Tag Archives: Lipnica

The Grabnarca Waterside Nature Trail

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, adeleinslovenia, ifeelsLOVEnia, Jelovica, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia, Theme paths, Tourism Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca by

The start of the Grabnarca Waterside Nature Trail (Vodna učna pot Grabnarca), and the one shown here below, is in the village of Spodnja Lipica in the Lipnica Valley where there is a small parking area for a few cars and an information board about the trail. There is also an alternative start next to the small supermarket in the upper part of the village of Lancovo.

In places the trail follows the Grabnarca and Lipnica streams, which in the past powered mills and sawmills in the valley, and also leads to the spring of the Lipnica stream. Shortly after the trail crosses the gravel road which leads up to the Jelovica plateau.

The 5km trail is largely in the forest and crosses numerous wooden bridges.

The waymarkers and information boards (in Slovene only) show pictures demonstrating the importance of the streams for people in the Radovljica area – both then and now.

The ruins of old mills and other buildings can be seen alongside the path.

Here one is seen in its former glory.

Over a few more bridges, until you reach …

… the Vašče pond.

I can’t imagine how or when this boat last saw an action on the pond, but I guess there must be a reason it is here!

At the pond you can choose to either re-enter the forest and follow the waymarkers back to the start, or, as I did, continue a little further up towards the houses above the pond and back along the quiet country lanes to return to the start. Taking this option you are also rewarded with wonderful views of the Karavanke mountains.

I wouldn’t recommend walking this path after prolonged heavy rain, as, despite the numerous bridges, in places it can get quite muddy, but with the long, hot summer we have had of late, and which looks set to continue for at least a few days yet – not withstanding the storm that is going on outside my window right now! – now is an ideal time.

For more information see the Tourism Radol’ca website here – http://www.radolca.si/en/grabnarca-waterside-nature-trail/

© Adele in Slovenia

Keep Cool in Kropa: The Source of the Kroparica Stream

Posted in Adele in Slovenia, adeleinslovenia, Hop-on Hop-On Bus, ifeelsLOVEnia, ironworking, Jelovica, kamna gorica, Kropa, Radol'ca, Radovljica, Slovenia, Tourism Radol'ca, Visit Radol'ca by

The recent heat wave across many parts of southern Europe, including Slovenia, has seen temperatures in the mid-high 30s. I LOVE the heat and HATE the cold, so I haven’t been complaining, and since Slovenia is almost 60% covered by forest and there are rivers and streams aplenty, there’s always somewhere to escape the heat.

One such ‘cool’ place is Kropa – the cradle of Slovene iron forging.

Due to its location, nestled into a corner at the foot of the Jelovica plateau, Kropa remains cool even on the most sweltering of days.

The Kroparica stream is one of the two streams that springs from the foothills of the Jelovica plateau. The stream runs through the heart of the village and joins the other stream – the Lipnica – before continuing through the valley to meet the Sava river at Podnart.

In September 2007 the stream, which ironically was once the lifeblood of the village, burst its bank following heavy rainfall causing flooding and significant damage – as can be seen by the video below.

In its heyday of nail-making in the 18th and start of the 19th century, the ironworks in Kropa and nearby Kamna Gorica employed more than 2000 people.  The most important markets at that time were the area of the Republic of Venice and Trieste.

In the lower part of the village you can see the renovated pool which is a remainder of the lower foundry, whilst in the upper part of the village the water cascade, water troughs and barriers are remains of the upper foundry.

The Vigenc vice nail forge, located in the upper part of the village, is the only preserved foundry  for the manual forging of nails with an authentic preserved exterior and blacksmithing equipment inside. It is situated on the left bank of the stream below the dam of the former upper foundry. Next to the stream there is a wheel for driving the bellows, the interior contains three blacksmiths’ fireplaces. Around each fireplace there are six stone stumps for anvils, above the fire in the centre is the ‘kitchen’, the place where blacksmiths’ wives put their pans and cooked whilst working.

When walking around the village you can see some of the preserved technical objects beside the Kroparica stream which are evidence of the former lively ironworking industry. The Slovenian smelting furnace (Slovenska peč), dating from the 14th century, is located on a bend in the winding road that leads from Kropa up to Jamnik. Archeological remains of this important technical monument were discovered in 1953 and a protective building was erected to preserve it. The smelting furnace was 3 metres high and in 10 hours it produced 200 kilogrammes of wrought iron for forging.

Just after passing the furnace, you will see a sign on the right-hand side of the road to Vodice – one of the many hiking paths that lead to the Vodiška planina highland and the Partisanski dom na Vodiški planini  hut. If you would like to see the source of the Kroparica stream take this path but do NOT cross the small wooden bridge, continue instead ahead, slightly uphill on a somewhat overgrown stone path for a few hundred metres to reach the source.

The path isn’t marked but just follow your nose, and the water! The stream makes its way down from its source through the village through artificially constructed water drainage systems and barriers through which water from the stream’s main channels ran to the ironworks and blacksmiths workshops.

You can reach Kropa under your own steam, or until the end of August you can catch the Hop-on Hop-off tourist bus every Tuesday. Find out more about the Hop-On Hop-Off bus here – http://www.radolca.si/en/hop-on-hop-off-radolca/

You can find out plenty more about Kropa’s old village centre, the ironworks, the museum, and its technical heritage on the Tourism Radol’ca website here – http://www.radolca.si/en/kropa/

© Adele in Slovenia