Page 25 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 25
interpretations of stone in the karst yesterday, today and tomorrow
there awoke in them nostalgic reminiscences of the past (childhood memories), longing for
»the good old days«, or enjoying their stay in a relatively unspoiled nature close to the sea,
in this »countryside idyll« (see Poljak Istenič, 2008, p. 357). On the other hand, the locals
saw the characteristics of the architectural style from the period before World War II, such
as small windows, dark rooms, and access to the upper floors from the outside, as non-func-
tional with regard to the modern lifestyle; besides, it reminded them of the time of poverty,
which the Karst struggled with up until the 1970s. The social structure of the newcomers
influenced the re-evaluation of the Karst architectural peculiarities, because in the begin-
ning, the newcomers were mostly people educated in the field of architecture. Eventually,
also the locals started to educate themselves. Nevertheless, until recently, the inhabitants
of the Karst, unlike the owners of other homes, still preferred to build new houses which
they equipped with typical Karst architectonic elements, such as large stone entrance gates
(kaluna or porton), wells, stone walls around the courtyard, stone consoles supporting the
balcony (ganjk), etc. They applied the same practice to the so-called prefabricated modular
Figure 3: Škrbina, stone portals of the Karst courtyards in front of new buildings construc-
ted in the 1990s (Photo: Jasna Fakin Bajec, 2004).
houses from the 1970s and the 1980s. These elements no longer performed a functional role
in the protection of residential or commercial buildings, like they used to in the past; in-
stead, their role today is more or less aesthetic or visual. Still, with their stone visual image,
these housing units express their local and territorial belonging to the Karst landscape. In
the contemporary world, stone is no longer considered a symbol of poverty, but an impor-
23
there awoke in them nostalgic reminiscences of the past (childhood memories), longing for
»the good old days«, or enjoying their stay in a relatively unspoiled nature close to the sea,
in this »countryside idyll« (see Poljak Istenič, 2008, p. 357). On the other hand, the locals
saw the characteristics of the architectural style from the period before World War II, such
as small windows, dark rooms, and access to the upper floors from the outside, as non-func-
tional with regard to the modern lifestyle; besides, it reminded them of the time of poverty,
which the Karst struggled with up until the 1970s. The social structure of the newcomers
influenced the re-evaluation of the Karst architectural peculiarities, because in the begin-
ning, the newcomers were mostly people educated in the field of architecture. Eventually,
also the locals started to educate themselves. Nevertheless, until recently, the inhabitants
of the Karst, unlike the owners of other homes, still preferred to build new houses which
they equipped with typical Karst architectonic elements, such as large stone entrance gates
(kaluna or porton), wells, stone walls around the courtyard, stone consoles supporting the
balcony (ganjk), etc. They applied the same practice to the so-called prefabricated modular
Figure 3: Škrbina, stone portals of the Karst courtyards in front of new buildings construc-
ted in the 1990s (Photo: Jasna Fakin Bajec, 2004).
houses from the 1970s and the 1980s. These elements no longer performed a functional role
in the protection of residential or commercial buildings, like they used to in the past; in-
stead, their role today is more or less aesthetic or visual. Still, with their stone visual image,
these housing units express their local and territorial belonging to the Karst landscape. In
the contemporary world, stone is no longer considered a symbol of poverty, but an impor-
23
