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Kronika in bogata zgodovina Bele krajine
Bela krajina v zgodovinopisnem pogledu ni neznano območje. Pokrajina med Gorjanci in Kolpo je bila v preteklosti že deležna številnih raziskav, ki so osvetlile njeno bogato in pogosto razburkano zgodovino. Celo v zadnjih letih je luč sveta ugledalo nekaj zanimivih monografij, ki razkrivajo drobce belokranjske zgodovine - od monografije Marjetke Balkovec Debevec V Črnomlju od nekdaj bili so veseli in Črnomaljskega zbornika, ki ga je uredil Janez Weiss, do monografije o zgodovini pihalne godbe v Metliki, Črnomlju in Semiču Jožeta Dularja ter monografije o belokranjski železnici Karla Rustje, če naštejemo le nekaj najnovejših del.
Zato smo bili v uredništvu Kronike, ko je padla ideja o belokranjski številki, nekoliko skeptični, češ ali je glede na najnovejšo zgodovinopisno produkcijo smiselno zastaviti takšno številko. Toda naši pomisleki so se izkazali za neutemeljene. Odziv na naše povabilo k sodelovanju je bil izjemen. Javilo se je preko trideset avtorjev, od katerih jih je članek oddalo sedemnajst, nekateri od njih so prispevali celo po dva članka. Belokranjska zgodovina je očitno še vedno zanimiva za raziskovalce, pa najsi gre za obdobje srednjega veka ali najnovejšega obdobja po drugi svetovni vojni.
Mozaik enaindvajsetih prispevkov v pričujoči številki Kronike prinaša marsikaj novega - tako s področja arhitekture gradov, cerkvene zgodovine, zgodovine šolstva, prometnih razmer, etnologije,
demografije, politike in druge svetovne vojne. Tudi najnovejši prispevki znova dokazujejo, da je bila Bela krajina od nekdaj vpeta v širše dogajanje tako proti severu, Kranjski, ki ji je formalno tudi pripadala, kot tudi proti hrvaškemu jugu. Različne meje, ki so nekdaj (in še danes) ločevale Belo krajino od sosednjih pokrajin, niso mogle zaustaviti družbenih, kulturnih in verskih tokov, ki so prihajali iz vseh smeri, tako da je v Beli krajini še danes čutiti poleg slovenskih tudi hrvaške vplive. Po drugi strani pa je bila Bela krajina vedno malce samosvoja in drugačna od preostale Kranjske. Poleg geografskih danosti je to nedvomno tudi posledica njenega zgodovinskega razvoja, predvsem njene srednjeveške samostojnosti v obliki grofije v Marki in Metliki. Tako se prav na primeru Bele krajine lepo kaže glavna značilnost zgodovine, ki pravi, da sedanjosti ne moremo razumeti brez dobrega poznavanja preteklosti.
V uredništvu Kronike smo veseli, da smo uspeli z novo tematsko številko odgrniti nekaj tančic z bogate belokranjske preteklosti. Novih enaindvajset prispevkov o tej tematiki je nedvomno velik in pomemben prispevek k celovitejšemu razumevanju pokrajine onstran Gorjancev, hkrati pa tudi spodbuda za njeno nadaljnje raziskovanje.
Miha Preinfalk odgovorni urednik Kronike
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Kronika and the rich history of White Carniola
White Carniola is not completely unknown to historiography. The province between the Gorjanci Hills and the Kolpa river was already subject to many researches in the past that shed light on its rich and often tumultuous history. Even in the recent years several interesting monographs have been brought to light revealing the fragments of White Carniolan past - from the monograph of Marjetka Balkovec Debevec, V Črnomlju od nekdaj bili so veseli, and Črnomaljski zbornik edited by Janez Weiss, to the monograph on the history of the wind bands of Metlika, Črnomelj and Semič by Jože Dular, and monographs on the White Carniolan railway of Karel Rustja, just to mention a few of the latest works.
Therefore, when the idea presented itself to do an issue on White Carniola the editorial board of Kronika approached it with scepticism as to the appropriateness of such a venture in view of the latest historiographical production. But our reservations turned out ungrounded. The response to our invitation for cooperation was overwhelming. Seventeen out of more than thirty collaborating authors submitted their articles, and some contributed even two. The history of White Carniola clearly continues to be of major interest to researchers, be it the medieval period or the Modern Era after World War II.
The mosaic of twenty-one contributions in the current issue of Kronika brings several new insights in the fields of castle architecture, ecclesiastical history, history of education, transport, ethnology,
demography, politics, and World War II. The latest contributions, too, demonstrate that White Carniola was from old part of broader developments that took place both to its north in Carniola, to which it formally belonged, and to its south in Croatia. Various borders that formerly (as well as today) separated White Carniola from neighbouring provinces could not dam social, cultural and religious flows that poured in from all directions, so that White Carniola still displays a blend of Slovenian and Croatian influences. On the other hand, the province has always been somewhat unique and quite different from the rest of Carniola. In addition to its geographical features, its particularity is most certainly a result of its historical development, especially its medieval autonomy in the form of the County in the Windic March and Metlika. The case of White Carniola therefore stands as the finest testament to the maxim of history, which says that one cannot understand the present without knowing the past.
It gives us great pleasure to see that the thematic issue at hand has succeeded in uncovering another few fragments of White Carniola's rich past. The twenty-one papers contained here unquestionably make an enormous and important contribution to an overall understanding of the province beyond the Gorjanci Hills, while at the same time providing a fresh incentive for further research.
Miha Preinfalk, managing editor of Kronika