In my last article Hidden gems in Slovenia, part 1 last week, I was writing about the places to visit in the Western part of Slovenia. This time we are going to explore the East, less known and less visited regions in Slovenia, but definately worth to see!
6. Kozjansko region – East of Slovenia
– Rogatec open air museum: The museum preserves the folk architectural heritage and cultural tradition of the Obsotelje region between the 18th and 20th centuries. Largest open-air museum in Slovenia with the demonstration of domestic arts and crafts, farm chores, traditions, and customs.
– Wine region with typical underground cellars dug in the sand, called “repnice”. Many years ago they were used to preserve the vegetables. Today they are used for storing bottled wine, because of the constant temperature from 4 – 10 °C and a very high moisture (95-98%) that provide an ideal environment for wine storage.
– Olimje monastery and one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe.
7. Dolenjska region – South East of Slovenia
– Otocec castle in the middle of the Krka river, today Relais Chateau hotel.
– Kostanjevica na Krki, a small town, situated in the middle of the Krka river.
– Mokrice castle, just before the Croatian border. Hotel and a gulf course.
8. Stajerska region – North East of Slovenia
– Celje: Its cultural legacy testifies to rich and turbulent centuries. Originally a Celtic settlement called “Keleia”, during the period of Emperor Claudius it was called “Celeia” and it became the most important Roman borough and an important economic and military centre. In the 15th century Celje became the capital of a principality after the Counts of Celje were elevated to the status of princes in 1436 and later came under the Habsburg rule. To see: town centre, castle.
– Maribor: Second largest town in Slovenia. Places to see: Lent on the banks of Drava river (known for its summer festival in July every year), the Old Vine house with the oldest vine in the world, medieval towers and remains of the city walls, Grajski trg square with the castle and museum, the Glavni trg square with the Plague memorial and the Town Hall, Bishop Slomšek’s cathedral with its viewing tower, the Jewish synagogue, the Art Gallery and theatre etc.
– Ptuj is a town with rich history and numerous monuments to prove it. Its history reaches back to the Stone Age, but the town experienced its greatest fame during the Roman period. The first written mention of the town of Ptuj is from 69 AD. Roman Poetovio developed into an important military, commercial, customs, and administrative center. It was later burned by the Huns and occupied by the Avars and the Slavs. Later, it became the property of the Salzburg archdiocese and experienced the Hungarian attacks. The town recovered and when the town rights were granted in 1376 , it was able to build the walls for protection. To see: town centre, castle and museum, biggest wine celler in Slovenia. Ptuj is famous also for its carnival festival in February.
– Jeruzalem: small village in the middle of the vineyards with exquisite viewpoints and a pilgramage church.
– Zice Carthusian Monastery from 1165 is in ruins today. But you can visit Gastuz, the oldest hostel in Central Europe, that used to welcome travellers who were not allowed to enter the monastery, today it is turned into a restaurant. There is also one of the oldest pharmacies.
9. Prekmurje
– Island of Love: The island near Ižakovci embraced by an arm of the Mura River, famous for its traditional operating floating mill, there is also the regional Büjraški museum, and you can cross the fiver on the raft.
– Prekmurska cake: Traditional dessert from Prekmurje, stuffed with poppy seeds, cottage cheese, walnuts and apples. You will find it also in most of the restaurants around Slovenia, so do not miss it!
10. Ljubljana region
– Kamnik: small old town on the banks of the Bistrica river.
Come back soon to read about the best places for hiking, cycling and other sports in Slovenia.