Selected environmental history aspects of the Lipica stud farm from its foundation to the early 1630s

Abstract

Foundation of the princely stud farm altered environmental and economic conditions on extensive parts of Karst and its surroundings. Based on handwritings, preserved in the archives of court's treasury in Graz, the following issues are discussed: 1. numbers of livestock belonging to the stud farm and their changes, 2. territorial distribution of pastures for mares and foals, 3. measures to protect grazing livestock, 4. duration of grazing period that was changing due to ecological and societal factors, 5. establishment, cleaning and protection of artificial waterholes as well as further early modern ecological knowledge related to them, 6. management of meadows with oak trees and early modern records on ecological functions of trees in karst meadows, 7. environmental change influence on hay provision and data on early modern meadow management in the surroundings of Lipica, 8. stud farm oats supply.