Tag Archives: Dovzan Gorge

Visit Tržič – Jelendol and the Stegovnik Waterfall

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, hiking in Slovenia, ifeelsLOVEnia, Karavanke mountains, Slovenia blog, Tržič, Visit Tržić by

Jelendol is a small village located at the far end of the Dovžan gorge in Tržič. Although it takes a bit of an effort to reach the village, and even more so to reach the Stegovnik waterfall, you will be rewarded by seeing this unique village and impressive waterfall away from the madding crowd! It is also the start point for numerous hikes in the Karavanke mountains – with so much choice, it’s hard to know which way to turn!

It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for residents of the villages following the devastating floods of autumn 2018, which destroyed much of the gorge, the road, and caused significant damage to many of the houses closest to the river. At that time, the only way into or out of the gorge for the residents of Dolina and Jelendol was on foot to the start of the gorge from where they were picked up by minibus and taken to school, work, etc.

Now, the road through the valley has been repaired and numerous improvements have been made to the surrounding infrastructure too, so, provided you have a car, access is easy and, by combining a visit to Jelendol and the Stegovnik waterfall with a visit to the Dovžan gorge, which I blogged about recently, you can make a day of it. Read more here – https://adeleinslovenia.com/2020/06/24/visit-trzic-escape-the-heat-and-have-an-adventure-in-the-dovzan-gorge/

Jelendol is inextricably linked with Baron Karel Born (1876-1957), a politician and entrepreneur, who owned as much as a third of all the forest in Jelendol and the surroundings of Tržič.

Born set up an electric saw in Jelendol that used electricity from a domestic small hydroelectric plant. He built a plant to make staves for barrels, then in 1903 he built a 5.5km long railway line, and a main loading station in Medvodje. Horses were used to transport wood from Košuta and Stegovnik, and the wood was then transported by rail to the sawmill in the then Puterhof (renamed Jelendol in 1955). The line crossed the Tržiška Bistrica river several times, which required the construction of ten small wooden bridges. During the war, the sawmill and other buildings were razed to the ground twice by partisans, and the locomotive was even mined.

Nowadays there are still plenty of reminders of Born’s influence on the village; at the crossroads of the road towards Medvodje (to the right) and the road to the left (towards the fire station and onward on the forest road) there are information boards featuring information about Born and his contribution to the economic development of Jelendol (alas, only in Slovene)…

…while just a short walk leads to the Born family tomb, to where, in August 2008, Karel Born’s remains were transferred from the Vienna cemetery.

Having visited the tomb and had a wander round the village, you can continue your way by taking the right fork in the road towards Medvodje. Follow the dirt road for quite some time (I suggest by car or by bike – on foot would be a long slog!) until you reach a parking area near the ruins of a former barracks, where there is a sign to the waterfall. This is also the start point for hikes towards the mountain pastures beneath Košuta.

From here set off on foot for cca. 15 mins to reach the Stegovnik waterfall, which is formed from the Stegovnik brook.

Though the waterfall only drops around 15 metres, it is still quite impressive, and lovely and cool in the heat of the summer too!

During summer you can also visit Tržič every Friday on the Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus, which includes free guided tours of the Dovzan gorge and Tržič old town centre.

© Adele in Slovenia

Visit Tržič – Escape the Heat and Have an Adventure in the Dovžan Gorge!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Tržič, Visit Tržić by

Following devastating floods in autumn 2018, when the Tržiška Bistrica river flooded its banks following a heavy storm lasting several hours, during which much of the Dovžan gorge (Dovžanova soteska) was destroyed and the residents of its hamlets were left cut-off, extensive renovation work has now been completed and the gorge is now looking better than ever.

You can begin your visit at the new visitor centre, where you can park and pick up some information about the gorge and surrounding areas. The centre is open at weekends in fine weather from 10am to 6pm; outside of these hours information leaflets are available at the entrance.

