SUBTERRANEAN WATERS DESCRIBED IN CARNIOLAN LETTERS MAILED TO A. KIRCHER (* 1601; †1680) PODZEMNE VODE V KRANJSKIH PISMIH POSLANIH A. KIRCHERJU (* 1601; †1680) Stanislav JUŽNIČ 1 Izvleček UDK 551.44(091):929 Stanislav Južnič: Podzemne vode v kranjskih pismih poslanih A. Kircherju (* 1601; †1680) Prvič so obravnavana pisma, ki so ji� Kirc � erju pošiljali jezuiti in plemiči povezani z območji sedanje Slovenije. Kirc� er je z nji� ovo pomočjo sestavil eno prvi� te � tni� teorij Cerkniškega jezera in objavil številna druga dognanja o krasu. Ugotovljeni so zbiralci Kirc� erjevi� podatkov o Cerkniškem jezeru in idri - jskem rudniku, ki ju osebno ni obiskal. Pregledana so poročila jezuita Wilpen� offerja, ki je skrbel za širjenje Kirc� erjevi� del na Kranjskem. Opisana so pisma, ki ji� je Kirc � erju pošiljal Janez Vajkard Turjaški, mecen Kirc� erjevi� knjig, samosvoj pi - onir raziskovanja rib v globina� Postojnske jame in Valvasorjev vzornik. Ključne besede: At� anasius Kirc� er, Krištof Wilpen� offer, Janez Vajkard Turjaški, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, zgodovina ra- ziskovanja krasa, Cerkniško jezero, jezuiti. 1 Stanizlav Južnič, Fara 2, 1336 Vas, juznic@� otmail.com Received/Prejeto: 04.09.2007 COBISS: 1.01 ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3, 503-510, POSTOJNA 2007 Abstract UDC 551.44(091):929 Stanislav Južnič: Subterranean waters described in Carniolan letters mailed to A. Kircher (* 1601; †1680) Kirc� er’s letters connected wit� t � e area of today’s Slovenia were analyzed. His Jesuit informer Wilpen� offer’s reports on t� e Cerknica Lake and Idrija Mine were put forward. He also � elped distribution of Kirc� er’s books among Auerspergs and ot� er Ljubljana nobles. Janez Vajkard Auersperg’s letters as an example of �ig � nobility correspondent patronage were put at t� e limelig� t in connection wit� Janez and �is admirer Valva - sor’s own researc� of t � e Postojna Cave flora and fauna. Keywords: At� anasius Kirc� er, C�ristop � orus Wilpen� offer, Janez Vajkard Auersperg, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, History of Karst Researc�, Cerknica Lake, Jesuits. INTRODUCTION The baroque letters are important source for t� e �istory of science and karst in particular. In fact, t� ey are some- times t� e only baroque sources available because at t� ose times t� e printed publications were not suc� necessary part of t� e researc� as t � ey are nowadays. Kirc� er’s cor- respondence kept at Roman Arc�ive of t � e Pontificia Università Gregoriana (APUG) contains 2291 letters of 763 writers distributed at 14 folios. Almost one t�ird of t� e correspondents were Jesuits. We knew some of t� e letters contained information about Cerknica Lake w�ic � Kirc � er never visited personally but nevert� eless described as one of its first scientific researc� ers. We sus- pected t� at � e � ad Carniolan informers and t� e guess proved to be a true one. We examined all letters mailed to Kirc� er from Carniola or Gorica, and also t� e letters of people connected wit� t � ose areas. We are � appy to report t� at at least some success was obtained. ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 504 KOBAV Tab. 1: Latin Kobav’s letters mailed from Vienna to Kircher’s Rome (Gramatowski & Rebernik, 2001, 63). Date APUG January 1, 1640 567 ff. 20r-21v February 20, 1640 567 f. 205rv Our first “suspect” was Cerknica native Andreas Ko- bav (* November 7 or 11, 1593 Cerknica; joined Societatis jesu (SJ) October 22, 1610 Brno at Moravia; † February 12, 1654 Trieste), one of t� e most talented Paul Guldin’s (Habakkuk, * 1577; † 1643) students at Graz University. After �is yout � at native Notranjska, Kobav joined t � e Franciscans but soon c� anged �is mind and became a Jesuit. At least in 1652 � e was a confessor at Ljubljana College. Just few mont� s before deat� � e moved to Tri- este College, probably stopping at Cerknica on �is way. As t� e native of Cerknica � e was certainly an expert for t� e Cerknica Lake p� enomena, but � e did not describe t� em at �is known letters mailed to Kirc � er. He rat� er examined t� e properties of new comet paving t� e way for �is fort � coming book. CUZZIO Tab. 2: Italian letters of Giulio Cuzzio (Sj; † 1688) mailed from Gorica to Kircher’s Rome (Gramatowski & Rebernik, 2001, 37, 131) Date APUG September 6, 1675 565 f. 184rv November 1, 1675 565 f. 263rv Besides Ljubljana also Jesuits from Gorica or Trieste College could � ave informed Kirc� er about t� e nearby Notranjska limestone area p� enomena. Just two let- ters from Gorica mailed to Kirc� er are kept at ApUG. Cuzzio wrote bot� of t � em in Italian language wit� Latin appendix of �is college rector. Among ot � er reports � e described Jesuit visit to t� e Count Torrismondo de la Torre’s (Thurn-Valsassina) castle Devin (Duino, Tybein). He described t� e administrative curiosities and did not take care of t� e limestone region Timav River near Devin or Cerknica Lake. WILPENHOFFER’S CERKNICA LAKE REPORT Tab. 3: Wilpenhoffer’s Latin letters mailed to Kircher after Wilpenhoffer’s settlement at Ljubljana in 1653 Date APUG October 24, 1658 567 f. 111rv October 23, 1669 559 f. 95rv November 28, 1669 559 f. 50rv Ljubljana Jesuit C�ristop � orus Wilpen� offer (Krištof Wilpen� ofer, Wilpen� ofer, Vilpen� offer, Bilpen- � ofer, * February 1597 Radstadt on Enns at Salzburg; SJ Marc� 19, 1614 Brno; † Marc � 30, 1671 Ljubljana) stayed at Ljubljana between 1640-1641 and 1644-1648. At t� at time � e did not write to Kirc� er, w� o was just beginning �is ascent to fame. During �is t �ird and final stay at Lju - bljana Wilpen� offer mailed several letters to Kirc� er’s Rome (Gramatowski & Rebernik, 2001, 113, 136; Do- linar, 1976, 186). Those documents are of greatest inter - est for t�is study. At least one of Wilpen � offer’s Ljubljana letters went t�roug � Venice and got a mark “franc �ise of Venice” . Fig. 1: Wilpenhoffer’s October 24, 1658 letter with Kircher’s address and a mark of franchise (ApUG 567 folio 111v). (Courtesy of Stanford University and Glen Worthey). STANISLAV JUŽNIČ ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 505 Fig. 2: Wilpenhoffer wrote to Kircher about Volf’s copy of mundus, Idria mine, and Cerknica Lake on October 24, 1658 (ApUG 567 folio 111r). (Courtesy of Stanford University and Glen Worthey) Wilpen� offer was a novice at Brno. He studied p�i - losop� y and t� eology at Graz between 1616 and 1625. On June 29, 1635 � e gave �is fourt � “mobility” vows, but � e never left �is � omeland for missions and stayed at Habsburg domains. In 1628 � e taug� t logic at Graz and became t� e Viennese College confessor (1629-1631). In 1640 and 1641 � e � ad similar function at Ljubljana Col- lege. Later � e became superior at Varaždin (1642-1643), prefect at Ljubljana (1644-1648), and superior at Sopron (1649). In 1651 � e was at Vienna and next year � e be- came t� e confessor of Jaurin (Raab) bis� op. He informed Kirc� er about Cerknica Lake p� enomena during �is stay at Ljubljana College. He was an administrator, scribe (scriptor), counsellor, and prefect of t� e Ljubljana Jesuit c� urc� and stayed at Ljubljana almost for two decades between 1653 and 1671 (Lukács, 1982, 789-790). Wilpen� offer listed t� e Carniolan local natural cu- riosities and Kirc� er in fact used �is report for �is own description of Carniola. Wilpen� offer took care for t� e distribution of �is Jesuit-fellow Kirc � er’s books among Carniolans, mostly on demand of t� e Governor General Count Volf Engelbert Auersperg. Immediately after t� e mundus Subterranei printing (1657) � e reported on Oc- tober 24, 1658 t� at t� e »Count, our Governor« wis� ed to get t� e item. In fact, Volf ’s librarian and personal friend Janez Ludvik Sc� önleben (* 1618 Ljubljana; SJ October 28, 1635 Vienna-1654; † 1681) marked Volf ’s bookplate at �is copy of t � e famous Kirc� er’s mundus Subterranei during t� e same year 1658. Somew� at later Sc� önleben became rat� er prolific researc� er of Cerknica Lake and publis� ed �is opinions just before � e died (1680-1681). He collected t� e library of �is own and bequeat � ed �is books to t� e Ljubljana Jesuits at �is last will. The readers also expected similar Kirc� er’s work mundus mediterranes because Kirc� er announced � e would publis� it. It was never put at t � e limelig� t, at least not under t� at title. In fact, t� e mundus mediterranes case seems to be a part of t� e very clever politics. Kirc� er paved �is road to fame by adding index of �is publis � ed and would-be publis� ed books at t� e end of �is early works. Several of t� em were never printed, but readers Fig. 3: Wilpenhoffer writes to Kircher on October 23, 1669 (ApUG 567 folio 95r). (Courtesy of Stanford University and Glen Worthey) SUBTERRANEAN WATERS DESCRIBED IN CARNIOLAN LETTERS MAILED TO A. KIRCHER (* 1601; †1680) ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 506 expected t� em anyway. Just by reading t� e titles and de- scriptions of �is “planned” works everybody was won - dering � ow clever and erudite man Kirc� er must be. The Baroque aut� ors actually knew very well � ow to sell t� eir books and we could learn a lot from t� eir examples. In addition Wilpen� offer broug� t previously un- known facts about karst to Kirc� er’s attention. In mundus Kirc� er did not mention Idrija Mine or Cerknica Lake yet, alt� oug� at t � e paragrap� “ Alpine hydraulic” � e de- scribed waters at Alps region wit� silver and ot � er min- erals beneat� t � e mountains (Kirc� er, 1657, 185-186). He carefully described Danube River (Kirc� er, 1657, 162) and properties of quicksilver (Kirc� er, 1657, 202) but failed to mention famous Idria mercury mine. Wilpen� offer reported on t� e mercury mine wit� - out mentioning t� e city of Idrija. He also described t� e vein of «fossil silver« and cited t� e Jesuit Casati’s work connected wit� mining. Wilpen � offer put special con- cern on t� e lake »near t� e town named Cerknica«. The lake altoget� er sank to enable ploug�ing of t � e dried fields and even � unting. After a w�ile t � e lake reappeared again and flooded t� e fields wit� t � e water and fis�, ac - cording to Wilpen� offer’s report. Eleven years later on October 23, 1669 Wilpen� of- fer again wrote from Ljubljana to Kirc� er’s Rome wit� out mentioning any karst p� enomena. A week later � e wrote a new letter (November 28, 1669) wit� last lines some - w� at compressed to fit t� e single page. He mentioned two parts of Kirc� er’s Ars magna sciendi