The Packhorse transport in Carniola

Abstract

From the end of the Medieval Age up to the 18th century the packhorse-transport was quite popular in some parts of Carniola. The transporters periormed the general part of the trade, which was going on mostly with the coastland cities. They mainly exported corn and iron and imported salt (which predominated), as well as wine and oil. The farmer transporters did not only transport the goods, but also had a considerable share by the business making with the goods they transported, which goes especially for corn and salt. The transport and trade however, also meant an extra gain for the farmers, whose farms did not give them enough to survive. The intensity of the transport began to diminish, when the monopoly was established — the trade with salt was limited, the corn export from the country to the coastland cities declined. In the parts, where the roads were passable only for the packhorses, this transport was preserved until the beginning of the 19th century.