Road connections in the Karst from the end of the 17th to the mid-19th century

Abstract

The article provides a summary overview of road connections in the Karst from the end of the 17th to the mid-19th century. It describes difficulties encountered by freight transporters, drivers and travellers, with bora in the Gabrk area being undoubtedly the worst. Also worth mentioning were road bandits who controlled the area. Some scholars journeyed through or to the Karst to explore the karst phenomena. In the 18th century, the Karst was even on the list of educational trips for young noblemen and sons of wealthy bourgeois families. Road transportation faced different obstacles over decades, but a complete change in travel conditions came about with the construction of the railway line Vienna–Trieste.