Letak A Land of Good Stories 2020

Završnica Valley

CONTACTS AND INFORMATION Opening hours of museums Čop’s Birth House in Žirovnica Tourist information point, bookings of guided tours and trips Open: Monday–Friday: 8–11am and 12–3pm and by prior arrangement Contact: +386 (0)4 580 15 03 Prešeren’s Birth House in Vrba Tourist information point, bookings of guided tours and trips Open: Tuesday–Friday: 9am–4pm, weekends: 10am–5pm Closed: Mondays, 31 October, 1 November, and from 25 December to 2 January inclusive Contact: +386 (0)4 580 20 92 Contact: +386 (0)4 580 15 03 Finžgar’s Birth House in Doslovče Open: by prior arrangement for groups (for 10 people or over) Contact: +386 (0) 4 580 15 03

Discover Antona Janša's birth village

DISCOVER THE MOUNTAINS BY BIKE

JULIJANA LONG-DISTANCE HIKING TRAIL

Discover Žirovnica by bike! This vivid landscape, where the flood plain and mountain worlds interweave, is a perfect cycling destination. Cycling along the Žirovnica Path of Cultural Heritage is a really unique and special experience.

The path connects the birth houses of important Slovenian writers and the apiary of the pioneer of modern apiculture Anton Janša.

The Julijana Trail is a long-distance circular hiking trail, which covers a total distance of 270 kilometres.

It is divided into 16 daily stages of 18-25 kilometres and the terrain is mostly undemanding. It runs through valleys, alongside crystal-clear rivers, lakes, waterfalls and forests, across flowering meadows. Part of the trail runs through Žirovnica.

There is an idyllic forest track that leads up to the Valvasorjev dom mountain hut beneath Mt. Stol and to the Potoška planina mountain pasture. The ascent to the Zabreška planina mountain pasture, or a more demanding tour up to the Dom pri izviru Završnice mountain hut, will fill you with fresh energy. Less steep paths will lead you all the way to Radovljica, Bled and Kranjska Gora.

There are no high mountain peaks to be conquered along the Julijana Trail, rather you will hike in foothills on the edge of the Julian Alps and Triglav National Park.

Along the way you will experience what life is like in the Julian Alps and discover the abundance of flora, fauna and cultural heritage of this stunning beautiful mountain world with immense biotic wealth.

Mountain biking enthusiasts will enjoy the challenge of Žirovnica's Predigra adrenaline bike descent, which consists of a 2 kilometre descent with a 400 metre height difference.

We recommend: cycling through the Završnica Valley, an ascent to the Zabreška planina mountain pasture, or a cycling trip to Radovljica and Bled.

Guided mountain bike tours: Završnica Cycle Club, +386 (0)41 474 984, kkzavrsnica@gmail.com

Jalen’s Birth House in Rodine Open: by prior arrangement Contact: +386 (0) 4 580 30 95 The Žirovnica Institute for Tourism and Culture Žirovnica 14 4274 Žirovnica

Recommended for: families and sport enthusiasts Contact for booking volleyball and tennis courts, football field, picnic area, and area for various outdoor events: +386 (0)40 823 302

ZAVRŠNICA RECREATIONAL PARK

Recommended for: families and sports enthusiasts Contact: booking@julijana-trail.si

The Završnica recreational park is located in the Završnica Valley with its green meadows and fragrant forests beneath the Karavanke mountain range. It is an ideal place to engage in outdoor recreational activities.

The park is easily accessible and distant enough to allow you to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and your daily routine. Treat yourself to a great outdoors adventure!

Recommended for: culture enthusiasts, hikers and beekeepers Anton Janša's memorial apiary: freely accesible Guided tours: info@visitzirovnica.si Bee Paradise Noč: zdenka.noc@gmail.com, +386 (0)40 40 431 930

THE SECRET WORLD OF BEES Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture and the first beekeeping teacher at the Emperor’s Court in Vienna, started his work as a beekeeper in the village of Breznica where you can visit a reconstruction of his original apiary.

