The People Against Vladimir Habjan or We Won't Give Up Haubi!

The Planinski vestnik magazine has been delighting mountain lovers for 130 years, and in the same year, the Aljaž Tower was also erected on Triglav. Its first issue was published on February 8, 1895, as the newsletter of the Slovenian Mountaineering Association in Ljubljana, and the jubilee February issue was already the 1344th in a row. At its beginning at the end of the 19th century, the magazine was intended as a newsletter through which the Slovenian Mountaineering Association would inform its members about its mission during the time of German pressures on Slovenes, as aggressive Germanization with the construction of mountain huts and trails then sought to take possession of our mountains as well.



Over the decades of publication, Planinski vestnik has become part of the national wealth and cultural heritage and the most complete archive of Slovenian mountaineering. "Due to the extensive fire that incinerated the building of the Alpine Association of Slovenia in 1958, we were left without any archive from the time of the beginnings of organized mountaineering on our soil in the post-war years, and the magazine thus became practically the only mirror and the most complete archive of the activities of our ancestors, who enabled us to realize that Slovenes are rightfully counted among the Alpine nations. The Vestnik probably has greater significance for our nation than we realize. That it is our oldest magazine, which has been publishing for 130 years and has survived two wars - this has not happened with any other. We must be proud of it!" explains Dušan Škodič, a member of the editorial board, and reveals the recipe for the magazine's longevity: "The recipe is one and only: that Planinski vestnik has never been commercial. If it had been, it would have ceased long ago. Instead, it is tied primarily to its loyal subscribers; there are not a few who have been subscribers for decades or even inherit their attachment to the magazine."

Vladimir Habjan, only the eighth editor of Planinski vestnik in 130 years, reveals what his recipe is for 24 years of editing this magazine: "The recipe is full of strong spices. I admit that for such a long period, quite a few qualities, abilities, or virtues are needed. For example, perseverance, stubbornness, and thick skin. Certainly, the goal must prevail over the obstacles that arise on the way to that goal. Somehow I managed this, and neither the grumbles nor the mountains on that path succeeded in stopping me; on the contrary, they only spurred me on. But if we talk about the editorial board, a lot of what generally applies to groups was needed: one must collaborate, respect different opinions, seek the best solutions in dilemmas, and more. I think I succeeded in assigning each editor at least to the area of work that suits them best. And one must know how to praise and motivate. For now, the recipe works, but some pepper might still creep in ..."

"Hiking in the mountains, hill walking, mountaineering, or alpinism has had multiple meanings from the very beginning of organized activity - both elsewhere and with us. In today's time, we would say that popularization and communication are indispensable, and for many even the most important building block on the path to success. Therefore, the Alpine Association of Slovenia is extremely proud of the fact that the Slovenian Mountaineering Association began publishing - now we can say this - the oldest Slovenian magazine, which has been continuously published for 130 years since 1895, already in the second year after its establishment. Planinski vestnik is the herald of everything we understand under mountaineering and, in the broadest sense, shows the image of our organization and everything connected with it. Writing about, describing, painting, and photographing mountains, mountaineering experiences, or our activities is recording events and also a space for cultural engagement, which was and still is part of the mountaineering mission. We are simply happy that we can take Planinski vestnik in our hands or view it in digital format. It is interesting and valuable," outlines the meaning of the magazine by Martin Šolar, Vice President of the Alpine Association of Slovenia.

This year's jubilee is also an opportunity to shed more light on mountaineering print. According to Škodič, Planinski vestnik can be placed alongside the oldest mountaineering magazine in the world: "The Alpine Journal is the first publication about mountains, which the London mountaineering club The Alpine Club began publishing as early as 1863. The English have the oldest mountaineering club in the world, and if we had established the Slovenian Mountaineering Association then as the Germans did, we would lag behind the Alpine Journal by only a decade or so with our magazine. Planinski vestnik is confirmed as the oldest magazine in our country that is still publishing, and like the English one, our magazine is also non-commercial; in terms of the number of issues, we have long overtaken the English, as we are a monthly, while the Alpine Journal is published only once a year.

