dr. Henrik Tuma (1858-1935)

The third, and maybe the most important man of the `1900'-times in our mountains, was dr. Henrik Tuma. He started visiting the mountains already in 1873 and he sistematically discovered and charted the Julian Alps, group after group, peak after peak, and he published the results of his findings in the Planinski vestnik, the magazine of the Alpine Society, starting with special issues of 1928 and 1930. He accomplished a vast and invaluable task that required the knowledge of philosophy, geography, geology. Again, he communicated intensively with the local guides, shepherds and hunters. He was a solo walker though, and only on a few of his trips was he accompanied by a guide. From 1881 to 1883 he also visited the Slazkammergut, Eastern Tirol, a part of Hungary and the Carpathian Mountains.
The mountains of Martuljek He also explored the sources of local names. Many pristine local names that were slowly due to be forgotten, were `rescued' by his research and revived. He started his work on the western border of Slovenia, where the risk of abandoning old folk's local names was the highest (because of the Italian influence). Numerous charts, maps and ridge schemes were also devised by him an published simultaneously with the linguistic studies. His 1:37500 map of Skrlatica and Triglav was a breakthrough in Slovenian Alpine charting (the photo shows the group of Skrlatica and Spik).

Being a scientist, dr. Tuma was also an alpinist. In his book, `Pomen in razvoj alpinizma' (The meaning and development of alpinism), he reports about his own ascents of the Mojstrovka north face in 1886, and the Jerebica north face, Loska stena western face, Rombon north face, Bavski pelc southern ridge, Veliko Spicje north face, Trentski pelc north face, Strugove spice northwestern face, Skrlatica north face, the window of Prisojnik, western slope of Jalovec, all mountain ridges in Rezija, all southern part of Kanin and Prestreljenik, and Bogatin and Crna prst ifrom 1909 to 1913.

Bohinjske mountains He also visited mountains in the winter. He was on Kanin and in the Bohinj mountains (see photo, showing the southern part of the Bohinj mountains). His first essay on these enterprises was omly published in 1905 though, describing Veliki vrh or Rombon. In 1908 he published a scientifical treatise about what alpinism was in his opinion, and in 1909 and 1910, he published the `Morphology and terminology for mountaineerers', a rather unusual book explaining the local names' etimology. He was also attracted by natural phenomena, especially avalanches, and he was an outstanding lecturer.
Pomen in razvoj alpinizma His fundamental work on alpinism, `Pomen in razvoj alpinizma' (see photo) was published in 1930 by the Tourist Club `Skala' and was dedicated `To our aspiring youth'. The book, a first-rated work of an intellectual and a real masterpiece even today, reviews the development of the European alpinism and mountaineering associations, elaborates upon the ingredients and basic ideas of alpinism and outlines the profiles of the great European and Slovenian alpine climbers. Dr. Tuma belongs to the most successful alpine climbers of his time, and was our representative in the UIAA for years.

(Adapted after T. Strojin's Outline of Alpine History.)

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