Festivals, Music and Underground Tunnels Fascinate Visitors to Slovenia

During the hot summer days, many towns in Slovenia offer surprising experiences below the surface of the earth. Wherever you are, you can visit karst caves of all sizes. Many towns have famous wine cellars, cool and inviting, and in some places you can even go down mine shafts (in Mežica you can even ride a bicycle through a mine). Many visitors to Slovenia are already familiar with these attractions, but among the interesting locations recently opened to tourists it is worth mentioning the tunnels under the town of Kranj.

The tunnels under Kranj were built during the Second World War and used by the inhabitants of the town as shelters. They were dug into conglomerate rock dating from the Pleistocene. Forgotten and abandoned after the war, the almost 1300-metre-long town shelter is today once again an important reminder of this type of construction and part of Kranj’s technical heritage.

The tunnels, which for the most part are around 2 metres wide, with branches in some places, can be entered from four directions. They are protected by concrete slabs, although the basic excavation of the conglomerate is visible in unfinished sections. The underground system also includes a small chamber. The shelters also include the natural Tular Cave, which houses a cave laboratory and is of particular importance. The proteus or olm (Proteus anguinus) was introduced to this cave in the 1960s. This is the only place, apart from a similar laboratory in the Pyrenees, where the proteus reproduces in captivity.

The darkness, damp and relatively constant temperature in the abandoned tunnels have created an environment similar to that of karst caves and so they have been colonised by animals that thrive in such conditions, such as the cave cricket (Troglophilus cavicola), the European cave spider (Meta menardi) and bats such as the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) and the greater horseshoe bat.

Where water drips, stalactites and stalagmites slowly grow, just like in natural caves. They are built by tiny calcite crystals which are deposited, layer by layer, by the rainwater that percolates through the 15-metre-thick conglomerate ceiling above the tunnels. Stalactites – calcite straws or “cave spaghetti” – hang from the ceiling. Thicker stalagmites grow on the floor.

Guided tours of the tunnels below Kranj are possible on Tuesday and Friday afternoons at 5.00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10.00 a.m. The meeting point is in front of the Kranj House.

Search for more information on Slovenia’s towns and their underground treasures at www.slovenia.info
More information on the tunnels below Kranj is available at www.tourism-kranj.si
CLASSICALLY GOOD: A SUMMER OF SERIOUS MUSIC

In summer a wealth of popular rhythms entertain visitors all over Slovenia. But Slovenia also offers special experiences for lovers of serious music, who can enjoy numerous concerts by notable performers both at the Ljubljana Festival and events in other locations around Slovenia. Particularly noteworthy, besides the Ljubljana concerts, are the festivals in Bled and Piran.
Until 16 July Bled hosts the International Music Festival which also includes masterclasses and international viola and violin competitions. The last days of this 14-day festival feature events such as the final of the international violin competition, a Romantic Violin concert in the church on the famous island in the middle of Lake Bled, concerts by ensembles such as the Zlatko Kaučič Kombo, Matevž Smerkol’s International Quartet, the Remake Swing Quartet, the Lovro Ravbar Quintet and, to close with, Gipsy Swing with Sandor and Adam Javorkai and friends.

From the beginning of July to the end of August, Piran, a picturesque town on the Adriatic coast, hosts the Piran Musical Evenings. Visitors to this event, which has been running for over 30 years, can enjoy chamber music concerts every Friday. On 1 August, for example, Stefan Milenkovich and Srebrenka Poljak will be performing in the Minorite friary of St Francis of Assisi.

Also in Piran, the end of August sees the start of the Tartini Festival, which for the eighth year in a row will present young musicians already established on the concert platforms of the world as members of various European orchestras and chamber ensembles. The festival programme focuses on the music of Giuseppe Tartini, the famous Piran-born violin virtuoso. The festival also presents works by his Baroque contemporaries and compositions by younger composers. One special feature of the festival is a one-off performance of pieces created during a several-day creative session involving the participating musicians.

In Ljubljana, in addition to the events forming part of the Ljubljana Festival, there is also the Summer of European Culture with numerous free concerts in the Town Hall, the Museum, the Cathedral, St Florian’s Church, on the Triple Bridge and on Gornji Trg.

