The book is dedicated to the figure of Johann Weichard von Valvasor (1641-1693), naturalist, ethnologist, cartographer and publisher; a polymath who represents one of the most complete examples of Homo universalis in Baroque Europe. His pioneering map-making work along with his discoveries in the fields of speleology and hydrology, notably his study of Karst phenomena at Lake Cerknica in Slovenia, earned him an appointment in 1687 as Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society. Also of great importance is Valvasor’s setting up of a large workshop to produce copper engravings, the first in the Duchy of Carniola, at his castle home of Wagensperg. In a few short years the castle became a major artistic and scientific centre in a country that at the end of the 16th century had become economically and culturally impoverished as a result of the bitter conflict between Reformation and Counter-Reformation, a conflict which was particularly violent in that region. Thanks to his extensive surveying work, his artistic engravings and above all his monumental 15-volume encyclopedic study of the Duchy of Carniola – a comprehensive and massively detailed work which was not only ahead of its time but remains to this day the most complete study of the region - Valvasor sealed his place in the cultural history, and the history tout court, of his country. With this present book, it is to be hoped that the important and fascinating figure of Johann Weichard von Valvasor will finally attain the recognition in German-speaking countries that his undying historical status deserves.
