Slovenia is a small Central European country covering an area of only 20.256 km² and with some 2 million inhabitants. It borders Austria, Croatia, Italy and Hungary.
Slovenia, with its relatively small surface displays so many different types of landscape and climate as hardly any other country. The Alps stretching with their ridges into Slovenia from the north and north-west descend into wine-growing hills at the edge of the Pannonian Plain in the east. Towards the south they lower into the wooded karstified Dinaric Mountains, which begin in Slovenia and parallelly to the Adriatic sea extend deep into the Balkan peninsula. And a small part of Slovenia territory reaches all the way to the Adriatic sea.
Slovene climate is just as varied as varied as is landscape. It covers all types of climate, from sub-Mediterranean, Alpine, Dinaric, to continental-Pannonian. Central Slovenia has a Central European climate.
The forests covering half of the Slovene territory, which is far above European average. There is a lot of red and roe deer. In the Kočevsko and Notranjska forests lynx and brown bear can still be found. In steep precipices in the Alps we meet ibex, mouflons and numerous flocks of chamois, while hunting grounds on the edge of the Pannonian basin are rich in small game and birds. Practically everywhere you can find boars, hares, pheasants, foxes and various other kinds of small game.
Text: SLOVENIA by Matjaž Chvatal, Založba Turistika
SLOVENIA in numbers
Triglav - 2864m
The highest peak in Slovenia is Triglav (2864m). The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene Nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav National Park, Slovenia’s only national park. Triglav was also the highest peak in Yugoslavia before Slovenia’s independence in 1991.
At the top of the mountain stands a small metal structure, the Aljaž Tower (Slovene: Aljažev stolp). The tower’s namesake was the priest, mountaineer and patriot Jakob Aljaž. In early 1895, he drew up, with a piece of chalk on the floor of his room in the parish of Dovje, plans for a cylindrical tower with a flag on its top. (Wikipedia)
The charms of the Lipica Stud Farm are hidden in the unseen, the stories written by the local history. Only when walking on the historical paths we can truly experience the greatness of the local equestrian tradition.
Lipica is the oldest European stud farm continuously breeding one of the oldest cultural horse breeds. As such it has a remarkable significance as a cultural, historical and natural heritage for Slovenia and Europe.
The Lipica Stud Farm
Postojna Cave & Castle
The Pivka river simply disappears into a hill in which is the Postojna cave. Here we can enter an almost 20 km long system of shafts, caves, natural wonders and eternal darkness.
In a hidden valley, in the middle of a 123 m high rocky cliff, is the never taken Predjama castle.
This most pictureque Slovene castle is connected with the legend of the rebelling baron Erazem Predjamski. Under the castle is an entrance into the mysterious underground world.
Touring the huge, spectacular subterranean chambers of the 6km-long Škocjan Caves is a must. This remarkable cave system was carved out by the Reka River, which enters a gorge below the village of Škocjan and eventually flows into the Dead Lake, a sump at the end of the cave where it disappears. It surfaces again as the Timavo River at Duino in Italy, 34km northwest, before emptying into the Gulf of Trieste. Dress warmly and wear good walking shoes. (Lonely Planet)
Škocjan Caves
Vintgar Gorge
One of the easiest and most satisfying half-day trips from Bled is to Vintgar Gorge, some 4km to the northwest of Bled village. The highlight is a 1600m wooden walkway through the gorge, built in 1893 and continually rebuilt since. It criss-crosses the swirling Radovna River four times over rapids, waterfalls and pools before reaching 16m-high Šum Waterfall. (Lonely Planet)
Perched atop a steep cliff more than 100m above the lake, Bled Castle is how most people imagine a medieval fortress to be, with towers, ramparts, moats and a terrace offering magnificent views. The castle houses a museum collection that traces the lake’s history from earliest times to the development of Bled as a resort in the 19th century. (Lonely Planet)
Bled Castle
Škofja Loka Castle & Museum
The town’s premier sight is this commanding castle, overlooking the settlement from a grassy hill west of Mestni trg. It dates from the 13th century and was extensively renovated after an earthquake in 1511. Today the castle houses the Loka Museum, which boasts an excellent ethnographic collection spread over two-dozen galleries on two floors. (Lonely Planet)
The much-photographed, pastel-toned Tartinijev Trg is a marble-paved square (oval-shaped, really) that was the inner harbour until it was filled in 1894. The statue of the nattily dressed gentleman in the centre is of native son, composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770).
To the east is the 1818 Church of St Peter. Across from the church is Tartini House, the composer’s birthplace. (Lonely Planet)
Tartini Square (Piran)
Triple Bridge (Ljubljana)
Running south from the square to the Old Town is the much celebrated Triple Bridge. Originally called Špital (Hospital) Bridge, when it was built as a single span in 1842 it was nothing spectacular, but between 1929 and 1932 superstar architect Jože Plečnik added the two pedestrian side bridges, furnished all three with stone balustrades and lamps and forced a name change. Stairways on each of the side bridges lead down to the poplar-lined terraces along the Ljubljanica River. (Lonely Planet)
World’s Oldest Vine
The heart of Maribor, Lent, is home to the oldest vine in the world. At more than 400 years old it’s the only plant boasting its own museum – the Old Vine House. Maribor hosts a number of events celebrating the old vine, such as the Pruning of the Old Vine, St. Martin’s Day, and the Old Vine Festival. Believe it or not, the Old Vine even has its own anthem, and the locals are only too keen to let you hear it.
Ptuj Castle
Ptuj is the oldest city in Slovenia. Perched above the city the mighty Ptuj Castle offers splendid views far and wide and hosts the Ptuj Ormož Regional Museum, whose permanent exhibition will take you on a journey through the millennia of the city’s history. Ptuj’s is not the only castle you can see in the region – there are many other historic castles worth a visit. (I Feel Slovenia)
When was the last you were able to see the landscapes of 4 different countries at once? The watchtower Vinarium Lendava, standing 53.3 meters tall, offers an incredible 360° view of the colorful landscape that stretches from the settlement of Lendavske gorice, where the tower proudly stands, all the way to the river basin of Mura, and encompasses a wonderful view of the plains and hills of Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Austria… (Vinarium – Lendava)
Vinarium (Lendava)
