Goriška Brda

Abstract

The author tried to frame in this article the economic problems of a
small, but tvpical region that has been developed on the transition from
the Central European climatic and cultural sphere into the Mediterranean
one. The Goriška Brda are a hilly region rising on the bordeir between
the alluvial Friulic plain and the Karstic plataau of Banjščice, from which
it is devided by the river Soča. The favourable climatic conditions, the
vicinity of the town's market, the railway lines, and the exchange of products with those of the settleiments of the plain, have directed the economy of the region into a typically commeircial courise. In the Middle Ages, and
even up to the 19 th century, a diversified economy prevailed, based on
subsistence farming. After the railway lines have been built the main
emphasis has been given to the production of wine and fruits. Other branches are considared only as co-mplcmen tarv since then. The whole economy has obtained the caracteir of the production for the market, somethmg that
in general does not exist in the rest of Slovenia .
Goriška Brda are situated in the corner formed by the river« Soča
and Idrijca. Towards the north they are protected by the limestone ridge
of Sabotin and Korada. Towards the south and suthwest they are slowly
merging in the Friulic plain. Petrographically they are built of the Eocene
Flysch deposits, with the prevailing marl, sandstoine, and clay with the
thin intermediate strata of limestone. The distribution of the deposits is
such, that we have towards the north the limestone prevailing more and
more, and towards the south the predominance on the sandstone and clay.
Tectonically the Brda are the constituent part of the Flysch zone developied
along southern margin of the Alps. The tributaries of Soča and Idrijca
have cut the sediments into a seiries of ridges and hills that are rising
towards the north and reaching an altitude of even 900m above sea level
In the south a marshy basin, called. Preval, spreads in an altitude of
50—60 m above sea level. The young and not resistant sediment, cut into steep hills, the rainfall
mostly in the form of showers, with the summer drought, the intensive
tilling of earth with the simultaneous ruin of the coveir of the original
vegetation, ali these cause a heavy soil erosion to take plače in the Brda.
Because of the fact that the Goriška Brda rise toward.s their interior,
there is a mild Mediterranean climate only in the lowest southern Brda
Its c ha rac ter is well illustrated by the data given by the meteorologioal
station of Gorica (the year average of temperature being 12,8° C, july
average 22,9° C, january average 2,9° C). Towards interior, in the Central,
and especially in the Upper Brda the influences of the Central European
climate are more pronounced espeoially strong and cold wind, the so called
"burja". In the rainfall (1594 mm in a year) the Mediterranean influence
canbe best seen the maximum being shifted into the months of October and
November. Very important are also the quick changes in temperature that
often have catastrophic consequences for the orchards and vina Great
summer heat with scarce rainfall is the cause of severe droughts in many
ti year. Very frequcnt are storms with hail.
The vegetation is completely in accordance with the climate. The
intensified cultivation has destroyed the former natural cover that compriised the elements of the Pontic, Illyrdc, and in the north the Baltic flora; nevertheleiss, the present cultivated p la n ts depend Iargely on the climatic
conditions too. The temperature has a very great influence eepecially on
the ecological conditions, on the blossomirig and on the ripening. The
dependance on the site and the retardation in the growth towards the
interior and the higher regions is well illustraited by the ripening of the
cherries, a tree that is spread ali over the Brida. Thiis retardation between
the Lower Brda and the highest farms amounts up to 29 daya. In connection
with the former cover of vegetation we have to mention here the present
forests, that have been limited by the intensive agriculture to the barren
slopes and those situated on the north side of the hills, especially in the
Upper Brda. Because of the incessant sale of the firewood into the villages
of the plain, these forests are now almost wholly cut down and of little value.
In the terms of climate, rock-composition and vegetation the whoIe
Brda can be devided into three zoneis. In the south the Lower Brda have
the most favourable conditions, with the motst fertile soil and the mildest
climate. The second zone comprises the Central Brda, where the climate
is less favourable and the soil erosion heavier. In the north are situated
the Upper Brda — a poor country with few fertile fields because of the
limestone basis, and many poor and neglected forests and meadows placed
among them. In the south forms the marshy lowland Prevala, which was
reclaimed in 1936, a separate vegetative unit Today it is only an important
economic complement of the hilly Brda, that has beein cut by the present
boundary between Jugoslavia and Italy from its natural hinterland.
Slovenes, who settled the Brda, were stopped in their colonization on
the former Langobardic Limes. During ali the history the ethnical structure
remained almost wholly unchanged. The Slov ene inhabitantis border here
on the Romance ethnic group of the Friulians, and live mixed with them
in three villages of this region. The contact between the Slovenes and
Italians exists only in Gorica, into which the imigrants have come from
ltaly. Ali the Brda are 100 % Slotvene, and the present border is ali the
more unjust since it is formed over the compact national territory of the
Slovenes. During the history Brda were a part of the Austria-Hungary,
with the Treaty of Rapallo they came under Italy in 1922. In the Pariš
Peace Treaty 194? they were cut: the large part compirising two-thirds
of the area came to Jugoslavia, and the smaller part under Italy. A very
important lact for the economic development has been the collapse of the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the forcible annexation of this region by
Italy: this was not only a seveire blow to one nationality, but it implied
the economic ruin also. The deliveirance, unfortunateilly not fall, from this
status was the liberation in 1947.
Parallel with the economic and political dependence has been the
increase and decrease of the number of the inhabitants. During the Austrian
period a continuous increase can be observed, at the same time as the
Italian occupation is characterised by the depopulation, of the area that
has taken plače in the whole Brda and had its center in the Central and
Upper Brda. After the war the industrialization of the PR of Slovenia
caused a new emigration of the rural population into the neighbouring
industries and towns.
