Mitja Guštin, Neža Čebron Lipovec, Katarina Šmid, Sara Biolchi, Božidar Premrl, Andrej Preložnik, Filip Bubalo, Radoslav Dodig, Branko Orbanić, Fabiana Pieri, Silvije Pranjić, Aleksandra Torbica, Ivo Vojnović, Tea Zubin Ferri
It is rather self-evident that the entire project area exhibits a lot of similar characteristics, deriving from a common geographic and geologic background. In regions abundant in stone, this material prevails in all branches of architecture. On the Eastern Adriatic coast this is mostly limestone; only in some parts of Istria was sandstone the basic building stone owing to geological structures. However, for the more important buildings and details limestone was also used here. In the rest of the area other types of stone (e.g. travertine in N. Dalmatia, breccia on the island of Rab) were used for special decorative or structural purposes.
In all regions of the project area the use of limestone in its natural form is documented from prehistoric times on, when it was used in constructing dry walls and fortress ramparts. This feature is also partially connected to the clearing of plough land. During this process stone is removed from the field on collected in places unsuitable for agriculture or on border areas in the form of piles, which constitutes another feature of the landscape common to the entire area.
Platy limestone, with its flat, thin shape was also for the design and construction of grave cells
Platy limestone, with its flat, thin shape was also for the design and construction of grave cells. This tradition dates back to Eneolithic times, when such stone graves were built in tumuli (themselves composed from or covered with stones) for corpses laid out in the foetal position. During late prehistory and early Roman times, stone boxes were used for the deposit of incinerated burials still later, in Medieval times, platy stones were used to fashion coffins for traditional Christian burials. Still today we can find examples of all these types of grave architectures throughout the whole project area.
During Roman times the project area covered, for the first (and last) time, the same political unit – the Roman Empire. As a result, building techniques and consequently the use and extraction of limestone was quite uniform – quality sources were systematically explored, especially in the vicinity of important settlements and close to transport routes, mainly along the coast. Quarries with evidence of Roman use were found in the vicinity of Trieste, Pula, Zadar and Split (or, as their Roman predecessors, Tergeste, Pola, Iader, Salona).
With the decline of Roman civilization and technical knowledge, the use of local, easy available material began to gain in importance. Consequently, differences in use and architectural types developed, and that are still visible today. Still, some similarities are clearly recognizable, largely in the simplicity of forms. Common to the entire area is the single-cell house as basic architectural type, and the platy limestone roof. From this form practically all others developed. Along with being a readily available building material local commerce (different specialized objects), social development (structures, prosperity) and historical events (the border region between the Venetian and Habsburg or Venetian and Ottoman Empires, with frequent raids) all exerted their own particular influences.
However, some differences are apparent in building within the project area appear, in terms type of urbanization, type of sacral buildings (mosques, catholic churches), type of homestead, size of roof plates and similar.
New materials were used not only because they were cheaper, but because they were a symbol of progress
Socio-economic differences are also a major factor today, but in this instance not between regions but rather inside regions. From the late 19th century onwards, stone roofs come to be replaced by ceramic tiles, especially on residential buildings in more developed, more prosperous parts of the regions. New materials were used not only because they were cheaper, but because they were a symbol of progress. On the other hand, the abandoning of traditional agriculture, and economic migration from the hinterland towards the towns meant that entire settlements were abandoned. In such cases, the traditional architecture was destroyed out of neglect and lack of maintenance (see Supplement 3.II).
In recent decades the use of stone has again been gaining in importance. Many buildings are protected as monuments and understood as cultural heritage. Some of them have also been renovated. However, there are many obstacles, especially where more complex buildings, such as residential houses, are in question. The three biggest issues, present in much of the project area are: lack of skilled craftsmen, shortage of adequate material and complicated legislation related to the extraction of platy limestone and technical standards for contemporary buildings.
