For several years now six European Lipizzan stud farms have been preparing for their joint candidature for entering the Unesco list of non-material cultural heritage. Yet recently it became known that Austria had already sent its separate candidature. According to Boštjan Bizjak, the Lipica Stud Farm acting manager, Austria declared the Vienna riding school, and classical horse breeding and equestrianism, claiming that the Austrian stud farm in Piber is the original stud farm for the Lipizzan breed.

Piber Stud Farm unjustly »pushed out« Lipica
Novak was outraged by "the new international complications, and unwillingness and incompetence of the Slovenian government to tackle the structural problems of this important part of our cultural and natural heritage". In his opinion the Spanish riding School from Vienna no doubt deserves to get onto the Unesco list, but not the Piber Stud Farm, as it was established only after the First World War, after Austria had lost the cradle of the Lipizzan horses, which was the Lipica Stud Farm. The Lipica Stud Farm, was established already in 1580. Therefore historical rights to Unesco protection should go to Lipica, he emphasized.

Novak reminded that the Friends of Lipica Society 15 years ago proposed the Unesco protection as the best guarantee for future of the Lipizzan horses from Lipica, and the Slovenian representatives at Unesco had been researching that option already at the time Unesco gave its protection to Škocjanske jame caves.

A. J., MMC
Translated by G. K.