DID YOU KNOW. . .


… that auricula, which is an alpine plant, grows at the elevation below 100 meters in Brda? According to experts, it has been preserved in shady cliffs along the Idrija river as a remnant of the Ice Ages.

… that at least five caves exist in Brda, none of them open for tourists? There is one cave near Golo Brdo, two karst shafts are located near Senik and two can be found near Vrhovlje pri Kožbani. Although the caves are not large, fans of the underground world still find them interesting.

… that many villages derive their names from various species of oak: Dobrovo, Cerovo, Gradno, Cerje, and also the surname Gradnik?

… that in the Church of St. Andrew in Vrhovlje pri Kožbani an angel was depicted in 15th century, playing a dulcimer or a small cimbalom, a very popular instrument at that time and a precursor of the modern piano? The mural is among the most beautiful and best preserved in Slovenia.

… that the word rebula (an old, local type of white wine) originates from the Friulian word ribuela which has the same meaning? The word was initially used for a red type of wine since in vulgar Latin, rubeola means “ruby red”. Otherwise, rebula is regaining its reputation and popularity in recent years.

… that the name of Imenje (small village near Šmartno) originates from the language of Uskok contract soldiers who came to defend Austrian- Venetian border in the Middle Ages? According to some sources, they had their land, property there, which is exactly the meaning of the Croatian word “imanje”.

… that wooden chests that were used in Brda villages for keeping bridal trousseau were often inlaid? Apart from flowers and geometric ornaments, birds were among the most common motifs in 18th and 19th centuries.

WORDS OF THE...

žbatafúr (kitchen extension with a hearth)
gank, pajú (balcony, usually wooden)
gasa (narrow street)
cine (battlements (crenellations) on a church bell tower)
gartaráda (forged window lattice)
plac (square)
kamin (chimney)
bošk, boškič (forest, wood)
turn (tower)
rakác (black locust tree)
p’č (water well)
(they can differ from village to village)