seu combinatori- ca under t� e s� ortened title Ars combinatorica. That book again pleased very muc� »t � e Count �is Eminence Land Governor« Volf Auersperg. In t� e meanw�ile Volf was promoted to a �ig � er status of emperor’s secret counsel- lor (1660) and consequently got t� e prestigious title “�is Eminence” (Molè, 1937, 50). Volf certainly got Kirc� er’s book Ars combinatorica too, and Sc� önleben s� elved it at t� e class of – linguistics. Certainly, t� e words of t� e baroque times did not always � ave t� e meaning we as- cribe to t� em today. At t� e front page bookplates of t�ree ot� er Kirc� er’s books Sc� önleben wrote a note: “aut� or’s (Kirc� er’s) present” . Ars combinatorica and mundus Sub- terranei were not among t� em. Volf certainly � ave to buy some of �is books as � ad all ordinary mortals, even if � e was t� e Carniolan Governor. Kirc� er continued Frisc� lin’s researc� of Carniola subterranean waters (Habe, Kranjc, 1981, 20-21; Korošec, 1967, 12) wit� out ever seeing t� e p� enomena � e de- scribed. Kirc� er’s museum at Rome was in fact t� e Jesuit collection of all world curiosities and Carniolan ones just fit t� ere. Already before Wilpen� offer’s notes Kirc� er received some ot� er information about Carniolan pe- culiarities focusing on Idrija Mercury Mine. Kirc� er’s informer was very young Klagenfurt Jesuit Sigismond Siserius (* May 1, 1636 Klagenfurt; SJ; † December 29, 1693 Vienna). Kirc� er publis� ed Siserius’ letters as � e was used to do wit� ot � er fellow Jesuits reports, alt� oug� � e eventually did not care to publis� Wilpen � offer’s con- tributions. Siserius’ work was put at t� e limelig� t as t� e appendix of first edition of Kirc� er’s subterranean book under t� e title Epistola ad R.p. Kircherum, in qua hydria sive fodina argenti vivi in Carniola describitur (Kirc� er, 1657, 2: 173). Wilpen� offer certainly read t� e item at Au- ersperg’s Ljubljana library and decided to improve Kirc� - er’s understanding of t� e p� enomena wit� �is own Idrija Mine and Cerknica Lake descriptions. Kirc� er eventually used t� e new data acquired from Wilpen� offer’s letter for �is mundus Subterraneus (Kirc� er, 1678, book 9, part 2, paragrap� 7). From t� e early little booklet later publis� ed as t� e addenda to Kirc� er’s outer space trip, t� e t�ird printing of mundus (1678) wit� Cerknica Lake description � ave grown up to nearly t� ousand pages of t� e great folio format. Its weig� t is almost 5 kg! The book was not just Fig.4: Wilpenhoffer reports to Kircher about Volf’s excitement while reading his Ars combinatorica on November 28, 1669 (ApUG 559 folio 50r). (Courtesy of Stanford University and Glen Worthey) STANISLAV JUŽNIČ ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 507 � eavy, it was considered to be t� e most important caves and underground waters baroque researc�. Kirc � er put at t� e limelig� t early description of t� e caves Antiparos at t� e middle of Greek Kiklads (Kyklads) Islands sout� - east of At� ens, G� ar Kebir of Tunis, Drac� en� ö� le near Mixnitz sout� east of Styrian Bruck on Mur River, and, least but not last, t� e Cerknica Lake. He founded t� e modern � ydrology of karst and connected t� e subterra- nean springs wit� seas and precipitations. In 1669 Englis�man Edward Brown (* 1642; † 1708) continued Kirc� er’s Cerknica Lake researc� on be � alf of t� e London Royal Society. Brown’s mistakes stimulated t� e development of Valvasor’s own opinions and ideas crowned wit� Valvasor’s ambitious