From the parking area you can walk back along the road for a couple of hundred metres to reach the start of the trail beside the Tržiška Bistrica river. Follow this easy trail until you reach the start of the most fun, but at the same time also the most challenging, walk through the gorge – Bencetova pot (The Bence Trail).

Below I’ve described Bencetova pot, however, those that want a gentler experience can set off along the road, through the tunnel, then cross the wooden bridge a little further along the road to join the path, thus avoiding the ladders and rungs.

There’s no actual climbing involved, so provided you have good footwear it shouldn’t present too much of a problem for the majority of people, but you do need a head for heights!

First go up…

…and then down the wooden steps.

Next you reach a wooden bridge with an iron handrail…

…and then descend the iron rungs down to the river bed – this is the most hairy part but it’s only short!

Time for a few more iron rungs…

…then the ‘tough’ stuff is over and you can take a breather and chill out by the river!

The path continues through a natural arch…

…then leads towards the hamlet of Na Jamah (translation: At the Caves), known for its quartz conglomerate. It only amounts to a handful of houses, but is about as idyllic as its gets, well in summer anyway!

A little further along the road you reach the hamlet of Dolina, which is home to the Dovžan gorge gallery and the RIS Dolina Exhibition and Education Centre. The centre is open in fine weather from May to September on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11am – 6pm (11am – 5pm in October).

Return on the road back through Na Jamah then, in order to avoid retracing your steps up and down the iron ladders and rungs, on reaching a wooden bridge cross the bridge to emerge by a small parking area, where there are information boards about the Dovžan gorge in the late Paleozoic era.

Now just just need to continue on the pavement back to the tunnel.

After walking through the tunnel you can cross the swing bridge over the river and return back along the path to the start, or you could instead continue along the road back to the information centre, which is a shorter option, however, there is no pavement on this section.

So, as you can see, a visit to Tržič and the Dovžan gorge should definitely be on your list of places to go – whether you already live in Slovenia and have never been, or for those planning a trip to Slovenia in the near future!

© Adele in Slovenia

Summer 2019 in Radol’ca – So Much to See and Do!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, Bee Our Guest, Beekeeping in Slovenia, Begunje, Bled, Festivals in Slovenia, France Prešeren, Hop-on Hop-On Bus, ironworking, Jelovica, kamna gorica, Kropa, Mošnje, museums in Slovenia, Okusi Radol'ce, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Taste Radol'ca, Tourism Radol'ca, Tržič, Visit Radol'ca, Visit Tržić, Visit Žirovnica, Žirovnica by

Hooray, summer, my favourite time of the year, is here. And I’m lucky enough to get to spend it in my favourite place too – Radol’ca!

There are plenty of events, concerts and other events throughout this summer in Radol’ca, and, of course, no shortage of great places to hike, cycle, eat, relax, soak up the views and more!

So, here’s a run down of (just) some of the main events in Radol’ca this summer.

THURSDAY EVENINGS IN THE SQUARE

Live music and street food cooked up by Taste Radol’ca restaurants. The first concert kicks off at 8pm this Thursday 4th July, and thereafter for the following five Thursdays. Come on down to Linhart Square – the heart of Radovljica’s historic old town centre – to listen to music by: 4th July ‘Elevators‘; 11th July ‘Like the Rolling Stones‘; 18th July ‘Fadeouts‘; 25th July ‘Okustični‘, 1st August ‘Mrfy‘; 8th August ‘Maya Keuc/Amaya‘.

Thursday Evenings in the Square, photo: http://www.radolca.si

THE KROPA IRON FORGING FESTIVAL

This Saturday 6th July be sure to visit the village of Kropa to find out more about the cradle of Slovenia’s iron forging industry.

Kropa Iron Forging Museum

Kropa sits nestled into the far eastern edge of the Jelovica plateau and is crammed with interesting sights and preserved technical heritage and architecture.