"The biggest step is that we are still publishing, that time has not run us over like many other magazines. The most noticeable change is the increase in format in 2010, with which we gained more opportunity for better shaping of the magazine. From a newsletter that mostly published unsolicited articles, we have become a magazine that plans its content and thus creates the editorial policy ourselves. The content is diverse and current enough that we still have a loyal base of subscribers. This year, the biggest challenge is the e-magazine, with which we hope to attract especially younger readers, of whom there are hardly any now," presents the achievements and challenges by the responsible editor Habjan and announces the events in the jubilee year: "We are preparing the theme of the month for the February issue, otherwise it will be more work-oriented. A court hearing also awaits me. I am accused of Planinski vestnik publishing too many and too few articles on alpinism, marksmen, cyclists, ski touring, local hills, foreign hills, fiction, history ... It may happen that this long-standing fairy tale ends soon.



What is it that keeps the Planinski vestnik magazine, the oldest magazine in Slovenia that is still publishing, alive for 130 years? Who are the people who devote a large part of their free time to working for the leading mountaineering publication in our space? Why do they persevere, some for decades? The trailer for the documentary film being made on the occasion of the high jubilee of the magazine's publication answers some questions and poses even more. The colorful magazine, rich in photographs, experiences, useful information, full of stories and interesting people, is being created right now and will continue to be created ... as long as we read it. This is announced by Mojca Volkar Trobevšek and Andrej Podbevšek, the authors of the documentary film, whose production is held by #Najs produkcija. The film, whose trailer you can watch at this link, will be on view presumably in the fall of 2025.

The editorial board of Planinski vestnik consists of Vladimir Habjan, Emil Pevec, Mateja Pate, Irena Mušič Habjan, Dušan Škodič, Marta Krejan Čokl, Zdenka Mihelič, Mire Steinbuch, and Tina Leskošek. "Planinski vestnik is a magazine that has left or is still leaving a very important trace in Slovenia. We Slovenes are a mountaineering nation and can identify with it. It is truly an important pillar of Slovenian identity," highlights in the film trailer among other things the long-time technical editor Emil Pevec, while board member Marta Krejan Čokl adds: "The Vestnik is the chronicler of mountaineering, alpinism with us; it is not only about hills but also a professional and educational magazine, and at the same time we take care of beautiful language.

Some curiosities about Planinski vestnik
In 130 years, 125 volumes of the magazine have been published.
The first issue of the magazine was published on February 8, which is our biggest cultural holiday. This was purely coincidental, as the first issue was supposed to come out already in January. The reason was the century-old record in the thickness of the snow cover, which in Ljubljana measured as much as 149 cm.
There were only eight chief editors throughout this time. The average editorship lasted 16 years. The most volumes were edited by Tine Orel (30), the fewest by Milan Cilenšek (1). The current editor Vladimir Habjan has edited 24 volumes. More volumes than Orel were edited only by Josip Tominšek (26).
During World War I, the magazine did not publish, but shortly after it, a transitional issue 1915-1919 was published.
During World War II, Planinski vestnik was published in a truncated form, but all years of the war.
All Planinski vestniks, stacked together, measure almost four and a half meters in height. This stack of magazines weighs 145 kilograms.
The Planinski vestnik that came out in March has the serial number 1345. Currently, eleven issues are published each year, but it was not always so. There were years with twelve issues, and in the post-war years, due to financial or technical difficulties, only a few issues per year were published, sometimes double or even triple editions.
All magazines together comprise about 63,000 pages.
Planinski vestnik is today our most complete mountaineering archive, as practically nothing remains from the beginnings of the Slovenian Mountaineering Association. When the premises of the Alpine Association of Slovenia on Likozarjeva Street burned down in 1958, more than 60 years of archive burned with them.
Even if you don't have all the physical copies of the magazine, you won't be deprived. The magazine is digitized. Without weight and height, it is easily accessible on the website planinskivestnik.com, and from this year it is also published as an e-magazine.
* The data were collected by editorial board members Dušan Škodič and Emil Pevec.