Historical renovation of the old
path in Hanke's Channel in the Škocjan Caves
The project has been supported
by funds provided by the Škocjan Caves Park Public
Service Agency and the partner Berchtesgaden National
Park of the Free State of Bavaria, Germany.
Duration
of the project: May 2003 – still under way Project cost: around € 22,000
Objectives:
The renovation of an over 100-year-old fence
and small bridges on the path leading to Hanke's
Channel. We have renovated part of the trail
on which the fence was destroyed at some places
because of wear and tear. The reconstruction
of the fence with identical materials and techniques
as the original required the innovative approaches;
it is, thus, a true presentation of technical
heritage. It is usable and safe for those experts
who will visit this part of the cave. In total,
there are over 270 metres of renovated path
of all types (paths on flat surfaces, stairs,
viewpoint) and seven small bridges. The path
leading to Deževna jama (Rain Cave) has been
completely renovated. At places where the fence
is covered with flowstone deposits or is, due
to other reasons, in good condition, we have
endeavoured to preserve the original fence
to the greatest possible extent. The renovated
path represents an authentic version of the
original.
Work done during
the historical renovation of the old path leading
to Hanke's Channel from May 2003 in the Škocjan Caves.
The renovation was done in several stages with the
assistance of colleagues from the Berchtesgaden National
Park from Germany. The renovated part of the trail
is shown as a bold red line. The tourist path is
marked as the dotted blue line.
Project description: Hanke's Channel, named after the explorer of the
Škocjan Caves, Anton Hanke, is part of the underground
canyon of the Škocjan Caves where the Reka River,
squeezed between walls, works its way into the
mysterious underground.
Awareness of the significance
of natural phenomena as an essential part of
one's heritage can be gained
through appropriate education and the well-planned
presentation of key significant sites. The Park
carries great responsibility in this respect. In
the presentation
of outstanding sites, we rely on historical facts,
the rich local culture and the unique nature of
the Karst.
The narrow trail
chiselled through the steep walls about 20 metres
above the Reka River in Hanke’s Channel.
An overview of the history
of trail construction in the Škocjan Caves
Many local people from the nearby villages, especially
Škocjan and Matavun, actively participated in the
construction, exploration and discovery of the caves.
They were guides, escorts and workers. Among those
deserving special mention are: Jurij Cerkevnik -
G’mboč with his sons Toni and Jože, as well as the
famous Jožef Cerkvenik – V’ncek and Miklov France
Cerkvenik, who was the leader of workers and cave
guides after the First World War and after whom the
renovated bridge across Hanke's Channel is named.
With their relentless work, through which they supported
their large families, the local people chiselled
nearly 12,000 metres of trails in the caves; this
is twice the length of the Škocjan Caves system.
The work was manual, difficult and dangerous. Nowadays,
very few visitors walk along the steep trails, though
they are an awe-inspiring valuable monument of the
local inhabitants. It was these brave men who chiselled
all these climbing, and later tourist, trails with
their own hands, fitted them with wedges and protective
wire or fences and built wooden galleries and bridges,
thus putting their lives and health at stake.
Drilling of columns
for a small bridge.
Technical heritage
renovation
One of the frequently-mentioned trails, which is
also a technical heritage monument, is the one leading
into Hanke's Channel. In accordance with the Annual
Work Programme of the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service
Agency for 2003 and the opinion issued by the Škocjan
Caves Park Agency's Council, the Agency's Expert
Council, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia
for Nature Conservation – Nova Gorica Regional Unit
and the Karst Research Institute, which were harmonised,
we carried out a historical renovation of the initial
part of the trail with the assistance of our friends
and colleagues from the Bavarian Berchtesgaden National
Park in 2003. Since we strived to preserve the original
fence appearance, the renovation work was carried
out using the same
elements as those from the original fence – the
installation of the fence and small bridges along
the old trail
was hard and time-consuming work. The reconstruction
of the fence made with identical materials and
techniques as the original (some 100 years ago)
required the
innovative approaches, and is thus a true presentation
of technical heritage. It is usable and safe for
those experts who will visit this part of the cave.
In the renovation, we used suspension columns
with a diameter of 24 mm; of 120cm, 140cm and 180
cm in
height; with a horizontal crosspiece of 12 mm in
thickness, four metres in length and with a distortion
wedge on one side. Ordinary smooth iron with forged
holes, identical to the old columns, was used in
the historical renovation. We drew smooth iron
through the holes and prolonged it in the traditional
way
by bending the wire. Instead of the planned metal
base for bridges and following the recommendation
from the Agency's Council, we used oak and chestnut
boards (5 cm thick and 20 cm wide), the duration
and load-bearing capacity of which will be closely
monitored. The small bridges have been renovated
with additional wedges so that it will be possible
to visit Hanke's Channel after the planks are either
rotten or swept away by waters. The bridges are
constructed in such a way that it is possible to
cross the "bridge" across
wedges even where there are no planks.
The project
was continued in April 2004 when the initial sixty
metres of trail in the Murmuring Cave
before the entry of the Reka River into Hanke's
Channel were arranged. The renovation works were
carried
out with the assistance of colleagues from the
Berchtesgaden National Park and the Škocjan Caves
Park Public Agency
employees.
On 14 April 2004, the newly renovated
trails in the Škocjan Caves were inaugurated in
the presence of
the representatives of the Ministry of the Environment
and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia,
the Bavarian Ministry, the Berchtesgaden National
Park and the Škocjan Caves Park.
Evaluation of work
The colleagues from the Berchtesgaden National
Park in Germany as well as the employees of the
Škocjan Caves Park both carried out work in the
approximate amount of SIT 2.8 mil (EUR 11,670).
The evaluation has been carried out on the basis
of the necessary knowledge of the rope technique
or work at high altitudes and the difficulty
of work. The value of material used amounts to
approximately SIT 2.4 mil (EUR 10,000).
Chronology of the renovation of the
old path into the Hanke's Channel:
2003
In the first
phase (26–29 May 2003), the initial 57 metres
of the path were renovated, including two
small bridges (the first 5 metres long, the
second 3 metres).
2003
In the second
phase which consisted of several stages (10–14
November); (3, 9, 18 December); (30 March
to 7 April 2004), 138 metres of the path
were renovated; the path leading to Deževna
jama (Rain Cave) is completely renovated.
2004
The initial
60 metres of the path before the entry into
the Hanke's Channel.
2005
From 11 to
18 November: the result is the renovation
of five small bridges with fence in the Hanke's
Channel.
Prepared by: Tomaž
Zorman, Samo Šturm, Borut Peric, Borut Lozej, Crtomir
Pecar