There are demonstrations of hand forging of nails in the Vigenjc Vice Foundry, a small local craft market, old-time bikes, open days at the Iron Forging Museum and the Fovšaritnica Museum House, as well as at the headquarters of the company UKO Kropa, which specialises in all manner of wrought iron furnishings and fittings and is keeping the village’s iron-forging tradition alive.

MEETING OF THE TOWNS ALONG THE PATH OF VENUS AND MEDIEVAL MARKET

Sunday 28th July from 10am – 7pm: a medieval fair featuring dance and street shows and stalls laden with local crafts – ideal for buying gifts/souvenirs for friends and family (or treat yourself!) – which is also the opening event of the Radovljica Festival. It takes place in Linhart Square in the heart of Radovljica’s old town centre

Photo: Primož Černe

THE RADOVLJICA FESTIVAL

The popular festival of early music has been held in summer in Radovljica for 35 years. It boasts a diverse programme of classical concerts and workshops featuring musicians from far and wide. The festival takes place in the Radovljica Manor and St. Peter’s church.

The Radovljca Festival, Photo: http://www.radolca.si

Click here for the full festival programme.

AVSENIK FESTIVAL

A three-day festival of Slovenian national folk music at its ‘home’in Begunje na Gorenjskem – the birthplace of the Avsenik brothers – an unmissable event for lovers of this genre of music.

Slavko Avsenik (1929-2015), Photo: http://www.radolca.si

HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS

The tourist Hop-On Hop-Off bus runs throughout July and August. It’s a great way to discover the villages and countryside of the Radol’ca area. In addition to the ride, there are guided tours and walks as well as other attractions to see and visit at each destination.

Pay just once and you can ride all day! Tickets cost €8 for adults, and children under the age of 10 can ride free of charge.

On Tuesdays you can travel on the Charming Towns and Villages route, which runs between Bled, Radovljica and Kropa.

Radovljica’s old town centre, photo: http://www.radolca.si

On Wednesdays you can ride on the Bee Our Guest route, where you will visit Kralov med Beekeeping, the Anton Janša Memorial Apiary, the Lesce Beekeeping Centre and the Apicultural Museum in Radovljica.

Anton Janša’s apiary in Breznica

Thursday’s route is Tales from the Countryside, which includes visits to France Prešeren’s birth house in Vrba, Begunje na Gorenjskem, Mošnje, Brezje and Radovljica.

Vrba, home to a monument to, and birth house of, France Prešeren

And on Friday’s you can journey along the Panoramic Road to Tržič, which includes a visit to Kamen Castle, Tržič and the Dovžan Gorge.

The old town centre of Tržič

So, as you can see, there’s plenty going on, and these are only the main events, there are numerous others too. And I haven’t even space to write about all the fab hiking and cycling trails, restaurants, and other cultural and natural attractions to visit. Oh well, you can always read back over the hundreds of blog posts I have written extolling the virtues of Radol’ca in the past, and/or continue to follow my blog to read about more adventures in the future!

© Adele in Slovenia

 

 

 

 

Visit Tržič: MINFOS and the St. Anne Mine

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, ifeelsLOVEnia, Karavanke mountains, museums in Slovenia, Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Tržič, Visit Žirovnica by

The Tržič area is known to be one of the most fascinating areas of Slovenia in geological terms.

MINFOS is an annual 2-day exhibition of minerals and fossils, which, together with the Dolina Exhibition and Education Centre* and some fascinating geological trails, showcases the area’s rich geological treasures. The exhibition is held in the Tržič Olympians Arena (the red-roofed building just out of sight to the left of building in the foreground below) in the heart of the picturesque old town.

The event unites visitors and exhibitors from far and wide, from those with a specific interest in minerals and fossils wanting to enrich their knowledge by viewing specialised exhibits, talking to experts, and/or attending creative and educational workshops, to those who just want to take a look and/or maybe treat themselves or their loved ones to some new jewellery or other gifts.

