Early Tourists at Škocjanske jame 18th Century to 1914

Udorni dolini ter ponori v Škocjanskih jamah so bili omenjani že v antiki in označeni na zemljevidih iz 16. stoletja, opisal jih je Valvasor (1689), obiskovali pa so jih tudi popotniki v 18. stoletju. Vzpodbudo je pomenila tudi pot, ki so jo 1823 speljali v Veliko dolino. Knjiga obiskovalcev, ki so jo uvedli 1819 je izgubljena, toda nekaj informacij o obiskih je mogoče dobiti iz drugih virov, vključno iz popotnih dnevnikov in Schmidlovih knjig okoli leta 1853. V Evopskih turističnih vodnikih je opaziti porast priljubljenosti jam. 1884 je Primorska sekcija Nemško-avstrijskega planinskega društva vzela jame v zakup in uredila vodeni turistični obisk. Isti vodniki so pomagali članom društva pri dolgotrajnih in težavnih raziskavah jam, vzporedno z njimi pa so stalno podaljševali turistično pot. V 1890-tih letih so v obisk vključili Dvorano planinskega društva in 1903 celo Martelovo dvorano. V prispevku so opisane tudi vstopnina in plačila za vodnike in razsvetljavo.After mention in Classical times and on 16th century maps, the dolines and sinks of Škocjanske jame were described by Valvasor (1689) and visited by travellers in the 18th century. Tourists were encouraged from 1823 when a path down Velika dolina was made. The visitors’ book started in 1819 is lost but information on some visits is available from other sources including travellers’ reports and Schmidl’s books of around 1853. European guide books mark the increasing popularity of the caves. In 1884 the Section Küstenland of the Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein leased the caves and arranged guided tours for visitors. These same guides assisted Club members in lengthy and difficult explorations, and the tourist route was constantly extended. In the 1890s it included the Alpenvereins Dom, and in 1903 even the Martel Dom. The system of charging visitors for entry, for guides and for lights is described.