64_3 KRONIKA
Od Radovljice in Kranjske Gore ... pa še malo naokrog
Pred nami je nova številka Kronike, ki je kot zadnja v letošnjem letu že tradicionalno tematska. Tokrat smo se podali na skrajni severozahod Slovenije, na Zgornjo Gorenjsko, območje, ki ga danes pokrivajo občine Radovljica, Bled, Bohinj, Žirovnica, Gorje, Kranjska Gora in Jesenice. Vendar se tako kakor v preteklosti tudi tokrat nismo ustavili na današnjih državnih mejah, ampak smo posegli preko - v Belo Peč, ki je bila do leta 1918 del Kranjske. Izkazalo se je, da je prav ta delček na današnji tromeji med Italijo, Slovenijo in Avstrijo izredno zanimiv raziskovalni izziv, saj gre za zelo slabo raziskano območje. Na podlagi nacionalne prizme, skozi katero se je še do nedavna pretežno raziskovalo zgodovino, so ga do sedaj nekako prezrli vsi: Slovenci in Avstrijci zato, ker ni del Slovenije oz. Avstrije, Italijani pa zato, ker ni del italijanskega zgodovinskega spomina in ker je bilo tamkajšnje prebivalstvo po večini nemško. A tudi tokrat se je pokazalo, da zgodovine ne moremo in smemo obravnavati po današnjih (nacionalnih) merilih - preteklosti in razvoja Gornjesavske doline npr. ne moremo razumeti, če v raziskovanje ne vključimo tudi Bele Peči.
Zgodovina nekaterih zgornjegorenjskih območij je relativno dobro poznana in raziskana. Predvsem to velja za turistični Bled ali zgodovinsko pomembno Radovljico, medtem ko se zdi, da so ostali kraji raziskovalno zapostavljeni. Kljub občasnim monografskim publikacijam ali sporadičnim izhajanjem lokalnih zbornikov še danes sorazmerno malo vemo o zgodovini Bohinja ali Kranjske Gore, Gorij, Mojstrane ali Rateč. Tudi Gornjesavska dolina s središčem na Jesenicah je svojo identiteto večinoma gradila na industrijski dediščini, ki temelji na delovanju fužin oziroma Kranjske industrijske družbe (KID), ustanovljene leta 1869, medtem ko je starejša zgodovina potisnjena v pozabo. O pomenu tehnike in delavskega gibanja na tem območju ne nazadnje priča tudi podatek, da so v sedemdesetih letih 20. stoletja prav v jeseniškem muzeju ustanovili oddelek za zgodovino delavskega gibanja Gorenjske z namenom, da organizira širšo akcijo zbiranja in popisovanja gradiva s tega območja na Gorenjskem. A Jesenice so veliko več kot zgolj industrijsko mesto; resda je bila tu močna tradicija fužinarstva, ki se je preko KID nadaljevala v povojno železarsko industrijo, vendar so imeli Jeseničani tudi živahno kulturno (zlasti gledališko) življenje, raznovrstne šege in ljudske običaje.
Da arhivi skrivajo še mnoge neodkrite zgodovin-
ske vire, kaže npr. članek Gorazda Starihe, ki razkriva, kako razburkano zgodovino sta imela sredi 19. stoletja Dovje in Mojstrana: burno dogajanje v zvezi s tamkajšnjimi gozdovi razgalja številne človeške slabosti, ki jih s sabo prinesejo privlačnost oblasti in korenite družbene spremembe - nekaj, kar je še kako aktualno tudi danes.
Med nemimi pričami zgodovine Zgornje Gorenjske so tudi gradovi in dvorci, med katerimi sta tudi že ves stoletij razvaljena gradova Waldenberg (Pusti grad) in Bela Peč. Tančico z njune skrivnostne preteklosti je odstrl Igor Sapač in pokazal, da so kupi kamenja nezanimivi samo na prvi pogled; v grajskih razvalinah se namreč skriva pestra srednjeveška zgodovina. Podobno velja tudi za »plavž sv. Heme« pri Nomenju, od katerega so do danes prav tako ostali le kupi kamenja, čeprav gre za precej mlajši, zgodnjeno-voveški fužinski obrat.
Ledino je zaoral tudi Boris Golec s predstavitvijo belopeškega graščaka Matevža Segalle. Sledil je njegovi presenetljivi poti od podložnika do plemiča in deželana, ki je bila v tistem času nekaj edinstvenega, a se je dolgo časa skrivala med zaprašeno zgodovino. Pomenljivo je dejstvo, da Segalle, ki je bil pravzaprav slovenskih korenin s priimkom Režen oz. Eržen, ne pozna večina dosedanje literature o gradovih in njihovih lastnikih.
Poleg omenjenih prispevkov prinaša Kronika o Zgornji Gorenjski še širok spekter drugih tematik, od najstarejših, povezanih s slovansko naselitvijo, do najnovejših, ki se tičejo vojne za osamosvojitev Slovenije. K sodelovanju so pristopili tako ugledni raziskovalci kakor tudi tisti, ki so šele na začetku raziskovalne poti. Ob tem je treba seveda poudariti, da so predstavljene le nekatere teme. Še veliko raziskovalnih izzivov ostaja kot pobuda za prihodnost.