There is a fascinating array of exhibits of almost every shape, colour and size imaginable…

…and you wouldn’t believe how heavy some of them are, despite the relatively small size!

Although this year’s MINFOS took place last weekend – hence its too late to visit this year – you can instead visit the Dolina Exhibition and Education Centre in the hamlet of Dolina located along the valley of the Dovžan gorge** (Dovžanova soteska), just over 3 kilometres northeast of Tržič.

At the centre you can find out more about the picturesque valley that was carved out by the Tržič Bistrica river which laid bare the most complete sequence of rocks from the younger Paleozoic period, ranging in age from 300 to 260 million years.

As part of MINFOS, visitors are offered guided tours of the Dovžan gorge and the St. Anne mine (Šentanski rudnik) I chose to visit the latter. Guided tours can also be arranged at other times via the Tržič Tourist Information Centre.

Whilst in the past Idrija was the hub of Slovenia’s mercury mining industry, a number of miners from Idrija also came to work at the mine at Podljubelj. Regular production of cinnabar began at the mine in 1975 but ceased just a quarter of a century later in 1902 due to the low amount of mercury in the ore. A total of about 110,000 tonnes of ore and almost 300 tonnes of mercury were obtained from the mine.

Our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Luka, enlightened us about the history of the mine. At the end of the 19th century, 75 miners worked at the mine, of which 24 were women. But I won’t divulge all the details and spoil the surprise, instead why not take a tour and see it for yourself!

The tour begins by passing the entrance to the 450 metre-long Avgust mine, which served as a service route.

The Friderik mine was the main export tunnel for tailings.

The Anton mine, which was the most rich in ore and was thus also the most mined, is the only part that is open for visitors on the tour. Before entering we donned hard hats and were given torches, then we were off…into the unknown!

Luka told us many more fascinating facts, demonstrated the depth of the deepest shaft – approx. 35 metres, and pointed out the traces of cinnabar that can still be seen on the walls of the mine as well as beneath foot.

It is a bit nippy in there, so be sure to wrap up well – regardless of the weather outdoors – but it’s certainly worth it for a glimpse into part of Tržič’s history.

© Adele in Slovenia

* In fine weather the Dolina Exhibition and Education Centre is open from May until the end of October at weekends and on public holidays from 11am to 6pm, and at other times by prior arrangement.

** Due to extensive flooding in April this year, part of the path through the Dovžan gorge is closed, but rest assured, once it is open again I will be blogging about that too!

Hop-On Hop-On 2018 is Here – This Year Even Bigger and Better!

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, adeleinslovenia, Avsenik, Bee Our Guest, Beekeeping, Beekeeping in Slovenia, Begunje, Castles in Slovenia, France Prešeren, golf in Slovenia, Hop-on Hop-On Bus, ifeelsLOVEnia, ironworking, Kropa, Mošnje, museums in Slovenia, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Slovenian honey, Tourism Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca, Visit Žirovnica, Žirovnica by

The Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus made its first journey(s) of the season this week and this year there’s even more to see and do with two extra days added to the timetable and entirely new destinations to discover! Take a ride and discover the hidden corners of the Radol’ca countryside.

The Hop-On Hop-Off bus is a great way to discover more of Radol’ca and the surrounding areas. For those who do not have a car or those who want to simply leave the car behind and be chauffeur-driven for a change, without having to worry about reading maps, finding parking places etc.

On Tuesdays you can take the ‘Charming Towns and Villages‘ route, which includes visits to Radovljica, Posavec, Ljubno and Kropa. Among the highlights of this route are the Iron Forging Museum and the Vigenc Vice foundry in Kropa, where at the latter you can see a demonstration of hand nail forging, and the Museum of Apiculture and Lectar Honeybread Museum and Workshop in Radovljica.

