Foto: Nejc Kavka

Department of Geography

A brief history of the department

A brief history of the department

Geography in Slovenia became established as an academic discipline with the founding of the University of Ljubljana in 1919, with two chairs for physical geography and anthropogeography planned. Prior to that, Slovenian geography was mainly oriented towards promoting familiarity with the homeland and national awakening, and school geography was well developed. Artur Gavazzi was appointed the first full professor of geography. Gavazzi began his work in 1920, when the Institute of Geography, the predecessor of today's Department of Geography, was established within the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana. The first students and graduates of geography founded the Geographical Society of Slovenia in 1922, which grew into the central professional organization of Slovenian geographers and began publishing the Geographical Bulletin, the oldest Slovenian professional geographical journal, in 1925.

After Gavazzi left for Zagreb, Anton Melik was elected in his place in 1927. He and Svetozar Ilešič then created and developed the program of study and research orientation of Slovenian geography from 1933 to the end of the 1960s. Melik and Ilešič worked to advance both teaching and research in geography, and there was growing interest in studying geography. A seminar was established and intensive field exercises were introduced. Research activities emphasized investigations of the geomorphology, population and agricultural geography of Slovenian regions.

A document from 1927, which testifies to the appointment of Dr. Anton Melik to the position of assistant professor of geography at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.

The staffing situation improved after 1959, when Vladimir Klemenčič took on a third lecturer position, and several assistant positions were approved and filled.

In 1961, the Geographical Institute was renamed the Department of Geography, and additional staff were hired in the following years. The study of geography was organized around two subjects and at two levels. Graduates were employed in primary and secondary schools, and increasing numbers also found employment outside schools. In 1966, the Department of Geography also began offering postgraduate studies. Research activity expanded to new areas: karst geography; functionally based climatogeographic, hydrographic and biogeographical research; the study of natural disasters; the study of rural and urban areas in the wake of deagrarianization, urbanization, industrialization and tourism development; and the study of ethnically mixed areas. Due to the negative effects of industrialization and urbanization, topics in the area of ecological problems and environmental protection have also been given a lot of attention.

 

Personnel and professional development and the needs of the labor market have led to a thoroughgoing transformation of the study program. In addition to teacher training, a non-pedagogical field of study was established, which eventually grew into an independent area in the 1990s. Within it, five focuses were developed: karst geography, protection of the geographical environment, geography of tourism, political geography, and spatial planning. The study of geography became more popular, with about 100 students enrolling every year. The large number of students gave rise to a wealth of extracurricular activities such as the establishment of the Association of Young Geographers of Slovenia in 1998.

Due to the growing need for publishing activity, in 1985 the Department of Geography decided to start publishing its own research journal, Dela. To improve conditions for research and increase competitiveness, the Department established its own Research Center in 2002, and in 2009 began publishing the collection of research monographs GeograFF.

The study of geography at the University of Ljubljana underwent fundamental changes after 2005, when preparations began for the reorganization of studies according to the Bologna guidelines. The Department started with the first level of the Bologna program in the 2008/2009 academic year, and with the second in the 2011/2012 academic year. Four programs of study are accredited, two at the first and two at the second level, while at the third level geography as an academic discipline is included in the interdisciplinary doctoral study of Humanities and Social Sciences. With the changes that came into force with the 2021/2022 academic year, the first-level programs were merged into one program of study, which offers single-subject and double-subject options. The two second-level programs were also merged, and combined now offer seven areas of focus.

The Department of Geography promotes (the study of) geography and supports graduates in their efforts to enhance the role of geographers in various professional fields.

