intenzivno obdelovane, z gnojilivseh vrst zasute kmetijske povrøine. Smetiøœa in nasutjagradbenega materiala. Letaliøœe za lokalne veljake.Sprehajalci s psi, rekreativci na kolesih, turisti v balonih.Kdor opozarja, postane sovraænik napredka.

At Ljubljansko Barje, nature could have followed thechanges caused by man and his activities for thousands ofyears, and it is almost a miracle that in spite of all thesepressures it has remained exceptionally diverse till this veryday. It looks, however, that this cohabitation is slowlycoming to an end. The fact is that human encroachmentupon this largest Slovene and southernmost Europeanraised bog is becoming increasingly aggressive. Deep,regularly cleaned drainage channels. Each day new and tothis environment unadapted residential buildings.Intensively farmed land, filled with fertilisers of all kinds.Rubbish tips and discarded building materials dumpedthere. Airfield for the local men of note. Strollers with theirdogs, recreationists on bikes, tourists in huge balloons.And all those that openly point at these facts, suddenlybecome the enemies of progress.M

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Obmoœja, kot je Ljubljansko barje, so v svetu vse redkejøa.Zadnja desetletja je v Evropi izginilo sedemdeset odstotkovmokriøœ. Z æivalmi in rastlinami vred, tako kot øtevilnadruga naravna obmoœja. Kolateralna økoda napredka, paœ.Z vstopom Slovenije v Evropsko unijo se je dræava zavezalak spoøtovanju dveh naravovarstvenih direktiv, kiopredeljujeta posebna ohranitvena obmoœja narave,obmoœja Natura 2000, med katera sodi tudi celotnoLjubljansko barje. Minimalna zahteva je ohraniti ugodnostanje habitatov in vrst, ki æivijo na tem obmoœju, inprepreœiti nadaljnje poslabøanje razmer. Toda Ljubljanskega barja ne varujmo zavoljo bruseljskihbirokratov. Varujmo ga zase!

The areas of the Ljubljansko Barje type are becomingincreasingly rare all over the world. In the last few decades,seventy percent of wetlands have disappeared in Europe,together with their animals and plants, the same as manyother natural districts. Collateral damage, of course! WhenSlovenia joined the EU, it bound itself to respect two natureconservation directives with designation of specialprotection areas and special areas of conservation, i.e.Natura 2000 sites, which include the entire territory ofLjubljansko Barje. The directives’ minimal demands are topreserve the favourable state of habitats and species livingin these areas and to prevent further deterioration of theexisting conditions there.Anyhow, Ljubljansko Barje should not be protected only forthe sake of Brussels bureaucrats. Let’s protect it forourselves!

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Le Ljublansko barje, ce marais de Ljubljana, vaste de prèsde 160 km2, a trouvé naissance voici près de deux millionsd’années suite à l’effondrement d’une large partie dubassin de Ljubljana. De ce fait, les rivières locales y ontdéposé de grandes quantités d’embâcles et de sédiments,isolant par un véritable barrage la rivière Ljubljanica à l’en-droit de sa confluence avec la Save et inondant en mêmetemps le bassin du Barje. Il y a quelque 6000 ans, le lac duBarje s’assécha, laissant une plaine marécageuse dont unegrande partie vit la formation de couches de tourbe, parfoisépaisses de 9 mètres.

Bien que cette zone tourbeuse ne fût pas l’endroit idéalpour une colonisation humaine, de nombreuses trouvaillesarchéologiques attestent que le Ljubljansko barje fut peu-plé depuis l’Age du Cuivre. C’était l’époque de remar-quables maisons sur pilotis et de cultures avancées, auxtechnologies développées, en relation avec d’amplescourants européens. Leurs poteries et objets en cuivreétonnent encore les amateurs de belles choses.

Les inondations régulières subies par le Ljubljanslo Barjeexpliquent les tentatives séculaires d’assèchement. Lespremiers qui tentèrent de dompter et de s’approprier leBarje furent les Romains, qui y bâtirent la première routetransversale et régulèrent le cours de la rivière Ljubljanicaafin de pouvoir y transporter le marbre de Podpeœ, néces-saire à la construction de la ville d’Emona (l’actuelleLjubljana). Les velléités de drainage s’intensifièrent au XVIesiècle, où les premiers canaux furent bâtis. Le travail le plusnotable, bien que peu couronné de succès, fut celui deGabriel Gruber à la fin du XVIIIe. Ces essais répétés dedrainage, approfondissant les lits et canaux, abattant lesdigues de la Ljubljanica et construisant de nouveauxcanaux, amenèrent un premier succès au XIXe siècle,lorsque le niveau d’eau fut devenu suffisamment bas pourpermettre la colonisation et les labours dans la plaine duBarje. Mais, en fait, l’extraction et la vente de tourbes’avérèrent plus rentables que l’agriculture ! L’exploitationde la tourbe causa un affaissement du sol, ce qui engendrade nouvelles inondations. Le combat pour l’assèchementdu Barje continua jusqu’au milieu du XXe siècle, quandl’idée de créer ‘le grenier de l’Europe’ disparut même desesprits les plus bornés.