The houses in Brda are a Mediterranean variant of Slovene homeis.
The compact villages have the same characteristics, too. There are, however,
among the older and larger rural villages and hamlets, several younger and
dispersed settlements and isolated farms that came into existence during
the last two centuries. The distribution of the land with its intricate social
problems, the kind of cultivation in "brajda" (a kind of small fields sourrounded with vine) and the oldnass of settlements make the land dismembered into very small strips. The economic development requires urgently
that these estates will undergo a commassation so that new healthy economic celiš could be created. One of the main reasons of the prevailing small-holdings and of the
dismemberment is the co I ona te. This system, in itself almost as bad as the
serfdom, hats been abolished after the war, its consequences, however, are
stili far from being wiped out. The syatem was based on the tenancy. The
colonus got the land and the house from the lord, owner of a vast estate.
In return he had to pay the rent and to deli ver part of the products,
during the Austrian times his whole vine produce, under the fascist Italy
a half of his entire produce. Similar were the deliveries in money and
the distribution of other incomes from the small-holdis. It has been found
by a census that in the Jugoslav part of Brda there were 21,9 % of the
families I i vin g and working in the status of coloni. Basides the pure t ype
of the colonate there existed various transitional forms, from the peasant
who was the real owner of a part of his small-hold, and he took only another
part of it on lease-down, to the daily worker, not-owner. (The Italian statistics estimate that there were about 40,7 % of families in such relations.)
The colonate has been developed out of the medieval serfdom, and this of
large estates up to the time when the agrarian reform has taken plače.
During the development of capitalism they were joined by landovners,
citizeinis from the neighbouring towns. The former as well as the latter vere
mostly of a foredgn, not — Slovene origin. In the Jugoslav part of Brda they
had in their hands 16,3 % of the whole surface, or even 27,4 % of the vinevards. The extremely small estates in Brda are the result of ali this. Witli
the exception of the expropriated owners of large estates in the Jugoslav
part of the Brda, and those stili existing in the Italian part, there are
almost no large farmis here. How small the minimum estate a peasant does
live on is, can be well illustrated by the fact that there is an average of
0,32 hectares of vineyard that come oon a private landowner in the Jugoslav
part of the Brda. The cooperatives represent a step forward. Some cooperatives have been successfully developed on the former vast estates, or in
other places ou the initiative of the peasants themselves. 25 % of the entire
surface of Brda is owned by the cooperatives nov, and 11 % by the state;
but in these there are 31 % of ali the vineyard<s owned by the cooperatives,
and 6 % belonging to the estates owned by the state. On the other hand
there are among the private peasants with less than l.ha 19,5%, landowneris, with 1—3 ha 36,7 %, and more than 5 ha 20 % (the lando\vners in
the Up.per Brda).
The exceedingly great dismemberment of the estates and the unsettledlness of the society are the main reasons that the economy here is still backward, in spite of the production for the market.
Similarly the lack of land and the overpopulation (the demsity: arithmetical 124, agrarian 158, physiological 187 inhabitants per one square km), makes it imipossible that a progressive agriculture could be introduced,
such as the rotation of crops, and the viticulture (25,7 % of the surface in
the Jugoslav part), followed by the fruit-growingk In order to obtain the
highest income the landowners concentrate on the viticulture and neglect
other branches of economy. The cattle-breeding is developed in the Brda
only as much as it is urgently necessary for the vineyards (the stable
manure). The surface covered with grass is limited to the less fertile soil
of the Upper Brda and of the marshy lowlands (30,5 % of the upper part).
The peasants buy the greater part of the hay from the peasants living in
the mounatinous north. The fruit-culture has not yet been developed into
the plantation system, except in the Lower Brda, the fruit-trees being
planted among other cultures. An interesting home industry, the peeling
of plums existed in Brda in the past few decades. The produce was sold
throughout Europe, up to Scandinavia and Great Britain. The insufficient
technical equipment and the bad wine-cellaris whe,re up to 36.000 hI of
produce have to be stored are the bad side of the economy in Brda. The newly established cooperatives try to remedy this. The rest of agriculture is of little importance, only maize has stili to be mantioned here.
The political changes of the 20th century gave heavy blows at the
inhabitants of the Brda. The large natural hinterland they had under
Austria into which they exported their produce, was considerably reduced
under Ita,ly, or it disappeared wholly. Furthermore, ali the rural production
in Italy was of a similar character, a fact that lead the inhabitants of Brda
into competition, a task for which they were unequal. As a result of this
the vineyards were gi ven up, the wheat was introduced, the number of
th^ livestock has been increased (for the market), and the forests were
largely cut down. The new border from 194? has given a new heavy blow
to the inhabitants of Brda, It has cut away one-third of the Brda and their
natural economic center —• Gorica. The absurd course of the new border
has left Brda with one traffic connection only and that with the worst one.
In spite of the fact that they got a new hinterland into which they can seli
without competition ali their produce, they were left, on the other side,
witiiont any real traffic connection and are because of the unfortunate
border completely cut off from the rest of the world.
For the future development of the Brda the solution of the border
problem is necessary, furthermore new traffic connection the mechanisation, the renovation of the vineyards and orchards, and the securing of a stable market with the simultaneous import of the means of subsistence
and of the fodder. In this way only Brda will be able to exploit fully their
favourable natural conditions.