Word Karst means in all the world one thing. A land full of limestone and karst forms but without water. We know karst forms on surface and deep in underground. The real Karst (Sežana and Komen Karst) is spreading on area of 500 square cilometrs between Soča valley, Trieste bay, Vipava valley, hill Vremščica, Brkini and Slavnik mountains. It is the most nortwest part of Dinaric mountains.
On the area of Sežana-Komen Karst is turism developed in two branches. These are horse-breeding where dominates the world-known stud Lipica and visits of caves where are best known the Škocjan caves which are under the Unesco protection.
Ludvik`s Karst excursion encloses natural and cultural heritage of Sežana Karst. On 12 kilometrs long path can a visitor visit 14 points that represent Karst land and people.
BOUNDARY STONES
Karst platou was in the possession of several counts, families and countries in the past. There was a lot of borders and one still exists. The oldest known boundary stone is the one between the possession of the city of Trieste and the possession of counts Petač (Petazzi). You can still see the two coat of arms on each side. The firt boundary stone was put here in the year of 1630.
The cave of Malenca is an important archaeological point because here was found rests of humans, 5000 years old.
Another rare Karst form is a Karst window. It was made by constant weathering and corosion of limestone.
The Karst common is full of interesting surprises. We can meet a gigantic pice of rock that is several meters high and wide.
Stud in Lipica was foundated in the year 1580. In that time this area was under the Austrian monarchy and on every departure of Lipicaner to Wien they planted three lime-trees. This is how the Avenue in Lipica was made and the lime-trees are still growing.
In the past time, when there was no waterworks yet, people made at the beginning and at the end of a village collectors of water and named them "kal". They digged out a place for this collectors and filled the bottom with clay so the water could not sink in the underground. When the rain came the water filled the kal with water that they used for watering cattle.
Ice-house is a cave in which you can find ice or snow all year. On circumference of the ice-house near Lipica the villagers have created stone stairs which they used in winter to carry the ice in the cave. When they filled it they put on top a layer of leaves which prevented the melting of ice. In the summer they sold the ice in Trieste where innkeepers and fisheries needed it.
The beginnings of mining on Karst are nearly 200 years old. The proof of this are several mines on the area between Lipica and village Lokev. If you want to look inside the mine, you will need a ladder 4.5 m long and a good torch. There are several galleries beneath the surface and the length of them is 344 meters. The galleries are all horizontal.
There is a new querry southwest of Lipica. The Karst stone and stone-cutting are very important part of the Karst culture and identity. They used it everywhere. The quarry near Bazoviščina is still active.
Karst tables are very rare form on karst ground but very beautiful. They are made by weathering of less resistant rock. Because of the prevalent stone (limestone) which is very soluble there are only few tables. You need a less soluble rock and under it a more soluble rock which can not resist to weathering. The lower part is getting smaller and smaller when the upper part does change but just a little.
Not far away from now there was a lot of cattle-breeding on Karst. Grassy areas was not grown over like today and most of children spent their youth with cows and sheeps. Because they was out all day and never know when a storm could came they built stone huts near grasslands. They could also repair themselves from summer hot in it.
There are several signs that talk about shepherds` life but the most beautiful is cutted in a stone. This is a game named Tria. Near is also a date, 1909.
Powder magazine was med between 1930 and 1935. In Second World War they used it as a military magazine. It is 30 hectare large. Close to it is another big made of the nature; this is Golokratna cave , which is a young collapse doline..
Masive limestone has a lot of interesting forms like channels (žlebiči) and škraplja.
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