C’est presque un miracle si, en dépit de toutes les tenta-tives décrites, la nature parvint à se maintenir si richejusqu’à nos jours. La cohabitation des hommes et de lanature a créé un paysage culturel unique et hautementdiversifié, une infinie mosaïque de prés, bois de feuillus,champs, fossés et haies. Les différents habitats imbriquésabritent de nombreux oiseaux, insectes et plantes,rarement retrouvés ailleurs en Slovénie et en Europe.Bien que le Barje ne couvre qu’1% environ du territoireslovène, il est un site de nidification pour près de la moitiédes oiseaux de Slovénie, c’est à dire plus de 100 espèces.Les oiseaux de prairies, comme le Râle de genêts, lesTariers pâtre et des prés, le Courlis d’Europe, la Caille ontpu continuer à bâtir leurs nids dans les herbes, mais lecombat contre la mécanisation agricole a malheureusementété perdu par la Huppe, la Bécassine des marais, le Fauconcrécerellette, la Pie-grièche à poitrine rose, le Hibou desmarais et le Busard cendré.

Au bord de l’eau, ou dans les prés fauchés assez tardive-ment et à la gestion extensive, on peut admirer des papil-lons rares et des libellules gaiement colorées. Ces milieuxmarécageux sont un bon refuge pour des amphibiens etpour une très rare tortue, la Cistude d’Europe.

Au Ljubljansko Barje, la nature a pu s’adapter pendant desmillénaires aux changements provoqués par l’homme etses activités, mais ils semble que cette cohabitationatteigne progressivement ses limites. En fait, l’acharnementà détruire cette zone humide s’est amplifié; le besoind’augmenter la production agricole, de construire des com-plexes résidentiels, industriels et commerciaux, est main-tenant incontrôlable.

Le Ljubljansko Barje est la plus vaste zone humide deSlovénie, et l’une des plus méridionales d’Europe. De telsespaces sont de nos jours une vraie rareté en Europe, prin-cipalement du fait de l’agriculture intensive et de l’urbani-sation. Près de 70% des zones humides européennesappartiennent maintenant au passé. Dans les années 1990,l’Union européenne, certes un peu tard mais tout de même,une législation tendant à protéger les espèces animales etvégétales rares et leurs habitats. Le Ljubljansko Barje, quiabrite de nombreuses espèces menacées, a été reconnucomme site Natura 2000.

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Urednica / EditorBarbara Zupanc

Avtorica besedila / Author of the textBarbara Zupanc

Izdelava kart / CartographyVesna Grobelnik, Aleksandra Leønik

Avtorji fotografij / Authors of photographsMatjaæ Bedjaniœ, Peter Buchner, Branko Œeak, Damijan Denac,

Oskar Dolenc, Vesna Grobelnik, Arne Hodaliœ, Marjana HönigsfeldAdamiœ, Martina Kaœiœnik Janœar, Luka Pintar, Griøa Planinc,

Darja Pergovnik, Katja Poboljøaj, Primoæ Presetnik, Andreja Økvarœ, Davorin Tome, Marko Turk, Rudi Verovnik

Drugi viri fotografij / Other photograph sourcesNarodni muzej Slovenije, Slovenska akademija znanosti

in umetnosti, Zasebna zbirka Jerneja Strleta,Zavod za varstvo kulturne dediøœine, obmoœna enota Ljubljana

Strokovni pregled / RevisionKarin Gabrovøek, Katja Poboljøaj, Aleksandra Leønik

Prevod v angleøki jezik / English translationHenrik Cigliœ

Prevod v francoski jezik / French translationFrancis Muller

Lektoriranje / Language EditorHenrik Cigliœ

Oblikovanje in priprava na tisk / Layout and typesettingTrajanus d.o.o., Kranj

Izdal in zaloæil / Published byCenter za kartografijo favne in flore, Miklavæ na Dr. polju, 2004

Pripravo in izdajo knjiæice so omogoœili / The preparation and publishing of the booklet was enabled by

Ministère de l’écologie et du développement durable, FranceFédération des conservatoires d’espaces naturels, France

Mestna obœina LjubljanaDOPPS BirdLife Slovenia

Societas herpetologica slovenica - druøtvo za preuœevanje dvoæivk in plazilcev

Slovensko odonatoloøko druøtvoDruøtvo za prouœevanje in ohranjanje metuljev SlovenijeSlovensko druøtvo za prouœevanje in varstvo netopirjev

Lutra, Inøtitut za ohranjanje naravne dediøœine

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