A hayrack ( sl, kozolec) is a freestanding vertical drying rack found chiefly in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Hayracks are permanent structures, primarily made of wood, upon which fodder for animals is dried, although their use is not limited to drying hay. Other food stuffs such as field maize are dried on them as well. Although it is a practical structure, a hayrack is often artistically designed and handcrafted and is regarded by

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...

as a distinctive form of

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...

that marks Slovene identity.

Distribution

The hayrack can be found throughout Slovenia except in the

Prekmurje Prekmurje (; dialectically: ''Prèkmürsko'' or ''Prèkmüre''; hu, Muravidék) is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region of Slovenia, settled by Slovenes and a Hungarian minority, lying between the Mur R ...

region, eastern Styria and the Slovenian Littoral. Similar structures can also be found in

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and in the

East Tyrol East Tyrol, occasionally East Tirol (german: Osttirol), is an exclave of the Austrian state of Tyrol, separated from the main North Tyrol part by the short common border of Salzburg and Italian South Tyrol (''Südtirol'', it, Alto Adige). It i ...

region of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. In

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, it is called ' or '.

Names and typology

Slovenian names for the hayrack include ''kozolec'' and ''kazuc'' (colloquial, usually referring to a single straight-line hayrack), ''stog'' (commonly found in

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...

and especially in the area around Studor in the

Bohinj Bohinj (; german: Wochein), or the Bohinj Valley ( sl, Bohinjska dolina) or Bohinj Basin ( sl, Bohinjska kotlina), is a 20 km long and 5 km wide basin in the Julian Alps, in the Upper Carniola region of northwestern Slovenia. It is trav ...

region), and ''toplar''. Both ''kozolec'' and ''kozuc'' are probably diminutive forms of ''kozel'' 'goat', referring to a branching structure used for holding and drying hay or grain (cf. the similarly motivated German ''Sägebock'' and U.S. English ''

sawbuck In woodworking, a sawbuck is a structure for holding wood so that it may be cut into pieces. Easily made in the field from rough material, it consists of an "X" form at each end which are joined by cross bars below the intersections of the X's. ...

'').Snoj, Marko. 2003. ''Slovenski etimološki slovar''. Ljubljana: Modrijan. The word ''stog'' also refers to a haystack and is derived from Common Slavic ''stogъ'' 'stack, heap'. The word ''toplar'' (or ''doplar'') is borrowed from Austrian German ''Doppler'', referring to a double structure in general. Specific varieties of hayrack include: *Single straight-line hayrack (''enojni stegnjeni kozolec'') *Single straight-line hayrack with

catslide roof A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a woode ...

(''stegnjeni kozolec s plaščem'') *Double straight-line hayrack (''dvojni stegnjeni kozolec'') *Roofed double hayrack (''dvojni vezani kozolec'') *Roofed double hayrack with one strut (''dvojni vezani kozolec v eno drevo'') *Roofed double hayrack with two struts (''dvojni vezani kozolec v dve drevesi'', ''toplar'') *Roofed double hayrack with extension (''toplar z repom'') *Roofed double hayrack with shed (''kozolec s hišo'') *Split-level double hayrack (''kozolec na kozla'', ''kozolec na psa'') File:Hayrack full.jpg, Single straight-line hayrack File:Catslide hayrack - Sentjost.JPG, Single straight-line hayrack with

File:Praprece Slovenia - hayrack.jpg, Double straight-line hayrack File:KozolciStudor1.JPG, Roofed double hayracks File:Kozolec-BrdoPriKranju.jpg, Roofed double hayrack with two struts File:Šentrupert kozolci (17).JPG, Roofed double hayrack with extension File:Kozolec s hišo, Spodnja Štajerska.jpg, Roofed double hayrack with shed File:Rapljevo hayrack.JPG, Split-level double hayrack

Open-air museum

From 2010 until 2013, the Municipality of Šentrupert in southeastern Slovenia built the first ever

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

" Land of Hayracks" (slovene: ''Dežela kozolcev'') in the southern part of Šentrupert, its administrative centre. The collection includes 19 hay drying devices, which includes 17 hayracks, with the oldest from 1795, and presents all types of hayracks. The museum also serves as a venue for events. The main organiser of the project was Rupert Gole, the mayor of Šentrupert. Over 650 hayracks have been counted in the Mirna Valley, where the settlement lies. The largest of them and in the entire country is the Simončič Hayrack.

Gallery

File:Kozolec-Valvasor.jpg, A Valvasor copperplate engraving depicts filling a hayrack with hay Image:Kozuc.jpg, An abandoned single straight-line hayrack just outside Olševek in winter

References

External links