Architectural Heritage

The various types of vernacular architecture are based on people's experience. They are adapted to the natural conditions and locally available material is used for their construction.

The architectural appearance of the park is a result of settlement processes, economic activities and, due to the openness of the area, the influence of Alpine, Friulian and Mediterranean cultures.
On the Soča side of the park, two types of vernacular architecture have evolved as a result of the mixing of cultures: the Bovec-Trenta type and the Kobarid-Tolmin type.

Clinging against the slopes, the houses of the Kobarid-Tolmin type are characterised by merging of individual homestead units, gently-sloping roofs and corridors (ganki) lining the longer side of the facade.
Stables, cow-sheds and cheese dairies on beef cattle pastures of the Tolmin and Krn regions are built in stone. The roofs of these structures are steep, their front sides adorned with wooden gables. On the Krn pastures in particular, the sheds are strung out in long rows. They are characteristically positioned at right angles to the steep slopes with their rear walls leaning into the slope.
The Bovec-Trenta type of house follows a two-storey design with the living quarters built above the stable, with an outer staircase and an aisle protected by a large overhanging roof. The hipped gable end roof covered with wood shingles gives the house a massive look. Another typical feature of the Bovec house is a self-supporting chimney, which was not attached to the house.
Typical structures on the sheep pastures in the Bovec area are prestaje, mid-altitude homesteads used as transitional summer dwellings in the time when cattle were being moved to the mountain pastures.

The architecture of the Gorenjsko side of the park is determined by the use of wood. Two types of houses have evolved: the Bohinj house and the Upper Sava Valley house.

The typology of the Bohinj houses is that of an elongated building, a stone-built ground floor and a wooden first floor, a carved balcony and wooden gables, stone window and door frames, and wooden footbridges connecting the house with the barn and hayloft.
A special feature of the Bohinj architecture is toplarji – the typical Bohinj hayracks set in clusters or positioned individually along village edges and on hay meadows.
Pastoral settlements in this area typically consist of wooden cow-sheds, haylofts and huts clustered round a cheese-dairy. The buildings stand on wooden corner pillars called kobile (trestles). The charm of the group of buildings is underlined by the uniformity of wood, equal height of structures, similar roof gradient and manner of building.

The Upper Sava Valley houses are arranged in clusters and resemble the typology of the Bohinj house. The house is stone-built, one-storeyed, with an elevated attic. The layout is longitudinal in shape, divided into three main units. Normally, the houses in the Upper Sava Valley have no balconies (ganki). The roofs of these structures are steep, roof hips have open triangular endings. The houses have stone door and window frames, and facade decorations.
Unlike the structures in the Bohinj area, the homesteads in the Upper Sava Valley are characterised by a jutting roof above the entrance. Hay is dried on long single hayracks.

The Triglav National Park, along with other competent authorities, provides professional advice on the construction works in the park. (Spatial Interventions Department)