In Vipava, the renovation of the central Main Square began at the beginning of the year. Geophysical research, test excavations and soundings have already indicated that they can expect archaeological finds. And indeed: they unearthed the remains of the castle stables and the Roman settlement.
Renovation work on the market is currently at a standstill due to the necessary preparation of new projects.
“As previous archaeological research has already indicated, the archaeological research carried out on the main square in Vipava discovered the well-preserved remains of the castle stables, we discovered the remains of walls, internal pavements in the building and courtyard pavements, drainage channels and wells. The remains found originate from several construction phases , which we associate with the renovation or renovation and building of the stable,” she explained Patricija Bratina from the Novogorod unit of the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia.
The discoveries were located just below the surface, especially in the central part of the open area directly in front of the Marjanca bar – on the floor plan the stables of the Counts of Lanthieri from the 17th century.
A stable for the emperorThe reason for the construction of Lanthieri Castle was most likely a visit by the emperor Leopold I., which was announced for the year 1660; that year, the emperor spent the night in Vipava on his way from Ljubljana to Gorica. Before the visit of the ruler, the Vienna Court usually sent special commissioners who took care of arranging additional rooms for the ruler’s entourage, and thus, at state expense, special stables were built in Vipava for as many as 240 horses of the military escort, especially for this occasion.
Remains of Roman buildings will remain in situThe remains of a Roman settlement were also discovered during the archaeological excavation. These are the remains of Roman structures dug into the geological bedrock.
“The discovered remains were documented for the needs of 3D presentation and visualization and are preserved in situ under the new paving,” said Patricija Bratina. The results of the investigations still need to be reviewed and evaluated.
However, the archaeological excavation has not yet been completed. Due to the passability of the main square, the renovation is taking place in several phases, which will also be followed by further archaeological research.
“Archaeological research is carried out in parallel with the construction works, namely in individual sections of the square, they are carried out alongside the construction works, and in the area of the planned buildings, they are carried out as a preparation for the construction works after the removal of asphalt and modern fillings. The completion of the works and research thus depends on the progress of the construction works ,” she also said.
The project will need to be adjustedThe main square in Vipava is currently under construction. In order to protect the archaeological remains, it will be necessary to raise the paving slightly, so it is necessary to prepare new project documentation, said the mayor of Vipava Anton Lavrenčič. The works will therefore be slightly delayed until the beginning of next year, and this will also make the investment itself a bit more expensive.
Source: Rtvslo
