Cultural heritage of Slovenia – on local level

Brief presentation of examples of cultural heritage of Slovenia on which the focus is in the project

ADHER project4nd project meetingVilnius, Lithuania17-20 September 2010

• Contents:• Note on the choice of examples of cultural heritage of

Slovenia on which the focus is in the project• Brief presentation of these examples

• The examples of cultural heritage of Slovenia, on which the focus is in the project and will be briefly presented, were chosen in the framework of the first phase of an e-learning programme on cultural heritage of Slovenia and other partner countries, which CPZ-International prepared for its target group.

• In this phase, which has already concluded and was dedicated more to someone’s acquaintance with the situation regarding cultural heritage in Slovenia (the phase followed by the second phase, which has already began), the members of the target group – the unemployed persons from different regions of Slovenia, who are interested in self employment and entrepreneurship in tourism, culture, education – were working (in the moodle web classroom) in smaller groups and subgroups (teams), namely in one of the following roles: the team member, the team leader.

• The main task of the team was to elaborate the contribution on the given theme in the form of short and to the point Word document, which is later put (in the web classroom) among the so-called sources. More precisely, the task of the team was to choose one or more examples of cultural heritage in the chosen municipality of the given Slovenian region, with a stress on cultural heritage which is threatened to disappear, and to try to answer to the following questions:

• What is the state of public awareness on the chosen cultural heritage in the municipality or region this heritage belongs to?

• Which tools for training on the chosen cultural heritage are used or could be used in the municipality or region of this heritage?

• How the chosen cultural heritage is used or could be used for creating new employment possibilities and income, for reducing poverty and for conservating this cultural heritage in a way which at the same time means the contribution to the economical development, in the municipality or region of this heritage?

• Which local and national regulations and laws, regulating the field of cultural heritage, pertain the chosen cultural heritage?

• Which are the problems regarding the chosen cultural heritage in the municipality or region of this heritage?

• Which are the socioeconomic characteristics of the population of the municipality or region the chosen cultural heritage belongs to?

• The team, who was focusing on the Central Slovenian region and chose the Borovnica municipality, chose the following examples of cultural heritage:

• Borovnica viaduct• Jelen bridge• signalman's cabin 666.

Slovenia (gray) and Central Slovenian region (red)

• The municipality's seat – Borovnica – is 30 km far from the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.

• The municipality counts around 4000 inhabitants, who mostly move daily to Ljubljana – to work or school.

• It is known above all for the viaduct – the Borovnica viaduct.• It is known also for its fields of American blueberries, but the fruit has

nothing to do with the origin of its name, which means »blueberry« in Slovenian.

Borovnica

Coat of arms of Borovnica (with the drawn Borovnica viaduct)

• It was built in the period 1850-1856 and was worldwide known masterpiece.

• Today it is gone – in the period 1941-1945 it was frequently bombed – there are only its remains (pillar), which were proclaimed for the technical monument.

Borovnica viaduct

Borovnica viaduct in 1930

Borovnica viaduct today

• It was built till 1857 and is among the oldest Slovenian bridges.

Jelen bridge

Jelen bridge

• It was built in 1857 and is one of rare cabins of this kind – i.e. the railway cabins in which lived and worked signalmen, whose main task was to enable safe railway traffic (controlling the railway line, signalling, raising and letting down the railway barriers etc.) – in Slovenia, which preserved almost unchanged until today.

• It is in the procedure of proclamation for the monument of local significance.

Signalman’s cabin 666

Signalman’s cabin 666

• The team, who was focusing on the region Southeast Slovenia and chose the Dolenjske Toplice municipality, chose an example of cultural heritage represented by the Soteska castle.

Slovenia (gray) and Southeast Slovenia (red)

• The municipality's centre – Dolenjske Toplice – is 67 km far from Ljubljana.

• In the municipality there is around 3500 inhabitants, who mostly are employed in near municipalities (for example Novo Mesto).

• It is known above all for the thermal springs, after which they are also named (»toplice« means »thermal springs« in Slovenian).

Dolenjske Toplice

Coat of arms of Dolenjske Toplice (with the drawn thermal spring)

• It is from the 17th century and was known as one of the most beautiful castles in the country in its time.

Soteska castle

Soteska castle in the 17th century

Soteska castle today

• The team, who was focusing on the Central Slovenian region and chose the Ivančna Gorica municipality, chose the following examples of cultural heritage:

• Stična monastery• Museum of Christianity in Slovenia• settlement Cvinger above Vir pri Stični.

Slovenia (gray) and Central Slovenian region (red)

• The municipality's centre – Ivančna Gorica – is situated 32 km from Ljubljana.

• The municipality have around 15000 inhabitants.• It is known above all for the monastery – the Stična monastery.• One of the municipality’s remarkablenesses is also the Roman milestone.

Ivančna Gorica

Coat of arms of Ivančna Gorica (with the drawn Roman milestone)

• It was founded in 1136 and was the country's cultural centre.• In it the Stična manuscripts – one of the first documents written in the

Slovenian language – were beeing created.• Today it is the only still working Cistercian monastery in Slovenia and was

proclaimed for the monument of state significance.• In the monastery there is also a museum – the Museum of Christianity in

Slovenia.

Stična monastery

Stična monastery

Detail of the Stična manuscripts on a stamp

• The museum has, among other things, the permanent exhibition »History of Christianity in Slovenia« and the memorial room of father Simon Ašič, known herbalist.

Museum of Christianity in Slovenia

Museum of Christianity in Slovenia

• It is from the Iron Age – the first millenium before Christ.• An object of exceptional value found in this settlement is the bronze vessel

known as the Vače situla, which is one of the most important situla art monuments in Europe.

Settlement Cvinger above Vir pri Stični

Settlement Cvinger above Vir pri Stični

Vače situla