A demonstration of hand nail forging, Vigenc Vice Foundry, Kropa

Lectar Inn Honeybread Museum and Workshop, Radovljica

On Wednesdays the ‘Bee Our Guest‘ bus provides a fascinating insight into Slovenian beekeeping and includes visits to the Museum of Apiculture in Radovljica, the Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska in Lesce, Anton Janša’s apiary in Breznica, Bee Paradise in Selo pri Žirovnici and Kralov med beekeeping in Selo pri Bledu.

Kralov med, Selo pri Bledu

Anton Janša’s apiary, Breznica pri Žirovnici

Thursday’s ‘Tales from the Countryside‘ route takes passengers to places such as Vrba, Žirovnica, Begunje na Gorenjskem, Brezje and Podvin. Among the highlights of the route are the ruins of Kamen Castle, the Avsenik Museum and the Museum of Hostages in Begunje, Adventure Mini Golf in Gorica, the Villa Rustica archaelogical site in Mošnje, and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Brezje.

Adventure Mini Golf in Gorica

Završnica Valley, Žirovnica

And on Fridays, the bus runs to Begunje na Gorenjskem and then along the ‘Panoramic Road to Tržič‘. Highlights include the ruins of Kamen Castle, the old town centre of Tržič, the Mebron foundry and the Dovžan Gorge.

Ruins of Kamen Castle, Begunje na Gorenjskem

Dovžan Gorge, Tržič

So, as you can see, there’s plenty to choose from; in fact the toughest decision could be choosing which of the routes to take!

Click here for more information and the full timetable.

© Adele in Slovenia

 

Historic (and nosey) Tržič!

Posted in Uncategorized by

in 1985, the old town centre of Tržič was designated the status of a cultural and historical monument. Though, as with so many town centres these days – and not only in Slovenia – the old town centre itself is not the thriving hub it once was. It is, however, still home to some interesting and unique buildings and features, particularly the portals embellished with flowers, and the windows, known as ‘firbec okno’ – the word ‘firbec’ refers to a nosey person – from where nosey residents could look at the goings-on in the town by looking through the glass pane at the bottom of the protruding window, without the need to lean out of the window. Today, just one of these remains and can be seen on display on the main road through the old town, Koroška cesta, as seen in the photo below. CIMG8695 Another of the features of the town are the red roofs on the buildings in the historic part of the town.

CIMG8697     CIMG8699

Tržič is most known for its shoemaking industry; it is home to the company Peko which, in its heyday, was a major player in the industry. Though the company still exists, it is sadly no longer the force it once was and many of the town’s residents have lost their livelihoods but the firm’s products can still be brought throughout Slovenia. Tržič also gets somewhat overlooked in terms of tourism, which is a shame, as it does contain some architectural and cultural treasures, as well as many sights of natural interest in the surroundings.

CIMG8698     CIMG8702

The Dovžan Gorge, which I wrote about in a previous blog ( https://adeleinslovenia.wordpress.com/2013/09/) is one such place and, in the past few years, has been ugraded with a new walking path and renovated bridges. The gorge is located a few kilometres north of Tržič where the waters of the Tržiška Bistrica river have carved out their path through the gorge, which is particularly known for its rich geological conditions and palaeontologic sites. One of the biggest events in Tržič is Shoemaker’s Sunday (Šuštarska nedelja), held annually on the first Sunday in September. At this time the streets of the old centre come to life as up to 10,000 visitors descend on the town. The event was originally intended to showcase shoemaking in the area, with demonstrations and sales of products at bargain prices. These days however, since the shoemaking industry is all but lost, the event continues but with a wider range of other products and stalls, together with local food and an accompanying programme of entertainment. Talking of food, which I do like to do – and especially about food in the Radovljica area, particularly the restaurants that participate in Taste Radol’ca – it seems I’m not the only one singing the praises of Slovene food these days as can be seen in this article which mentions one of the Taste Radol’ca restaurants too – can you guess which one? http://www.afar.com/magazine/is-slovenia-the-worlds-next-great-food-destination © AdeleinSlovenia 2015