The most interesting feature is the painted beehive panels that portray historical and biblical events and motifs of daily life, which provide a glimpse into the oldest of traditions. Did you know that this tradition is a unique curiosity from the world of Slovenian folk art?

Outdoor recreation by the lake, easy walks and other outdoor activities are ideal for families, hikers, climbers, mountaineers and school groups. And after an active day spent outside, you can take a rest at one of the picnic spots in the Završnica Recreation Park.

+386 (0)4 580 15 03 info@visitzirovnica.si www.visitzirovnica.si

A Land of Good Stories

Discover the secret world of bees and wild flowering meadows. Learn more about Slovenia’s rich beekeeping tradition on a guided tour of Janša’s apiary and taste some delicious local honey products.

An interesting experience awaits you at Bee Paradise Noč where you can get up-close-and-personal with the Noč family’s bees, both outside and inside. Apitherapy and organised tastings of local honey products can be arranged.

www.visitzirovnica.si Through the Završnica Valley by bike

“There is nowhere more beautiful in Carniola”

Rekonstrukcija poznoantične naselbine na hay Ajdni.

Vir: ZVKD Kranj Visit Žirovnica’s attractions by a lojtrnik cart

PREŠEREN'S BIRTH HOUSE

HIT THE TRAILS

“Oh Vrba! Happy village, my own home.”

The picturesque villages under Mt. Stol in the Gorenjska region radiate a special peace and homeliness. With its inviting meadows, forests and mountains, Žirovnica beckons you to experience its wealth of literary and cultural heritage. Žirovnica, a land of good stories where the greatest Slovenian literary masters such as France Prešeren, Matija Čop, Fran Saleški Finžgar and Janez Jalen were born, and where they spent their formative years, is situated in close proximity to the well-known towns of Bled and Radovljica.

Discover the landscape that inspired these poets and writers. Žirovnica is the cradle of Slovenian culture with its centuries-old beekeeping tradition and will inspire you with its green energy. The inhabitants of Žirovnica call themselves ‘Kašarji’. The name comes from the most common meal in the old days – millet porridge.

Perhaps this porridge can be linked to the fact that so many famous Slovenian literates and poets were born in this traditionally rural environment. Welcome to our villages, we can’t wait to share some interesting stories with you!

Leaflet: A Land of Good Stories • Issuer: The Žirovnica Institute for Tourism and Culture, Contact: Matjaž Koman, Director • Text: Nea Culpa d.o.o., Petra Kržan • Proofreading: Adele Gray • Design: Medium d.o.o. • Photos: Polona Kus, Miha Šest, Mitja Sodja, Source: The Julian Alps Community, Klemen Čepič, Matej Mišič, Archive: Žirovnica Institute for Tourism and Culture • Edited by: Urška Aljancic • Print: Medium d.o.o. • Print run: 3,000 copies • Žirovnica, 2020

Discover ancient crafts in Finžgar's Birth House

Recommended for: families, culture and history enthusiasts Open: every fourth Saturday in the month from March to October, and by prior arrangement for groups Contact: info@visitzirovnica.si

ŽIROVNICA PATH OF CULTURAL HERITAGE Adventures in Žirovnica are accompanied by masterfully written songs and stories. Relive them on the Žirovnica Path of Cultural Heritage. One of Slovenia's oldest themed paths connects: Prešeren's birth house in Vrba, Matija Čop's birth house in Žirovnica, Anton Janša's memorial apiary in Breznica, and the birthplace of the writers Fran Saleski Finžgar in Doslovče and Janez Jalen in Rodine. The birth houses of Matija Čop and France Prešeren also serve as tourist information points.

The circular path is 10 kilometres long and leads through villages and along country lanes; part of the path also runs along pastures above the villages. The path is well marked throughout, with signposts showing the way from one attraction to the next. The path is marked in both directions, therefore you can choose where to start. The path can be walked independently or in the company of a guide.