  • 2020 –   Simon Kušar
  • 2018 – 2020  Irma Potočnik Slavič
  • 2016 – 2018  Darko Ogrin
  • 2014 – 2016  Tatjana Resnik Planinc
  • 2012 – 2014  Blaž Repe
  • 2010 – 2012  Jernej Zupančič
  • 2008 – 2010  Tatjana Resnik Planinc
  • 2006 – 2008  Dejan Rebernik
  • 2004 – 2006  Marko Krevs
  • 2002 – 2004  Metka Špes
  • 2000 – 2002  Darko Ogrin
  • 1998 – 2000  Marijan M. Klemenčič
  • 1996 – 1998  Mirko Pak
  • 1993 – 1996  Anton Gosar
  • 1992 – 1993  Jurij Kunaver
  • 1989 – 1992  Andrej Černe
  • 1988 – 1989  Dušan Plut
  • 1986 – 1988  Matjaž Jeršič
  • 1985 – 1986  Vladimir Klemenčič
  • 1982 – 1985  Marijan M. Klemenčič
  • 1981 – 1982  Franc Lovrenčak
  • 1980 – 1981  Ivan Gams
  • 1979 – 1980  Mirko Pak
  • 1977 – 1979  Igor Vrišer
  • 1976 – 1977  Mirko Pak
  • 1973 – 1976  Darko Radinja
  • 1972 – 1973  Ivan Gams
  • 1970 – 1972  Jakob Medved
  • 1966 – 1970  Marjan Žagar
  • 1963 – 1966  Igor Vrišer
  • 1960 – 1963  Svetozar Ilešič
  • 1928 – 1960  Anton Melik
  • 1919 – 1928 Artur Gavazzi

Pedagoški delavci

Priimek

Ime

Čas zaposlitve

Bat

Marjan

1982 – 1991

Bec

Damijan

2014 – 2015

Benkovič Krašovec

Monika

2000 – 2006

Bohinec

Valter

1937 – 1942

Brečko Grubar

Valentina

1996 – 2007

Brinovec

Slavko

1979 – 1982

Bufon

Milan

1986 – 1993

Černe

Andrej

1977 – 2016

Gams

Ivan

1967 – 1989

Gavazzi

Artur

1920 – 1927

Gosar

Anton

1973 – 1991, 1992 – 2002

Hrvatin

Mauro

1992 – 1995

Ilešič

Svetozar

1933 – 1975

Jeršič

Matjaž

1982 – 1997

Jurinčič

Igor

1990 – 1993

Klemenčič

Matjaž

1997 – 1998

Klemenčič

Vladimir

1951 – 1996

Klemenčič

Marijan Mihael

1972 – 2011

Kokole

Vladimir

1955 – 1961

Kosten Zabret

Saša

2003 – 2008

Košak

Marija

1979 – 1981

Kunaver

Jurij

1961 – 1974, 1986 – 1999

Kunaver

Jelka

1960 – 1977

Kürbus

Terezija

1988 – 1991, 1992 – 1992

Leban

Vladimir

1962 – 1976

Lovrenčak

Franc

1966 – 2007

Malovrh

Vincenc

1946 – 1948

Medved

Jakob

1962 – 1978

Melik

Anton

1927 – 1965

Mrak

Irena

1998 – 2016

Natek

Milan

1961 – 1966

Natek

Karel

1999 – 2019

Nemec

Lea

2009 – 2009

Pak

Mirko

1962 – 2003

Pichler Milanović

Nataša

2004 – 2008

Plut

Dušan

1974 – 1977, 1978 – 1990, 1993 – 2015

Popit

Sabina

1996 – 2004

Radinja

Darko

1960 – 1996

Slavec

Andrejka

1989 – 1996

Špes

Metka

1997 – 2014

Umek

Maja

1984 – 1991

Vrišer

Igor

1960 – 1997

Vrtačnik Garbas

Katja

2003 – 2008

Zgonik

Mavricij

1956 – 1957

Žagar

Marjan

1960 – 1980

 

Nepedagoški delavci

Priimek

Ime

Čas zaposlitve

Abbad

Tončka

1971 – 2009

Dolgan Petrič

Mojca

1987 – 2000

Finžgar

Vilko

1930 – 1950

Herakovič

Andrej

2003 – 2009

Jakopič

Danica

1991 – 2016

Jerko

Žiga

2002 – 2002

Jontez

Saša

2016 – 2019

Koželj

Tanja

2010 – 2017

Leskovšek

Veronika

1992 – 1998

Luckmann

Wolf

1927 – 1930

Markelj

Pavel

1969 – 1990

Marolt

Miha

2009 – 2010

Petroša

Irena

1983 – 1997

Pretnar

Tatjana

1963 – 1991

Šifrer

Tatjana

1957 – 1989

Turk

Janja

1979 – 2012

Vatovec

Milan

1973 – 1983

Vojvoda

Ciril

1966 – 1991

Vrabič

Tina

2018 – 2020

Vukelj

Sokol

1965 – 1969

Žerovnik

Marko

1959 – 1966

 

