Slovenia’s crannogs

Slovenia’s crannogs at the Unesco’s World Heritage List

At its 35th meeting at the end of June, the World Heritage Committee unanimously put the serial nomination of Prehistoric crannogs around Alps on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Slovanian crannogs, too. Until this point, Slovenia only has one natural value on the list – Škocjanske jame.

At the invitation of Switzerland as the leading partner, Slovenia joined France, Germany, Austria, and Italy in the preparation of serial nominations of Prehistoric Crannogs around Alps for the Unesco’s World Heritage List. Prehistoric crannogs in the Ljubljansko barje moor are represented by two locations near Ig. With their complexity they depict all of the riches and the diversity of crannog heritage of the people who lived on crannogs in this part of the Alpine margin.

In Slovenia, Ljubljansko barje in the nearby vicinity of the capital city of Ljubljana is considered as a unique cultural landscape, which is protected as a Regional Park – the fact that it stretches just on the threshold of the capital, makes it particularly appealing.

Prehistoric crannogs around Alps include the selection of 111 out of total of 1,000 known archaeological crannog sites in six Alpine countries (Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia). The area where they stand includes the remains of prehistorc settlements of ancient people from the period ranging from 5000 to 500 years B.C., which were discovered under water, at the banks of lakes, along rivers or in swamps, which provided perfect conditions for the preservation of organic substances, such as wood, fabric, plant residues and skeletons. On the basis of such remains, crannogs present a clear and thorough image of the world of primary farmers of Europe, and also precise information on their everyday life, farming, cattle breeding, and technological findings.

Source: www.slovenia.info