ellection at t � e same Royal Society as it’s first and so far t� e only fellow from Carniola on December 14, 1687. Former Jesuit Sc� önle- ben and Valvasor modified Kirc� er’s explanation of fludds (Valvasor, 1689, 1: 626, 630), and Valvasor boug� t almost all Kirc� er’s works including mundus. During Kirc� er’s lifetime E.G. Kappelius (1672, 1685) described Cerknica Lake fis� and fields at Hamburg Journal (Korošec, 1967, 13) and paved t� e way for t� e researc� of local aut � ori- ties, namely t� e Prince Janez Vajkard Auersperg. JANEZ VAJKARD AUERSPERG Tab. 4: Count, later prince janez Vajkard Auersperg’s letters mailed to Kircher Date Place APUG May 30, 1651 Vienna 556 ff. 214r, 215v February 9, 1654 Regensburg 556 ff. 212r, 213v October 27, 1655 Vienna 556 ff. 204r, 205v May 3, 1661 Vienna 562 ff. 26rv November 12, 1665 Vienna 555 ff. 212r1,v1, 213v1 April 23, 1671 Ljubljana 565 ff. 70rv, 70av Janez Vajkard Auersperg, �is older brot � er Volf En- gelbert, and t� eir protégé Valvasor were among t� e most erudite Carniolans. Six Janez Vajkard Auersperg’s letters to Kirc� er were preserved at ApUG. In first letters Janez ensured �is patronage and eventually also payment of Kirc� er’s usually very expensive books. Kirc� er dedicated a part of �is Oedipus to Janez, w� o was just promoted to t� e rank of Prince (Kirc� er, 1654, 139). Janez mailed t� e last preserved letter to Kirc� er from Ljubljana on April 23, 1671, more t� an a year after � e was dismissed from �is �ig � est positions at Viennese Court on December 10, 1669. On July 3, 1669 t� e Prince Janez Vajkard Auersperg boug� t t� e Prince Janez Anton Eggenberg’s Notranjs- ka manors Snežnik and Lož and also took over Posto- jna manor. Probably � e expected t� e Viennese troubles Fig. 5: Kircher dedicates 110 pages of the Oedipus’ second part fourth section to Ljubljana prince janez Vajkard Auersperg (Kircher, 1654, 139). Fig. 6: prince janez Vajkard Auersperg writes to Kircher from Ljubljana on April 23, 1671, first page (ApUG 556 folio 70r (courtesy of Stanford University and Glen Worthey)). SUBTERRANEAN WATERS DESCRIBED IN CARNIOLAN LETTERS MAILED TO A. KIRCHER (* 1601; †1680) ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 508 would force �im to return to �is native Carniola few mont� s later. The Prince Janez Vajkard Auersperg was aware of t� e Leyden Professor P�ilippus Cluverius’ (Cluverij, * 1580 Danzig; † 1622) description of Postojna Cave (1623) as a »big cave wit� noisy river at � ollow �ill near Ljubljana«. Janez’ brot� er Volf � ad at least four Cluverius’ items at first or early editions (1619, 1624, 1631, and 1653) bound into t�ree volumes. Five Cluverius’ works were on sale at Ljubljana and Valvasor eventually boug� t all of t� em for �is Bogenšperg library (Sot � eby’s, 1982, 30-31; Mayr, 1678, 71–72; Valvasor & Magić, 1995, 219-220). Soon after �is last letter mailed to Kirc � er, t� e Prince Janez Vajkard Auersperg used ropes to descend one of �is peasants-fis� ermen beneat� one foot t �ick Postojna Cave natural bridge (1673). Janez’ owners�ip of t � e Postoj- na area stimulated �is curiosity w �ic � culminated after reading Culverius and Kirc� er’s books � e in� erited from �is recently deceased brot � er Volf. Janez became one of t� e first systematic researc� ers of Postojna Cave subter- ranean flora and fauna. Kirc� er would certainly love to read �is results, but no Janez’ letters eventually written after 1671 were preserved. Just before Kirc� er died, Valvasor (1679) tried to upgrade t� e discoveries of �is model Prince Janez, but � e was eventually not quite successful. Valvasor discovered t� e Auersperg’s subject-fis� erman w� o formerly broug� t some fis� from subterranean of Postojna Cave. The poor old fellow was still alive and in pretty good � ealt�. But � e was certainly not very cooperative being still somew� at frig� tened by t� e g� ost � e seems to � ave met at t� e dark Postojna Cave underground (Reisp, 1983, 144; Kovač Ar- temis, 2005, 72; Valvasor, 1689, 1/4: 532). Fig. 7: prince janez Vajkard Auersperg’s subject-fisherman examines postojna Cave subterranean flora and fauna on the first planned expedition of its kind in 1673 (Valvasor, 1689, 1/4: 532). CONCLUSION The Jesuits from Carniola informed Kirc� er about t� e Cerknica Lake karst p� enomena. Kirc� er was considered an expert in several fields, but � e did not widely travel after �is young years. His books were in fact t � e com- pilation of letters � e received from �is fellow Jesuits all over t� e world, and wit� t � at in mind we claimed t� at t� e Carniolian Jesuits were partly t� e aut� ors of Kirc� er’s books describing Carniola local subterranean limestone regions. Kirc� er became well aware of t� e local peculi- arities, corresponded wit� t � e �ig � est Carniolan nobility, and eventually stimulated t� e Auersperg’s subterranean karst fauna researc� programme. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This researc� was carried out in t � e frame of t� e pro- gramme “The P� ysics Books and Manuscripts in Car- niolan Libraries before Napoleonic Wars” founded by t� e Mellon fellows�ip of t � e Okla� oma University History of Science Department in 2007. We t� ank acad. Dr. Andrej Kranjc for constructive advices. STANISLAV JUŽNIČ ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 509 Baraga, France (ur.), 2003: Letopis Ljubljanskega kolegija Družbe Jezusove (1596-1691). Ljubljana: Družina. Dolinar, F.-M., 1976: Das Jesuitenkolleg in Laibac� und die Residenz Pleterje 1597-1704, Dissertatio ad Doctoratum in Facultate Historiae Ecclesiasticae Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae. - Tiskarna Ljubljana, Ljubljana. Gramatowski, W . & Rebernik, M. (ur.), 2001: Epistolae Kirc� erianae index alp� abet�icus index geograp �i - cus. - Institutum �istoricum S.I., Roma. Habe, F. & Kranjc, A., 1981: Delež Slovencev v speleologi- ji. - Zbornik za zgodovino naravoslovja in te�nike. 5-6: 13-93. Kirc� er, A., 1653: At� anasii Kirc� eri e Soc. Jesu Oedi- pus Aegyptiacus. Hoc est Universalis Hieroglyp�i - cae Veterum Doctrinae temporum iniuria abolitae instauratio. Opus ex omni Orientalium doctrina et sapientia conditum, nec non viginti diuersarum lin- guarum aut� oritate stabilitum, Felicibus Auspicijs Ferdinandi III. Austriaci Sapientissimi et Inuictis- simi Romanorum Imperatoris semper Augusti è tenebris erutum, Atque Bono Reipublicae Literariae consecratum. Tomus II. - Mascardi, Romae. Kirc� er, A., 1657: At� anasii Kirc� eri e Soc. Jesu Iter ex- taticum II. Qui et Mundi Subterranei Prodromus dicitur. Quo Geocosmi opificium sive Terrestris Globi Structura, unà cum abditis in ea constitutis arcanioris Naturae Reconditoriis, per ficti raptus integumentum exponitur ad veritatem. In III. Dia- logos distinctum (Structura globis terrestris). Ad Serenissimum Leopoldum Ignatium Hungariae, et Bo� emiae Regem. – Mascardi, Romae. Reprint: 1659: - Frideric Gall, Turnaviae. Kirc� er, A., 1665: Mundus Subterraneus, In xII Libros digestus… - Joann Jansson, Elizeum Weyerstrat, Amsterdam. - Third edition: 1678 : - Joann Jansson, Amsterdam. Korošec, B., 1967: Beseda dve o Steinbergovem in drugi� opisi� Cerkniškega jezera. - Kronika. 