¿010
Rodbini Kalister in Gorup
Slovenska zgodovina pozna le malo podjetnežev in bogatašev, ki bi jih brez zadržkov povezovala s slovenstvom v današnjem pomenu besede. Po eni strani sta bila nekoč podjetnost in bogastvo pridržana višjim slojem, ki bodisi niso izvirali iz slovenskega okolja in smo jim kar preradi prilepili oznako "tujcev" (npr. baron Žiga Zois) ali pa so se sprva slovenski podjetneži z bogatenjem in prehajanjem v višje plasti družbe oprijeli takrat prevladujoče nemške kulture in so hitro izgubili pravico do "slovenstva" (npr. rodbina Oblak, kasnejši baroni Wolkenspergi).
Pa vendar je prav iz vrst preprostega slovenskega kmečkega življa v 19. stoletju izšlo nekaj posameznikov, ki so se s svojo podjetnostjo prebili v sam vrh finančne elite v takratni habsburški monarhiji. Janez Nepomuk Kalister (1806-1864) kot začetnik pravljice o uspehu, ki je začel praktično iz nič, in njegova nečaka in dediča Franc Kalister (1839-1901) ter Josip Gorup (1834-1912), vsi trije po rodu iz male kraške vasice Slavine, so znali prepoznati in izkoristiti gospodarske in družbene potenciale svoje dobe in si s spretnimi finančnimi transakcijami in daljnovidnimi investicijami pridobiti veliko bogastvo - tako veliko, da jih še danes uvrščamo med najbogatejše Slovence vseh časov. Josip Gorup je na podlagi svojih zaslug in bogastva zase in za svojo številno potomstvo dobil celo eno najvišjih možnih priznanj nekdanje monarhije - plemiški stan s pre-dikatom "Slavinjski", ki je spomin na njegov rojstni kraj.
Vendar pa Kalistri in Gorupi svoje veličine niso kazali le s kopičenjem bogastva, temveč tudi in predvsem z njegovim razdajanjem. Zlasti velikodušno so podpirali domačo Slavino ter okoliške kraje v Pivški kotlini, njihova dobrodelnost pa je segla tudi širše. Kot meceni so omogočili ustvarjanje številnim, kasneje mednarodno uveljavljenim umetnikom, z gradbeniško dejavnostjo so spreminjali podobo mest, v katerih so živeli in delovali, torej Trsta, Reke in Ljubljane, podpirali so slovensko šolstvo, časopisje, bančništvo in številne slovenske ustanove in društva. Čeprav so živeli pretežno izven slovenskega ozemlja, je bila njihova podpora usmerjena predvsem v prebujajoče se slovensko narodno
gibanje. Vendar je ta podpora velikokrat presegla nacionalne okvire, zaradi česar jih lahko upravičeno štejemo med najpomembnejše osebnosti slovensko-hrvaško-italijanskega prostora nekdanje habsburške monarhije.
Kljub temu pa sta obe imeni, tako Kalister kot Gorup, počasi uhajali iz slovenskega kolektivnega spomina. Najprej so to usodo doživeli Kalistri, katerih delovanje je bilo večinoma usmerjeno v Trst, potem pa tudi Gorupi, čeprav je Josip Gorup v Ljubljano investiral toliko denarja, da je postal njen častni meščan in dobil še svojo ulico, ki je obstajala do preimenovanja leta 1982. Tej pozabi je v prvi vrsti botrovala spremenjena družbena mentaliteta Slovencev po drugi svetovni vojni, ki ni bila naklonjena podjetnežem in bogatašem Kalistrovega in Gorupovega kova, svoje pa je nedvomno prispevalo tudi dejstvo, da so tako Kalistrovi kot večina Go-rupovih potomcev ostali izven slovenskega oz. jugoslovanskega prostora, zaradi česar je bilo ohranjanje spomina na njihove znamenite prednike toliko težje oz. pozaba toliko lažja.
