THERE IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD BEHIND EVERY MOUNTAIN - THE SLOVENE KAJŽA OR THE PREHISTORICAL LOG CABIN?

Throughout history, the development of Slovene regions has been dictated by geomorphological, geological and climatic conditions affecting, in a long-lasting process and in close co-operation with the natural environment, the local architecture and the culture of the local material. The variegated nature of the Slovene regions can best be illustrated by rural architecture. Man has always shaped his dwellings with respect to geographical conditions, opting for local building materials and reflecting the specific local climatic and spatial conditions. When studying the small and diversified Slovene territory in the late 19th century, one cannot help but notice that there are no common denominators when it comes to rural architecture in the areas between the Gulf of Piran and the Pomurje.

In the Iron Age, Slovene houses consisted of either one or two rooms with an indoor hearth. Their two-fold structure included stony foundations, and a wooden construction made of logs or planks, completed with a clay filler or rendering coat. Kajža-like dwellings may be found in present-day Slovenia as well. Nowadays, kajžas must not be viewed as a direct developmental analogy, but rather as a logical connection between the construction of a humble dwelling and the natural building materials typical of a geographical area, for example stone, wood or clay, the choice of which reflected the climatic conditions in a particular area.