15: 11-22. Kovač Artemis, T., 2005: Kako je nastala knjiga o deželi Kranjski. – Samozaložba, Ljubljana. Lukács, L., 1982: Catalogi presonarum et officiorum Pro- vinciae Austriae S.I. II (1601-1640). - Institutum Historicum S.I., Romae. Molè, R., 1937: K zgodovini knežjega dvorca. - Kronika. 4/4: 48-50. Reisp, B., 1983: Janez Vajkard Valvasor. - Mladinska knji- ga, Ljubljana. Sot� eby’s, Bloomfield Place, New Bond Street, London WIA 2AA, 1982: The Catalogue (A Collection) of Valuable Printed Books and Atlases of t� e Fifteent� to t� e Seventeent� Century Formed in t � e Seven- teent� Century by a Continental Nobleman and Now t� e Property of Sen� or German Mail� os and Sen� ora Jo� anna Auersperg de Mail� os from Uru- guay. Days of Sale Monday, 14t� June 1982 Lots 1- 223. Tuesday, 15t� June, 1982 Lots 223-440 at eleven o’ clock precisely eac� day. - Sot � eby’s, London. Valvasor, J. V . 1689 : Die E�re dess Hertzogt � ums Crain. - Wolfgang Moritz Endter, Laybac�-Nürnberg. Valvasor, J. V . & Magić, V . (editor), 1995: Bibliot� eca Val- vasoriana. Katalog Knjižnice Janeza Vajkarda Valva- sorja. - Valvasorjev odbor pri SAZU, Ljubljana/Za- greb. LITERATURE SUBTERRANEAN WATERS DESCRIBED IN CARNIOLAN LETTERS MAILED TO A. KIRCHER (* 1601; †1680) ACTA CARSOLOGICA 36/3 – 2007 510 POVZETEK Pisma, ki so ji� Kirc � erju pošiljali jezuiti in plemiči z območja sedanje Slovenije, so prvorazredni zgodovinski dokumenti. Znano je, da Kirc� er naši� krajev osebno ni obiskal; prav logično se zdi, da je moral imeti v Cer- knici obveščevalce, ki so mu pripovedovali o notranjski� kraški� pojavi �. Že dolgo nas zanima, kdo bi utegnili biti ti ljudje, kateri� pisma je Kirc � er vtkal v svoje opise kraškega podzemlja. V poštev je kazalo vzeti predvsem ljubljanske, goriške in tržaške jezuite. In res, prav z ljubljanskega kolegija je Kirc� er dobival potrebne po- datke o notranjskem krasu. Kirc� er je s pomočjo Kranjski� dopisnikov sest avil prvo upoštevanja vredno teorijo Cerkniškega jezera po N. Frisc� linovi� pesnitva � in objavil številna druga dogna- nja. Med najbolj uglednimi zbiralci podatkov za Kirc� erja je bil njegov sobrat Wilpen� offer, tisti čas pomemben jezuit ljubljanskega kolegija. Salzburžan Wilpen� offer se je dodobra seznanil z nenavadnimi kraškimi pojavi o Cerkniškem jezeru, zanimal pa ga je tudi rudnik živega srebra v Idriji kot tedaj najdonosnejše kranjsko podje- tje. Zato smo pregledali poročila in življenjsko pot je- zuita Wilpen� offerja, ki je obenem skrbel še za širjenje Kirc� erjevi� del na Kranjskem, predvsem po želja � deželnega glavarja Volfa Engelberta Turjaškega. Volfov brat Janez Vajkard Turjaški, mecen Kirc� erje- vi� knjig in zelo samosvoj pionir raziskovanja rib v glo - bina� Postojnske jame, je pošiljal Kirc � erju pomembna pisma. Med prvimi je organiziral ekspedicijo s potrebno opremo, da je la� ko dal na plan privleči ribe iz podzem- ni� voda; le-te so se resda izkazale za nekoliko mršave in komajda vredne knežjega obeda. Zaenkrat še ne vemo na kakšen način je o tem obvestil svojega dopisovalca Kirc� erja. Janezova postojnska raziskovanja je nadaljeval Valvasor. Kupil je domala vsa Kirc� erjeva dela, ki ji� je zaradi denarni� težav pozneje prodal v Zagreb. PODZEMNE VODE V KRANJSKIH PISMIH POSLANIH A. KIRCHERJU (* 1601; †1680) STANISLAV JUŽNIČ