In Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where the seventeenth session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is taking place, the multinational nomination of the Lipizzaner Breeding Tradition has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Mednarodno pripravo nominacije Tradicije reje lipicancev za vpis na Unescov Reprezentativni seznam nesnovne kulturne dediščine človeštva je vodilo Ministrstvo za kulturo Republike v sodelovanju s predstavniki Kobilarne Lipica in Slovenskega etnografskega muzeja. Večletno zahtevno delo je na Ministrstvu za kulturo vodila Špela Spanžel, vršilka dolžnosti generalnega direktorja Direktorata za kulturno dediščino. Večnacionalni projekt ponazarja skupno evropsko dediščino in jo postavlja v kulturni kontekst. Povezuje osem držav pogodbenic Konvencije o varovanju nesnovne kulturne dediščine: Avstrijo, Bosno in Hercegovino, Hrvaško, Italijo, Madžarsko, Romunijo, Slovaško in Slovenijo. Države so se pod slovenskim vodstvom povezale, da bi predstavile kulturno raznolikost in prakse družbenih pomenov, povezanih z rejo dobro znane pasme konj.
The nomination process brought together representatives of state stud farms and private breeders, intangible heritage experts, researchers and local communities. The project was initiated by the national stud farms dedicated to the breeding and rearing of Lipizzaners and, since 2018, has been carried out exclusively in the cultural domain and under UNESCO rules, under the responsibility of the Ministries of Culture of the participating countries.
The inscription demonstrates the existence and importance of intangible heritage as a set of knowledge, practices and skills related to the breeding and rearing of Lipizzaners. It is historically rooted in the former Habsburg Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It is the centuries-old development of social practices and cultural expressions that are still part of rituals, celebrations and modern equestrian sport today. The primary purpose of horse breeding, based on carefully documented experience and knowledge of the evolution of the breed, is linked to classical dressage and equestrian sport, with which all participating countries identify. In some countries, it has also been extended to the daily life of village communities, where the Lipizzaner was a working horse. Horses are present at many events, festivities and celebrations and play a strong symbolic role. The growing role of Lipizzaners is linked to sustainable tourism and equine therapy. An important aspect of all these activities is the special relationship between man and horse, based on trust and in which the horse is recognized as an equal partner or even a member of the family.
Slovenia has so far had four items inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage: the Škofjeloški Pasijon, the Kurent Rides, Lace Knitting in Slovenia and the Skills, Knowledge and Techniques of Dry-Wall Construction as part of the multinational inscription. Midwifery is in the process of being enrolled as part of the German-led multinational nomination (the enrolment decision is expected in 2023), and Slovenia is also participating in the extension of the dry-wall construction enrolment to three new countries.
Source: https://www.gov.si/novice/2022-12-01-tradicije-reje-lipicancev-vpisane-na-unescov-seznam-nesnovne-kulturne-dediscine/
