Slovenia is home to many cultural attractions - museums, galleries, architectural treasures, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, natural treasures. Slovenia is known for its medieval castles and Roman ruins, historical artifacts including the world's first musical instrument and the oldest wooden wheel.
We recommend starting your acquaintance with Slovenia from its cultural capital Ljubljana, then visiting the ancient Slovenian city of Ptuj, as well as the picturesque towns of Piran and Bled; send a letter from a 200-year-old cave and see the ancient Castle from the Guinness Book of Records; discover the city of Radovlitsa, famous for its sweets, and much more. We present to your attention the 10 main cultural heritage sites of Slovenia:
Cultural capital Ljubljana
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia and the “Green Capital of Europe”, is world famous for the iconic architecture of Jože Plečnik, whose most famous work is considered to be the “Triple Bridge”. Also in Ljubljana there are many museums and galleries, for example, the National Museum of Slovenia, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Slovenia, and there are exciting events in the field of art and culture.
The oldest city of Ptuj
The history of the oldest town in Slovenia, Ptuj, dates back to the Stone Age. One of the most famous landmarks is the majestic 12th century Ptuj Castle. The city of Ptuj has gained worldwide fame thanks to the largest carnival in Slovenia - Kurentovanje, which is dedicated to seeing off winter and welcoming spring. Carnival takes place in February.
The picturesque town of Piran
Piran is one of the best preserved historic towns in the Adriatic. Along the Mediterranean coast of Slovenia, there are labyrinths of narrow streets with Gothic buildings from the Venetian era, historic salt pans that are now landscape parks, and fishing harbors. One of the main cultural attractions is the Maritime Museum.
The city of wine traditions Maribor
The historic city of Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia and the former cultural capital of Europe. Maribor is considered one of the best wine-growing regions in the country. It is here that the world's oldest grapevine is located, which, as before, bears the harvest in the form of red Zhametovka grapes. In November, St. Martin's Day is held here, which marks the end of the Old Vine Festival.
Postojna Yama and Predjama Castle
This year, Slovenia celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Postojna Jama Cave. This 24 km long underground karst natural wonder is the most popular cave in Europe. A special train delivers tourists to the cave. Inside the cave, there is a one-of-a-kind post office. Nine kilometers from the cave, on a rocky ledge 123 meters high, there is the Predjama Castle, which has a history of more than 800 years. Predjama Castle is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest cave castle in the world.
Radovlica is the sweetest city in Slovenia
The historic town of Radovlica is ideal for discovering Slovenia's rich beekeeping traditions. In a part of the old town there is a beekeeping museum, which tells about the Karniola bee and one of the largest collections of painted hives in Europe, the “pearl” of Slovenian folk art.
Bled cultural city
The two most popular attractions in Slovenia are the Medieval Castle and Lake Bled. The castle in Bled rises 130 meters above the lake and is considered one of the oldest in Slovenia. In Bled, it is also worth visiting the local galleries, the Church of St. Martin and the iconic "Church of the Island", which, according to ancient beliefs, was once visited by the goddess of the ancient Slavs Zhiva.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Slovenia
There are currently four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Slovenia:
- the Škotsjanske Yame limestone cave system, which is home to one of the world's largest known underground river canyons;
- the protected mercury mines of Idrija;
- primeval reserves of the beech forest in Krokar and Snezhnik;
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secret hospital of the Second World War "Franja Partisan Hospital".
Castle of the Counts of Celje
The ancient town of Celje has preserved the heritage of the Counts of Celje - the largest medieval castle in Slovenia. In the 14th century, one of the most influential families in Slovenia lived on the Savinja River, members of the Celje family once belonged to the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, and Barbara Tsilli (daughter of Count Celje) was Queen of Hungary, Germany and Bohemia.
Musical artifact
In the National Museum of Slovenia, you can see the bear bone flute, which is considered the world's first musical instrument. The instrument was discovered in the Divye Babe cave, its age is estimated at about 60 thousand years! Slovenia is also home to one of the world's oldest professional musical institutions, the Slovenian Philharmonic (Ljubljana), where the renowned composer and conductor Gustav Mahler worked.