Zato je prav, da danes ponovno obudimo spomin na te velike može. Nekaj posameznih prispevkov, ki so osvetlili nekatere vidike življenja in delovanja Kalistrov in Gorupov, je bilo v zadnjem času že napisanih. Pred časom pa se je v Slavini kot kraju, kjer "se je vse začelo", porodila ideja, da se o znamenitih rojakih pripravi zbornik, ki bi jih predstavil bolj celovito in zaokroženo. Vendar je izid t. i. drugega Slavinskega zbornika preprečil splet okoliščin. Da pa delo priznanih strokovnjakov, ki so odkrili marsikaj novega o življenju in delovanju Kalistrov in Gorupov, ne bi bilo zaman, je objavo prispevkov prevzela Kronika in tako je nastala nova tematska številka z naslovom Rodbini Kalister in Gorup. Naj bo torej pričujoča številka Kronike poklon tem velikim možem, ki so znali uresničiti svoje sanje in vizije in so s sadovi svojega dela nesebično podpirali tudi prebujajoči se slovenski narod.
Miha Preinfalk odgovorni urednik Kronike
¿010
The Kalister and Gorup Families - introduction
There are only a few businessmen and men of wealth known to Slovenian history that might be unreservedly linked to Slovenehood in the modern sense of the word. Business and wealth were, as a rule, confined to members of higher classes who were not of Slovenian descent but all too eagerly referred to as "foreigners" (e.g. Baron Sigmund Zois) or to businessmen of Slovenian origin who, while gaining wealth and prestige, also started to embrace the prevailing German culture and thus soon lost their right to "Slovenehood" (e.g. the Oblak family, later Barons of Wolkensperg).
Nevertheless, a few enterprising individuals in the 19th century did come from simple Slovenian rural communities and make their way to the very top of the financial elite in the then Habsburg Monarchy. Janez Nepomuk Kalister (1806-1864), the first protagonist of the story of success built from nothing, as well as his nephews and heirs, Franc Kalister (1839-1901) and Josip Gorup (18341912), all coming from the small Karst village of Slavina, were able to recognise and take advantage of the economic and social potentials of their day, and accumulate such an immense fortune with skilful financial transactions and far-reaching investments that they are still regarded today as the wealthiest Slovenes of all times. On the basis of merits and wealth he had earned for himself and his numerous posterity, Josip Gorup was awarded one of the highest possible accolades in the former monarchy - noble status with the predicate "von Slavinjski" in memory of his birth place.
The Kalisters and Gorups did certainly not display their wealth only by amassing riches but also - and above all - by sharing it. Although they made particularly generous contributions to their birth village of Slavina and nearby settlements in the Pivka basin, their benevolent efforts reached much further. As patrons, they sponsored many artists who later achieved international prominence; their construction activities changed the image of cities in which they lived and worked, i.e. Trieste, Rijeka and Ljubljana; they supported Slovenian education system, newspapers, banks, as well as many Slovenian institutions and associations. Although they mostly lived outside the Slovenian territory, they importantly contributed to the emerging Slovenian
national movement. However, given that their contributions often transcended the national boundaries, they can rightly be included among the most important figures of the Slovenian-Croatian-Italian milieu in the former Habsburg Monarchy.
Nevertheless, both names, Kalister and Gorup, slowly drifted from Slovenian collective memory. The first to fall into oblivion were the Kalisters, whose activities were mostly concentrated on Trieste, and later the Gorups, despite the fact that Josip Gorup had invested such enormous funds in Ljubljana that he became its honourable citizen and obtained a street that bore his name until 1982. This obliviousness stemmed above all from the changed social mentality of the Slovenes after World War II, which was averse to prolific businessmen of Kalister and Gorup's sort, as well as the fact that the Kalisters and most Gorup's descendants remained outside the Slovenian and Yugoslav borders, making it all the more difficult to preserve the memory of their magnificent ancestors - or all the more easy to forget them.
Therefore, the only right thing to do is to rekindle the memory of these great men. A few contributions illuminating some aspects of the lives and work of the Kalisters and Gorups have already been written recently. Moreover, some time ago, an idea emerged in Slavina, the "place where it all began", to compile a collection of papers that would present the famous compatriots in a most comprehensive and complete manner as possible. Regrettably, circumstances prevented the publication of the so-called second Slavina collection of papers. To ensure that the work of the acknowledged scientists who have discovered many new details about the lives and work of the Kalister and Gorup families would not be in vain, the publication of papers was taken over by Kronika. Thus, a new thematic issue appeared, entitled The Kalister and Gorup families. May, therefore, the current issue of Kronika be a tribute to these great men, who were able to make their dreams and visions become reality and used the fruits of their labour selflessly to support the awakening Slovenian nation.
Miha Preinfalk, managing editor of Kronika