Foringe
Creak, squeak, and the smell of kolomast: a warm, witty account of harnesses, horses, and cows of Podravina — from wheel rims and tires to sideboards and sidewalls — told in the kajkavian voice that knows both technique and humor ("It hurts more to ride like a gentleman than to walk like a gentleman").
About the Book
In “Foringe” (Ludbreg, 2020), Stjepan Belović creates a small, richly illustrated guide-reader about draft wagons: how they are assembled, how they are harnessed (yoke, yoke beam, harness), what dangers exist, and how wagons are secured with chains, tension chains, and ropes. The author removes the romance from the rural picture in his introductory “Author’s Word”: work was hard, food was modest, and harnesses — everyday life. In the imprint, we also learn that the book was published by the Ludbreg Cultural Center “D. Novak” with a print run of 200 copies.
How It’s Organized
- About the Author and Author’s Word – autobiographical tone and small manifesto against idealizing the village.
- Wheel, Wagon, Transport – from Mesopotamia and Roman wagons from Poljanec to local foringe.
- Wagon Parts – hub, shaft, rim, tire, tread, rim, spokes, tires, rim; then floorboard, sideboards/sidewalls, seat, and basket.
- Cow and Horse Harness + Equipment – yoke, yoke beam, forehead strap/reins, harness with headstall, bit, and breastplate.
- Wagon Types – without sidewalls; with one sidewall (for manure); with sideboards; with sidewalls (for hay and sheaves); “wagon as wheelbarrow” (for bulk cargo).
- Final Word, Dictionary, and List of Pictures and Drawings.
What You’ll See (and Hear Creaking)
- Roman Wagons from Poljanec — sketch of archaeological reconstruction as a bridge to rural wagons (Fig. 1).
- Wheel Dissected to the Atom — tread, rim with hub, spokes, and tire (Fig. 2).
- “Exploded” Wagon View — where the seat sits, how shaft and swivel work (Fig. 3).
- Sideboard, Sidewall, Wheelbarrow, Floorboard — miniature catalog of sidewalls and inserts (Fig. 4–8).
- Brake Shoe — toothed brake block that protects on the uphill (Fig. 17).
- Harness on Horse — clear schematic of headstall, reins, and traces (Fig. 15).
- Five “Models” of Wagons at Work — from forest rides without sidewalls to foamy hay transport under sidewalls (Fig. 16, 18–21).
You’ll Get to Know…
- Commands for Animals: cows start with “ajde/hajde”, turn with “hok/ča”, horses with “đije/hojc”; “curik” means – back.
- Names from the Stable: Šeka, Perga, and Lisa among the cows; Belga, Rička, Šarga, Sokol among the horses — small catalog of local affection.
- Rural Engineering: how the shaft regulates length, how vupora and ročica hold the sidewalls, why the wagon is secured with tension chain-chains and draw chains.
- Phrases from the Road: “You are flutists from us…”, “Are you hungry, still for dinner?” — living speech economy among neighbors.
Perfect For
Lovers of rural technology and micro-history, teachers of Croatian and local studies, museum workers and model builders, as well as linguistically curious people who like that every foringa is simultaneously a small dictionary of the dialect of Sv. Đurđa. If you want children to see the difference between sidewalls and sideboards — this is the booklet you take to the field.