Hkrati se Kronika o Zgornji Gorenjski navezuje tudi na obletnice na področju živahne muzejske dejavnosti. Prav letos (2016) namreč mineva 25 let od ustanovitve občinskega muzeja Jesenice in 65 let od ustanovitve Tehniškega muzeja Jesenice. Nedvomno bodo tudi muzeji in knjižnice v novi številki Kronike našli marsikaj novega in zanimivega, kar bodo lahko vključili v svoje občasne ali stalne zbirke. Bralci pa odkrili nekaj novih tančic z »repa« Slovenije.
Miha Preinfalk odgovorni urednik Kronike
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3 KRONIKA
64
2016
From Radovljica to Kranjska Gora ... and round about
Before us is the new, the year's last and what has now become a traditionally thematic issue of Kronika. This time we decided to explore the north-westernmost part of Slovenia, Zgornja Gorenjska—an area which today encompasses the municipalities of Radovljica, Bled, Bohinj, Žirovnica, Gorje, Kranjska Gora, and Jesenice. However, like in the past, we did not stop at the current state borders, but took our investigation further, to Bela Peč (Weissenfels, Fusine in Valromana), which formed part of Carniola until 1918. This under-researched corner on the current tri-state border between Italy, Slovenia and Austria turned out to be a highly interesting challenge. Given that, until recently, history was studied through the national prism, Bela Peč has in a way escaped the attention of all: Slovenes and Austrians for not being part of Slovenia and Austria, respectively, as well as Italians for not being part of Italian historical memory and because the local population was once predominantly German. It has been shown yet again that history cannot, and should not, be treated in accordance with the present (national) rules—the past and the development of the Upper Sava Valley, for instance, cannot be understood without also including Bela Peč in our research.
Whereas the history of some areas in Zgornja Gorenjska is relatively well known and studied, especially the tourist destination of Bled or the historically important town of Radovljica, other places have yet to become subject to serious historical research. Despite periodical monographic publications or sporadic editions of local miscellanies, little is still known to us about the history of Bohinj and Kranjska Gora, Gorje, Mojstrana or Rateče. The Upper Sava Valley, too, with its centre in Jesenice, has chiefly built its identity on industrial heritage, based on ironworks and the Carniolan Industrial Society, founded in 1869, while consigning earlier historical periods to oblivion. The importance of technology and the local workers' movement is, not least, also evident from the fact that in the 1970s the Jesenice Museum set up a Department for the History of the Gorenjska Workers' Movement with a view to organising a wider campaign of collecting and documenting materials from this part of Gorenjska. Jesenice is much more than an industrial city; even though it admittedly had a strong ironmaking tradition, which the Carniolan Industrial Society converted into post-war iron industry, the inhabitants ofJesenice also led a vibrant cultural (especially theatre) life, as well as observed a wide array of old customs and traditions.
That the archives still abound in undiscovered historical sources is illustrated, for instance, in the paper by Gorazd Stariha, which casts an insightful eye on the
turbulent times that Dovje and Mojstrana witnessed in the mid-19th century: the controversy surrounding the local forests lays bare many human flaws that are brought to light by the allure of power and radical social change—a human condition that is still all too familiar today.
Other silent witnesses of the history of Zgornja Gorenjska are castles and manors, including the centuries-old ruins of the Waldenberg (Pusti grad) Castle and the Bela Peč Castle. The veil over their mysterious past has been lifted by Igor Sapač, who has shown that the castle ruins, which at first glance appear a bare pile of stones, in fact hide a rich and colourful medieval history. Something similar holds for the "blast furnace of St. Hemma" in the village of Nomenj, which is now reduced to a heap of rubble as well, even though this ironmaking plant was of a much more recent, early modern origin.
New ground has also been broken by Boris Golec in his presentation of Matevž Segalla, owner of the seigneury of Bela Peč. Golec followed his astonishing journey from a serf to a nobleman and a member of the provincial estates—an unprecedented advancement in his days, which has long remained banished to the dust-covered rack of history. It is worthy to note that Segalla, a man of Slovenian descent, bearing the surname Režen or Eržen, has found no place in most of the existing literature on castles and their owners.
In addition to the aforementioned contributions, Kronika on Zgornja Gorenjska provides a broad spectrum of other themes, ranging from the Slavic settlement in the oldest periods to the Independence War in the most recent decades. The collaborating authors included both acknowledged researchers and those who are just beginning their research careers. The readers should also bear in mind that the current issue presents a very limited selection of themes, leaving many research challenges for the future.
Finally, Kronika on Zgornja Gorenjska also touches upon anniversaries in the field of vibrant museum activity. This year (2016) marks twenty-five years since the establishment of the Jesenice Museum and sixty-five years since the establishment of the Technical Museum ofJesenice. Museum and libraries will surely find something new and interesting in the new Kronika issue that they can add to their periodic or permanent collections. Just as the readers will surely be able to gain a new insight through the parted veils of Slovenia's "tail".
Miha Preinfalk Managing Editor of Kronika
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