Žirovnica lies in a green valley at the foot of the Karavanke mountain range. The tree line reaches right to the edge of the fragrant meadows, and the higher you follow the mountain paths, the more beautiful the views. You can choose among easy walks through the Završnica Valley or decide to ascend higher; the Karavanke mountain range offers some real mountaineering challenges and gems.

Slovenia's greatest poet spent his childhood in an old farmhouse in a small village, where today everything is preserved as it used to be. Testament to the way wealthy farm families of the area lived can be seen in the furnishings in the black smoke kitchen, the main living area and another small room. In the former granary, which served as a pantry for grain, there is a new permanent exhibition featuring, among others, Prešeren's relatives, while a special corner is dedicated to Archbishop Anton Vovk.

Discover the life and work of Dr. France Prešeren, who expressed his vision of equality and friendly coexistence among all nations in Zdravljica (A Toast), which is the Slovenian national anthem.

Recommended for: families and culture enthusiasts Open: Tuesdays - Fridays: 9am – 4pm, weekends: 10am–5pm Contact: info@visitzirovnica.si

Seek inspiration in Prešeren's Birth House

Discover Ajdna - an abandoned 5th century village

Recommended for: families and small groups Contact: info@visitzirovnica.si or Transport by lojtrnik hay cart, Janez Vidic, +386 (0)31 830 364

ON THE ROAD WITH A TRADITIONAL LOJTRNIK HAY CART During the warmer months of the year, you can experience the Žirovnica Path of Cultural Heritage in the most nostalgic and authentic way — by lojtrnik, a wooden horse-drawn carriage or by a traditional cart, once called a zapravljivcek (a 'spender'). Uncle Janez likes to take the reins and lead visitors to the museum houses, once homes of the greatest Slovenian masters of writing, and then he stops the cart at Janša’s apiary where delicious honey products can be tasted.

Find out in what kind of a cradle France Prešeren slept, and how Matija Čop contributed to the development of the Slovenian language. Discover where Fran Saleški Finžgar got the inspiration for his epic battles between the Slavs and the Byzantines, and which mountain pastures inspired Janez Jalen in his writing. While gathering these impressions, you will be surrounded by breathtaking views over the villages and meadows that lie under Mt. Stol.

The views of the alpine peaks and valleys from the 2,000m+ high summits inspire mountaineers with special enthusiasm.

The Valvasorejev dom mountain hut beneath Mt. Stol is one of the most popular mountain huts in Slovenia. The same cheerful atmosphere can also be found in the Prešernova koca mountain hut on Mt. Stol in the Dom pri izviru Završnice mountain hut and in the Planinski dom na Zelenici mountain hut. Visit the partisan camp at Tito’s village (Titova vas) or the Turkish Cave (Turška jama), both of which offer interesting stories from the past in the shelter of the forest.

We recommend: climb Mt. Stol - the highest summit of the Karavanke mountain range, or visit the Potoška, Žirovniška, Zabreška and Doslovška mountain pastures beneath it.

Guided Hiking Tours: Žirovnica Alpine Association, +386 (0)40 241 737, info@planinsko-drustvo-zirovnica.si Hikers are rewarded for reaching Ajdna by breathtaking views

Recommended for: hikers and history enthusiasts Archaeological finding: freely accessible Opening time of the exhibition in Čop’s house: from Monday to Friday, 8–11am and 12–3pm

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF AJDNA ABOVE THE VILLAGE OF POTOKI Ajdna is one of the most prominent archaeological findings of Late Antiquity in the Slovenian territory. In the 5th and 6th centuries, during attacks by northern tribes, the locals took refuge on the rocky slope on the southern side of Mt. Stol, from where there are views across the Julian Alps and to Lake Bled.

The artefacts and objects found during archaeological excavations stir one’s imagination. The grave of a young woman, buried with her jewellery inside the church, is a special enigma. Was this the famous Pagan girl (Ajdovska deklica)? The bronze bird, which is the main symbol of the exhibition in Čop’s house, does not reveal the answer. Instead, it invites you to ascend Mt. Ajdna and experience its mysterious atmosphere.