Find links to the programmes of musical and other events in Slovenia in the Events section at www.slovenia.info
The programme of the Ljubljana Festival, featuring many top names from the world of classical music, is available online at www.ljubljanafestival.si

 

I FEEL SLOVENIA IN THE WATER: BRIDGE-JUMPING, RIVER RIDES, SAILING REGATTAS

Slovenia is a land rich in water. Its many rivers, streams, waterfalls, lakes, healing springs and subterranean watercourses, and of course the sea, offer visitors wonderful experiences throughout the year and, in summer, unique forms of relaxation and refreshment. Many summer activities are connected with water: jumping from the bridge in Kanal, rafting on various rivers and special sailing regattas.

Among the vast variety of experiences on Slovenia’s rivers, bridge-jumping at Kanal ob Soči always attracts considerable attention. A bridge has spanned the emerald Soča at this point, in the far west of Slovenia, since 1580. The bridge, which has been demolished and rebuilt several times, has been used in recent years for World Cup high diving competitions. On 16 August traditional bridge-jumping will take place here. The daring competitors hurl themselves into the river from a height of 17 metres.
Slovenia’s rivers are very popular in summer: in the south of Slovenia, 8 August sees the 20th recreational paddle down the Kolpa. On 15 August there is a trip down the Mura. On 22 August the traditional Rancarija on the Drava event involves competing teams in special wooden river craft called rance. Also on 15 August, the Slovenia Open Tacen kayaking competition starts on the river Sava at Tacen, near Ljubljana. You can also experience Slovenia’s rivers by raft: the special Raftsmen’s Ball in Ljubno on the Savinja in early August pays homage to the timber-rafting tradition.

At the end of August Lake Bohinj is the venue for the traditional Teva Triathlon, which as well as mountain running and cycling includes a canoeing trial on the lake.

As for the sea, you can marvel at the skills of the competitors in the European Sailing Championships, Optimist class, in Strunjan until 12 July. At the end of August you can follow the open International Sailing Regatta, where competitors sail a course between Portorož and Monfalcone in Italy. In early September you can join the windsurfers, who have their own special regatta, Piranja 2009, in the Bay of Piran. Entries for this unique windsurfing regatta are accepted until 1 September on the website www.piranja.si

Find more information on the waters of Slovenia at www.slovenia.info, where you can also find sports experiences to suit you in the Events calendar.

 

FOLK CULTURE: FESTIVE AUGUST

Around 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption, many locations in Slovenia offer unique experiences connected with local traditions and folk culture. The various pilgrimages and processions include a picturesque procession with boats in Piran, while rural festivities include (besides games of various kinds) the setting-up of wind-rattles in vineyards, herdsmen’s festivities in mountain pastures and, in some places, a revival of the tradition of flax dressing. Experience the authentic Slovenia in August!

The Shepherds’ Ball in Jezersko and a similar event in Šmihel nad Mozirjem from 14 to 16 August illustrate rural customs of times gone by. For 10 days before this event it is possible to experience the life of herdsmen past and present on beautiful Velika Planina at the Herdsmen’s Holiday of Our Lady of the Snows. On 15 August Idrija comes alive with a traditional event called Prfarski Štrukljevc, at which traditional štruklji (a kind of strudel with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings) are served. In this period traditional village days are celebrated in many parts of Slovenia, along with traditional parish fairs and blessings. Davča, not far from Škofja Loka, hosts a traditional flax-dressers’ day where visitors can see how flax is gathered from the fields, how it is dried and dressed and how flax thread is wound, and see examples of weaving and thread making and the other work of the flax-dressers. Remote Kostel, in the south of Slovenia, hosts the Tamburanje event in mid-August. This event features music played on characteristic tamburitzas (a family of long-necked lutes) and also a fair selling souvenirs and local crafts products, typical local dishes, displays of folk traditions, a world music festival and workshops for children. There are of course pilgrimages and processions throughout Slovenia during this period. One notable such event is the procession with boats in Piran.

In mid-August vineyard owners have their own events, when they set up wind-rattles among the ripening grapes and organise a special festivity to mark the occasion. One special wind-rattle day is the setting-up of the city wind-rattle in Maribor, the home of the oldest vine in the world. This year the wind-rattle will be set up in Maribor on 22 August. The wind-rattle, used to scare away the birds that would otherwise eat the grapes, reaches impressive dimensions in the case of Maribor: it is 8 metres high, the blades are 4 metres long and the axis with the blades and the vane is 6 metres long.

You can find more information and a complete overview of folk culture events in August via the search boxes in the Events section at www.slovenia.info and in the printed brochure Events in Slovenia 2009.

July 8, 2009   Posted in: Slovenia