Page 31 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol. 3(2) (2015). Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press.
P. 31
ia universitatis-appointed through the lifelong extensive work or smaller-scale towns) with intense presence of
cultur al route of stonemasons and stones in the adr iatic ... 31 of Božidar Premrl, who published several pro- representative show-case buildings, rich and di-
fessional books and booklets, articles and pro- versified in the use of stone (building stone, clad-
fessionally made elaborates. Premrl has fol- ding, ornaments). From here, visitors are direct-
lowed the tracks of the stonemasons‘ families ed in different directions: one continuation leads
and their workshops in Kras/Carso and has the- to nearby quarries or points of extraction, anoth-
refore clearly shown that the paths have develo- er continuation orients visitors towards other
ped disregarding the then territorial borders, but show-case sites or other local sites, meaningfully
according to the natural assets and the well-off related to the quarry or its stonemasons. Among
commissioners. them, the “knots” are connected based on his-
toric connections: following the routes that itin-
The route is thus constituted of show-case erant stonemasons and craftsmen took or the
buildings, representing the architectural rich- routes along which the stones were transported,
ness as well as the geological diversity along the also further away.
Adriatic coast, but also of the links among the
different sites. These can be related by their ar- While the back-bone route can be the
tistic and architectural heritage values, the prac- thread-line for a tourist package, the “secondary
tical use of stone, as well as geological specific- routes” represent a varied offer of daily itinerar-
ities pointed out on selected show-case objects. ies. This way it meets the pursued and request-
Existing project’s research results clearly high- ed concept of alternative and diversified tourism.
light the common points (geological as well as The main road and its ramification, as well as the
architectonic stone elements) throughout the re- show cases that lie by the road or other high-
gion and thus evidence its border-crossing role – lights of the architectural heritage, will be pre-
so to argument why can we call it cultural route. sented in the map that will be distributed to the
The route has a comprehensive interdisciplinary tourist offices in the regions. (see Interpretation
character as it equally considers the cultural her- and presentation)
itage in its tangible (buildings) and intangible
(stone crafts) manifestations as well as the con- The definition of the main route in the
nected natural settings (all natural landscape, Adriatic area and especially its broad ramifica-
but especially quarries). The activity is distin- tion will highlight the common, well-beaten
ctively of transregional and transnational cha- paths that were in the past chosen by the skil-
racteristics, as the stone, of which were built se- led stonemasons in order to commit the valua-
veral monuments of architectural, artistic and ble commissions in the rich city centres or just
cultural values, is a common material that di- to follow the stone trade in order to find some
sregards the borders and could be exported fol- work.
lowing the commissions.
To sum up, we may here just point out the
As the path would follow trading paths, key points where our conceptual proposal m­ eets
paths of masons etc., it presents a ramified set- the official CoE‘s eligibility criteria for themes
up or hierarchy of connections (local, regional, (Capp, 2006):
trans-regional). A back-bone route leads in the
direction north-south from the Alps towards – The „Stonemasons‘ and stones‘ Cultural
the Ionian sea, along the Eastern Adriatic coast, Route“ is representative of European va-
while transversal “vertebra” is attached to it. This lues, primarily of peaceful cultural exchan-
is the trans-regional level. On regional and lo- ge, coexistance and respect of diversity, and
cal level, the route is structured around key-cen- is thus common to several countries in Eu-
tres, or “knots”, of application of stone crafts: rope, namely Southern and SE Europe.
the centres are in fact urban centres (major cities
– The theme has already been researched and
developed by groups of multidisciplinary
experts from different regions of Europe
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