Architect and urban planner Maks Fabiani (1865–1962) was born in the village of Kobdilj in Karst region. In addition to architectural works in Slovenia and abroad, he characterized the village of Štanjel with his modernist approach. Štanjel is regarded as one of the most famous Karst settlements because of its rich history and Fabiani’s arrangements in the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in different elements of a village being connected to integral whole. Among other buildings he renovated the castle of Štanjel, the church of St. Danijel and Casa del Fascio. He also designed the Ferrari villa with its garden, which is considered one of the most important landscape works of the 20th century in Slovenia. The villa was created by merging older single-celled farmhouses, and in the garden Fabiani applied all the principles of modernist landscaping – he used elements from several artistic periods (Renaissance, Classicism, Secession) and connected them in an eclectic yet coherent whole. Among other elements, there is a grotto in the garden, a pavilion and a pergola. Fabiani adhered to the concept of integrating genius loci which means that he considered the spirit of the settlement and its tradition when working there.
|
