Slovenian municipality will reconstruct pre-historic pile dwellings

The original UNESCO-listed archaeological site has been reburied for protection

The prehistoric pile dwellings of Ig (Slovenia) were the first property inscribed on the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites cultural list in 2011. The local Municipality has initiated a project, which will see the reconstruction of the wooden stilt houses in a way that will make the neolithic village recover its former glory.

Although the archaeological site tells the story of the first agrarian societies in the Alpine regions, it remains hidden from the sight of tourists as it had been buried for protection. What the experts aim to do is recreate what the dwellings would have looked like standing on wooden piles over the marsh waters, a stone’s throw away from the original site.

There will be also an interpretation centre in town

The pile-dwelling settlement will be connected to the interpretation centre in the town of Ig. This one has already been built, and it will be equipped in a month or two. It will combine information about the life of pile-dwellers and the unique nature of the Ljubljana Marshes.

An artificial lake is also constructed to mimic the wetland region, where the water level varied necessitating the creation of houses on stilts. The site itself was first discovered in 1875 and represents the easternmost such example of a series of neolithic pile dwellings in the Alpine region of Europe.

The Ljubljana Marshes are notable for the discovery of the oldest wooden wheel with an axle in the world. It must have been made by a skilled craftsman some 5,200 years ago.

Pile-dwellers, who inhabited the swamps at that time, have left many puzzles behind, but after 150 years of research, enough is known today that experts can place replicas of their homes. "Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude what they did and how they did it. It can be seen that it was in harmony with nature, that they had to know nature very well," explained archaeologist Anton Velušček from the Slovenian Institute of Archeology, as quoted by RTV.

The recreation of the dwellings is not the first such example in Europe. Other examples can be seen in Southern Germany (seen in the picture) and Northern Italy.