Breginjski kot

Breginj is the western most larger settlement along the Slovenian-Italian border (the smaller settlement of Robidišče is the actual westernmost point). In May (6th and 11th) and September (15th) 1976, several severe earthquake shocks heavily damaged Breginj. Only the church of St. Nicholas with the parish house and two homesteads remained, which are now renovated and proclaimed a cultural monument. After the earthquake, a new settlement of 79 prefabricated houses and a joint stable were erected east of the old core, while many new houses were also built within the old village area.

Breginj evolved architecturally as a dense settlement on the bank of the Bela stream. In 1666, a large fire destroyed 24 houses and the church. This was caused by the industrial cannabis plant that the locals cultivated. Following this fire, the Breginians built all houses from stone and covered them with clay tiles (korci). The village began to acquire a recognizable Venetian character, giving it an urban appearance where houses in a semicircle connected the neighbors. The homesteads consisted of groups of buildings in rows, connected with stables and haystacks, featuring interesting sub-passages and corridors. At that time, two agricultural activities prevailed: barn livestock and modest polycultural farming. Homemade cheese, along with polenta and potatoes, was one of the most important nutritional and commercial items.

Oral tradition says that the original inhabitants of Breginj were nomads who grazed sheep. They lived in simple dwellings called kazoni, which were covered with beech foliage. Later, the houses were masonry-built and covered with straw. Historically, Breginj was first mentioned in 1084. Over the centuries, it changed rulers frequently: under Venice in the 15th century, Austria in 1521, Italy in 1805, back to Austria in 1813, and Italy again in 1915, until it finally became part of Yugoslavia after WWII. Prosperity was rare under any master; mostly poverty remained.

Before the earthquake, Breginj was declared a monument of the first category. The 1976 earthquake almost completely erased the old village. Only three houses remain as a memory of the pearl of Slovenian-Venetian architecture. The Breginj Museum, the only preserved fragment of the old village core—a complex of two-storey stone houses intertwined with wooden galleries (ganki)—is the only witness today to the former image of the village.

This complex of stone houses serves as a unique open-air museum. Here, visitors can admire the harmonious, rational, and environment-adapted construction of the Venetian-Slovenian architectural type and learn about the living culture of the former inhabitants.

In the landscaped gallery and multifunctional premises, there is a permanent exhibition of photographs of the former Breginj, taken by photographer Jaka Čop before the fateful earthquake. The old village had an oval floor plan with concentric streets called landrone. Stone houses with wooden exterior corridors, staircases, and balconies (linde) on wooden or stone pillars dominated the landscape. After the 1976 earthquake, Breginj was entirely rebuilt, but it carefully preserved its soul in the single remaining building string that now serves as the museum.

Sources: Breginjski kot (breginjski-kot.com), Tolmin Museum (tol-muzej.si), Register of Cultural Heritage (eŠD).