The First Researchers of the Slovene Mountains and the First Documented Climbs on Them

Abstract

The indigenous visitors to the Slovene moun- tains were entirely anonymous. Nobody knew about their climbing ventures and no written notes have been left behind. The first visitors of the Julian and the Kamnik – Savinja Alps were local shepherds, hunters, the seekers of ore, and herbalists, all of whom were familiar with their Alpine surroundings. Their experience of the mountainous world was certainly much richer and variegated than is mentioned in the scarce sources. Hunters and shepherds trod new paths and discovered new passages through high mountains already in the Middle ages. in addition to herding and searching for ore, poaching was by far the most important incentive for the discovery of new mountain trails. The first documented approaches were made by those who were closely associated with nature and the mountains, studied them, and recorded their discoveries on paper. These were mostly naturalists from the period of the Enlightenment in the 18th century. These pursuits were followed by an increasing number of people whose objectives were entirely different, whether it was systematic research, a desire to discover new places, or even tourism.