Zunanji sodelavci

Priimek

Ime

Čas zaposlitve

Bajt

Aleksander

1966 – 1967

Bešter

Mara

1964 – 1968

Brenčič

Mihael

2006 – 2008

Buser

Stanko

1989 – 2003

Cvirn

Janez

1994 – 2002

Cunder

Karmen

1995 – 1996

Čerpes

Ilka

1993 – 1997

Čuček

Majda

1986 – 1987

Čuk

Miran

1970 – 1997

Foški

Mojca

2004 – 2009

Gorenc

Tomaž

2014 – 2017

Grigollo

Dejan

2019 – 2020

Habič

Peter

1997 – 1998

Herlec

Uroš

2014 – 2016

Hladnik

Veronika

2015 – 2017

Hussu

Alojz

1985 – 1987

Jakoš

Zorka

1992 – 2020

Klemenčič

Tone

1964 – 1965

Knap

Žiga

1983 – 1999

Kompare

Dušan

1961 – 1964

Kovač

Bogomir

1992 – 1993

Kranjc

Andrej

1998 – 2002

Lamovšek Zavodnik

Alma

2015 – 2018

Maretič Požarnik

Barica

1997 – 2002

Marovt

Stanko

1961 – 1962

Mihalič

Tanja

1998 – 2001

Mihevc

Andrej

2000 – 2020

Mikuž

Vasja

2006 – 2007

Novak

Vilko

1951 – 1959

Peklaj

Cirila

1997 – 2003

Petkovšek

Zdravko

1963 – 1997

Planina

Janez

1966 – 1968, 1991 – 1994

Skobe

Simona

2012 – 2013, 2014 – 2015

Stiplovšek

Miroslav

1994 – 1997

Šerko

Alfred

1948 – 1949

Šmuc

Andrej

2008 – 2013

Šušteršič

France

1988 – 2006

Telban

Blaž

1998 – 1999

Tepina

Marjan

1986 – 1987

Vadnal

Alojzij

1979 – 1981

Verbič

Tomaž

2006 – 2008

Voje

Ignacij

1964 – 1970

Vovk

Bogdan

1950 – 1960

Vrabec

Mirjam

2008 – 2009, 2012 – 2013

Vrhovec

Tomaž

1994 – 2004

Zrimec

Stane

1947 – 1950

Žabota

Barbara

2019 – 2020

Žabkar

Rahela

2009 – 2013, 2014 – 2015

 

Oddelek za geografijo je leta 1999 praznoval 100-letnico. Ob tej priložnosti so na Oddelku potekala številna strokovna in družabna srečanja, ki so jih povezovali trije cilji:

(1) povezati geografsko in širšo skupnost, ki ima bogate izkušnje, s tisto, ki se postopno oblikuje, to je s študenti;

(2) negovati in okrepiti intra- in interdisciplinarne povezave geografije;

(3) preko različnih dogodkov omogočiti geografiji, da na primerne načine predstavi tako ožji kot širši, slovenski in mednarodni skupnosti, kako geografija prispeva k bolj odgovornemu odnosu do vseh virov, s katerimi sodobna družba razpolaga.

Na povezavi si lahko ogledate utrinke iz prireditev, pa tudi predstavitve pomembnih del iz knjižnice, ki soustvarjajo geografsko identiteto zaposlenih na Oddelku za geografijo, pa tudi alumnom.

S praznovanjem okroglega jubileja je se strokovna, raziskovalna, pedagoška in promocijska prizadevanja niso končala, ampak gredo novi stoletnici naproti.

Naslovna fotografija: Nejc Kavka

Staff