Klopotec

Although a local historian from Maribor claims that the device appeared in Haloze and in Zagorje already in the 16th century, nothing particular is known about its origin.

The device is also mentioned in the oldest Slovene social poem, Lamentation of a Winedresser, written in 1797 by Leopold Volkmer.

Archduke Johann of Austria (1782–1859), the youngest brother of the last Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, had it in his vineyard in 1836.

Still earlier than this, however, is the mention of the Klappermühle in German writings from at least the 16th century, which could signify either a true mill[clarification needed] intentionally designed to scare birds away especially from fruit trees, or a smaller windmill-like device similar to the klopotec.

[1] A klopotec consists of different parts, each of which should (ideally) be made of a specific type of wood to produce a fine and melodic sound.

The wood of hammers and of the board is especially important, as only the right combination enables that the device produces the ultrasound that scares the birds away.

The parts are: The largest construction of this type in a natural setting stands in the Sausal mountain range, near the summit of the Demmerkogel.