Page 346 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 346
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
“patriarchal” and “half urbanised” peasants. Such “half urbanisation” of
peasants in the second half of the 19th and in the 20th century was possible
due to the traffic and developed technical culture in the vicinity of cities,
industrial towns and bigger traffic routes, for instance around Ljubljana,
Maribor, Celje, in the regions with industrial plants, such as hop in Sav-
injska dolina, or in places where the traffic on larger distances developed,
as in the case of timber transport in Dravska dolina or in the upper Savs-
ka dolina. These type of peasants were in the minority and among them
there were also some richer peasants who were “notables mastering the vil-
lage or community” (vas ali sosesko obvladajoči veljaki). The “patriarchal”
peasants on the other hand would live in continuity with the pre-physio-
cratic past (in the areas of Dolenjska, Bela Krajina, behind Sotla, Haloze,
Podravje, Prekmurje and hilly Gorenjska, western basin of Kranj). The “ur-
banised” peasant would have the diet, clothing, dwelling conditions (house
with separate rooms, beds, better hygiene), and “spiritual” life (reading
newspapers) similar to urban people. He would consume coffee and beef
during workdays too, and have a pretty mixed diet, while the “patriarchal”
peasant would have a uniform and insufficient diet, with lack of milk, fat or
lard etc. The “half urbanised” peasant would raise his living conditions by
adding “urban” businesses, from crafts to commerce, to his farming activ-
ities (Baš 1984, 172‒3).
Among this large number of peasant activities I will lastly present the
case of ice-making in the Karst area, which was my object of study years
ago and recently, when preparing an interpretation itinerary. This econom-
ic activity was linked to the growth of the urban centre of Trieste and the
subsequent reinforcement of its economic hinterland which supplied goods
for the needs of the city. By everyday trading with diverse merchandise the
inhabitants of the Karst countryside were closely connected with Trieste
and as a result of these trading routes many inns emerged. In the second
half of the 19th century a great need for ice for conserving fish, meat, beer
and other quickly corruptible food triggered the preparation of ice for sale
in a massive way. Ice produced by Karst peasants was exported also to Ven-
ice and Koper, and was used also for the industrial production of beer in Se-
nožeče on the Karst itself. Ice stores were specific (mostly round) buildings
of dry stone wall which were dug in the soil for 2/3 and had only one small
opening, so as not to let the warmth inside. A prerequisite for ice mak-
ing was cold (< 0°C) rainy winters that filled the artificially made ponds
for harvesting the ice. A pond could give for 2 ice-stores of ice (or about
344
“patriarchal” and “half urbanised” peasants. Such “half urbanisation” of
peasants in the second half of the 19th and in the 20th century was possible
due to the traffic and developed technical culture in the vicinity of cities,
industrial towns and bigger traffic routes, for instance around Ljubljana,
Maribor, Celje, in the regions with industrial plants, such as hop in Sav-
injska dolina, or in places where the traffic on larger distances developed,
as in the case of timber transport in Dravska dolina or in the upper Savs-
ka dolina. These type of peasants were in the minority and among them
there were also some richer peasants who were “notables mastering the vil-
lage or community” (vas ali sosesko obvladajoči veljaki). The “patriarchal”
peasants on the other hand would live in continuity with the pre-physio-
cratic past (in the areas of Dolenjska, Bela Krajina, behind Sotla, Haloze,
Podravje, Prekmurje and hilly Gorenjska, western basin of Kranj). The “ur-
banised” peasant would have the diet, clothing, dwelling conditions (house
with separate rooms, beds, better hygiene), and “spiritual” life (reading
newspapers) similar to urban people. He would consume coffee and beef
during workdays too, and have a pretty mixed diet, while the “patriarchal”
peasant would have a uniform and insufficient diet, with lack of milk, fat or
lard etc. The “half urbanised” peasant would raise his living conditions by
adding “urban” businesses, from crafts to commerce, to his farming activ-
ities (Baš 1984, 172‒3).
Among this large number of peasant activities I will lastly present the
case of ice-making in the Karst area, which was my object of study years
ago and recently, when preparing an interpretation itinerary. This econom-
ic activity was linked to the growth of the urban centre of Trieste and the
subsequent reinforcement of its economic hinterland which supplied goods
for the needs of the city. By everyday trading with diverse merchandise the
inhabitants of the Karst countryside were closely connected with Trieste
and as a result of these trading routes many inns emerged. In the second
half of the 19th century a great need for ice for conserving fish, meat, beer
and other quickly corruptible food triggered the preparation of ice for sale
in a massive way. Ice produced by Karst peasants was exported also to Ven-
ice and Koper, and was used also for the industrial production of beer in Se-
nožeče on the Karst itself. Ice stores were specific (mostly round) buildings
of dry stone wall which were dug in the soil for 2/3 and had only one small
opening, so as not to let the warmth inside. A prerequisite for ice mak-
ing was cold (< 0°C) rainy winters that filled the artificially made ponds
for harvesting the ice. A pond could give for 2 ice-stores of ice (or about
344
