Modern science started studying the Smlednik Castle over a century and a half ago. However, what might be even more important is the fact that more or less intense conservation works have been carried out at this location for over half a century. Regardless of this there is almost no expert literature on the castle to be found: short papers can be counted on the fingers of one hand, while monograph publications are sought in vain. The situation regarding contributions that promotes cultural heritage is somewhat better. The purpose of the book in front of you is thus clear: to present the history of the research and conservation efforts as well as the findings gained from the latest research in one book. This is the English translation of the original publication in Slovenian Grad Smlednik. Raziskave 2011-2012 published in 2013 as the second issue of the series Monografije CPA. The translation differs from the original in two ways. First, it omits the appendices. Secondly, a chapter on 3D scanning of the Smlednik Castle in 2007 including interactive 3D model is added. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Več kot stoletje in pol je minilo, odkar je moderna znanost pričela s preučevanjem gradu Smlednik, in kar je morda še pomembneje, že več kot pol stoletja potekajo na gradu bolj ali manj intenzivni konservatorski posegi. Kljub temu je bera znanstvene in strokovne literature o gradu izjemno skromna: krajše prispevke lahko preštejemo na prste ene roke, monografske objave pa iščemo zaman. Namen knjige, ki je pred vami, je torej jasen: predstaviti zgodovino raziskav in konservatorskih posegov ter izsledke najnovejših raziskav. Na tem mestu je objavljen angleški prevod izvirnika z naslovom Grad Smlednik. Raziskave 2011-2012, ki je izšel leta 2013 kot drugi zvezek zbirkeMonografije CPA. Prevod se od izvirnika razlikuje v dveh pogledih. Prvič, v prevodu ni prilog. Drugič, dodano je poglavje o trirazsežnem skeniranju gradu Smlednik, ki vključuje tudi interaktivni trirazsežni model.
Èe izraz »prazgodovina« uporabimo za èas in prostor, ki ga pisni viri ne »vidijo«, potem imamo ozemlja, ki so »prazgodovinska« tudi v èasu, ki sicer splošno velja za »zgodovino«. V tem pomenu še vedno obstajajo v Evropi v èasu zgodnjega srednjega veka obširna ozemlja, kjer stanje pisnih virov lahko opišemo kot prazgodovinsko. Še posebej velja to za ozemlja, ki so jih naseljevali Slovani. Mednje spada tudi današnja Slovenija, kjer leži Bled. Ta »stopi v zgodovino« šele leta 1004. Ali je ob tem notranji pogled v življenje za pisne vire nevidnih ljudi sploh mogoè? Res se ne moremo preprosto prestaviti v minuli èas, da bi si ogledali, kako je bilo. Lahko pa se postavimo v isti prostor (isti vsaj v koordinatnem smislu) in poišèemo vse preostanke nekdanjega življenja, ki so se zapisali v jezik, imena, ljudsko izroèilo, oblikovanje in urejanje prostora, razliène materialne ostanke, celo v mnogo mlajše pisne vire kot svojevrstni odmevi starejšega dogajanja. Najmanj, kar lahko z vsem tem dosežemo, je vloga pasivnega opazovalca. Zato skuša ta knjiga s souporabo razliènih vrst virov (pisnih, arheoloških, etnoloških, filoloških, historièno-geografskih) pokazati, da naloga, ujeti notranji pogled, morda ni povsem neuresnièljiva. Podoba zgodnjesrednjeveške blejske družbe, ki se na ta naèin oblikuje, je slika gospodarsko in upravno-politièno povezane celote. Ali so jo tedaj v resnici imenovali župa Bled, nam pisni viri sicer ne povedo, vsaj verjetno pa je. Srednjeveški pisci govorijo o Slovanih kot ljudeh pretežno enakega jezika, prava in obièajev. Kot osnovne politiène gradnike slovanskega sveta lahko predpostavljamo posamezne župe, ki so bile podobno strukturirane, s sorodnim jezikom, pravom, obièaji in rituali, kar je predpogoj za vtis celote, ki so ga imeli vsi, ki so Slovane opisovali. Morda je ustrezna matematièna prispodoba, ki enaèi župe z nekakimi fraktali, saj na ravni vsake župe najdemo tisto, kar lahko sicer opazujemo tudi na ravni grupacij posamiènih žup v veèje teritorialne skupine. V takem fraktalnem smislu je vsaka župa resnièni pars pro toto celote. Domišljati si, da s poznavanjem ene župe poznamo vse, je že samo zaradi razliènih geografskih okolij seveda hudo pretiravanje, gotovo pa ni preveè predrzna misel, da smo s tem vendarle pomembno napredovali tudi v razumevanju celote. _ _ _ _ _ Is the inside-view into the life of people invisible to the written records possible, then? One cannot simple transfer oneself into the past and observe. However, one can immerse in the same landscape and seek for the residuals of the past in language, place names, folklore, ordering of the landscape and various material remains, or even in younger written records in the form of the so called wirkungsgeschichte (record of younger consequence of an earlier phenomenon). The least one achieves is the role of the passive observer. It is the aim of this book to go even further and to demonstrate that the "inside" perspective is not unattainable; it can be achieved by using a combination of various sources: written sources, archaeology, ethnology, philology and historic geography. The image of early medieval society in the Bled micro-region thus forming reveals the community with tightly economic and political ties. Weather or not it was referred to as Župa Bled is not confirmed by the written sources but it is at least likely. Medieval authors refer to the Slavs as the people that are mostly speaking the same language and are following similar traditions and law. It would seem that the Slavs' society was based on a series of small territorial entities, known as župa. These had all a similar social structure, language, law, traditions and rituals – all of these were necessary in order for the Slavs to be perceived by the others – the medieval writers – as an entity. Using a mathematical metaphor the comparison with the fractals is perhaps in order. It explains the observed behaviour of the medieval Slavic society in which each individual župa behaves the same as larger territorial entity consisted of numerous župa's does. In this simile each župa is indeed a pars pro toto of the whole. To assume that by knowing Župa Bled we became familiar with the entire medieval Slavic society would be presumptuous solely on the grounds of environmental differences, not to dwell on numerous other variables. But it is not, we believe, stretching the truth to say that our knowledge of the whole has been significantly advanced.
Proceedings of a conference on a theme, the 34 essays by specialists from 15 countries prevent various facets of the struggles waged for the possession of the Holy Land between the 10th and 13th centuries, and of the activities of the military orders elsewhere in Europe.
This guide provides advice for independent travellers. It covers: visas and border crossings; where to stay and eat; historical towns, museums and castles; and outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, caving, sky-diving and mountaineering. A historical and political background is also included.
