Page 150 - Koderman, Miha, and Vuk Tvrtko Opačić. Eds. 2020. Challenges of tourism development in protected areas of Croatia and Slovenia. Koper, Zagreb: University of Primorska Press, Croatian Geographical Society
P. 150
challenges of tourism development in protected areas of croatia and slovenia
connecting roads (Čeligoj, 2019a). These mountain huts were built by the
Italian Alpine Club (CAI—Club Alpino Italiano). In September of 1925,
the Rijeka section of the CAI built the largest mountain hut in the east
of the Kingdom of Italy in Sviščaki; the hut was named Rifugio Gabriele
d’Annunzio, 1242 m (Čeligoj, 2000a). Veliki Snežnik was becoming an ever
more popular day trip destination attracting numerous locals and other
visitors, and from that moment on Sviščaki became the central starting
point for ascending the peak.
In Ilirska Bistrica, the local branch of the Alpine Association of
Slovenia (established in 1907) was still active at the time, but Italian au-
thorities attempted to hinder its activities and pressured mountaineers to
join the Rijeka chapter of the CAI (Čeligoj, 2000b). In 1926, the mountain-
eering subsection of the Rijeka-based CAI was founded in Ilirska Bistrica,
which the locals, however, tended to ignore for the most part (Čeligoj,
2000a). The mountain hut in Sviščaki was not the first hut in the area
of Snežnik, and the ruins of the first hut are still visible at the time of
writing. It was built by the Littoral Branch of the Trieste German and
Austrian Alpine Club (Wraber, 2000) on the eastern side of Veliki Snežnik
in 1874. In 1914, mountaineers from Bistrica built the hut Vilharjeva koča
v Črnem dolu on the ruins of the old cottage a little west of Sviščaki, in
the frost pocket of Črni Dol; the hut was, however, forcibly confiscated by
Italian authorities in 1927 and handed over to the Rijeka chapter of the
CAI (Čeligoj, 2000b).
Some other mountain huts were constructed in the interwar period
in the area of Snežnik which no longer exist today, for example the shelter
Capanna Angheben and the mountain hut Rifugio Guido Rey on Klanska
Polica, which was organised and run like a hotel (Čeligoj, 2019a; 2019b). In
order to provide a supply of drinking water on a limestone karst plateau
without any available sources of surface water, reservoirs for drainage wa-
ter were also built, in addition to military and civilian outposts; there are
two such reservoirs in Sviščaki. Sviščaki, Klanska Polica (with three sup-
plied huts) and Črni Dol also turned into the “skiing centres” on Snežnik
Plateau over time (Čeligoj, 2019c); skiing competitions were organised there
occasionally in the past, including competitions in ski jumping (Čeligoj,
2019c; 2019d; 2019e). In this era, the majority of skiers were inhabitants of
Rijeka, who usually travelled to Ilirska Bistrica by train and then took lor-
ries to reach the outposts (Čeligoj, 2019c).
148
connecting roads (Čeligoj, 2019a). These mountain huts were built by the
Italian Alpine Club (CAI—Club Alpino Italiano). In September of 1925,
the Rijeka section of the CAI built the largest mountain hut in the east
of the Kingdom of Italy in Sviščaki; the hut was named Rifugio Gabriele
d’Annunzio, 1242 m (Čeligoj, 2000a). Veliki Snežnik was becoming an ever
more popular day trip destination attracting numerous locals and other
visitors, and from that moment on Sviščaki became the central starting
point for ascending the peak.
In Ilirska Bistrica, the local branch of the Alpine Association of
Slovenia (established in 1907) was still active at the time, but Italian au-
thorities attempted to hinder its activities and pressured mountaineers to
join the Rijeka chapter of the CAI (Čeligoj, 2000b). In 1926, the mountain-
eering subsection of the Rijeka-based CAI was founded in Ilirska Bistrica,
which the locals, however, tended to ignore for the most part (Čeligoj,
2000a). The mountain hut in Sviščaki was not the first hut in the area
of Snežnik, and the ruins of the first hut are still visible at the time of
writing. It was built by the Littoral Branch of the Trieste German and
Austrian Alpine Club (Wraber, 2000) on the eastern side of Veliki Snežnik
in 1874. In 1914, mountaineers from Bistrica built the hut Vilharjeva koča
v Črnem dolu on the ruins of the old cottage a little west of Sviščaki, in
the frost pocket of Črni Dol; the hut was, however, forcibly confiscated by
Italian authorities in 1927 and handed over to the Rijeka chapter of the
CAI (Čeligoj, 2000b).
Some other mountain huts were constructed in the interwar period
in the area of Snežnik which no longer exist today, for example the shelter
Capanna Angheben and the mountain hut Rifugio Guido Rey on Klanska
Polica, which was organised and run like a hotel (Čeligoj, 2019a; 2019b). In
order to provide a supply of drinking water on a limestone karst plateau
without any available sources of surface water, reservoirs for drainage wa-
ter were also built, in addition to military and civilian outposts; there are
two such reservoirs in Sviščaki. Sviščaki, Klanska Polica (with three sup-
plied huts) and Črni Dol also turned into the “skiing centres” on Snežnik
Plateau over time (Čeligoj, 2019c); skiing competitions were organised there
occasionally in the past, including competitions in ski jumping (Čeligoj,
2019c; 2019d; 2019e). In this era, the majority of skiers were inhabitants of
Rijeka, who usually travelled to Ilirska Bistrica by train and then took lor-
ries to reach the outposts (Čeligoj, 2019c).
148
