Although many people seem to think us students can just hop into any means of transportation and forget about our obligations to go who knows where – it is not true. Especially not now, when being present for certain lessons is obligatory and there’s more and more work to be done right away. Now we have to plan as well. But how to plan if the weather prognosis keeps changing?
The ideal solution is to plan a town with many indoor and outdoor activities – and the streets gain a different charm if it rains or snows. I’ve been in a similar situation, so I’ve decided to visit Slovenj Gradec.
A big Slovenian small town
It might not be the size of Maribor, but it’s one of the partners who hosed last year’s European capital of Culture. This is why the signs of Petra Varl greeted me when I was heading from the oldest building in town – the church of St. Elisabeth – to the art gallery. Signs I’m used to see in my university city.
I headed down the Old square towards the Main square and entered the once town hall. At first I plundered the tourist stand and then the friendly receptionist explained what’s currently offered to tourists. The mighty building hosts both – the art gallery of Koroška and the land museum of Koroška (the ticket costs 1,50€ per student), I’ve decided to visit the gallery. I’ve heard they’re hosting the exhibition of Metka Krašovec and her students Sašo Bezjak, Andrej Brumen Čop, Mitja Ficko and the before mentioned Petra Varl.
With such a unique and important series I was fascinated, but they did not overshadow the permenant exhibition of the gallery by: Štefan Planinc, Bogdan Borčić, Nace Rojnik, Lojze Logar, Herman Pivko, Valentin Oman, Franc Vozlej, Štefan Marflak, Zdenko Huzjan and famous Jože Tisnikar. In the mightiest room of the gallery each compartment is inspiring, surprising and maybe even scary. For they make you think or simply just charm you with the special combination – all of which spreads a strong message.
The museum on the ground floor offers a permanent exhibition of the archaeology of Koroška and stands as testimony of the land’s past. The artefacts date over 115 millennia ago! They are chronologically placed by groups where they were found, from the earliest Stone Age right up to the early middle ages. Apart from the permanent, there are also certain other exhibitions offered.
After visiting KGLU I was poking my nose at other places of the town hall and discovered a beautiful stained glass window in the atrium and a sculpture made from a tree I still don’t know how to name. So I’ve returned to the main square and headed towards the mansion of Rorenturn. It was built when they’ve enlarged the part of the once defensive city wall and one of its towers. It’s renovated and many manifestations take place here. During the Summer festival of Slovenj Gradec we can hope for many interesting events.
The town, which is not big by terms of population, but by terms of its culture, does offer a lot. You can spend a night in the
hostel Slovenj Gradec, just five minutes from the town centre and you’ll have enough time for every activity you’ve planned.
The countryside of Koroška
Ever been to the lake Ivarčko jezero? “Saj what?” locals would asked me. We all know it’s hosting many events in the summer – camps, sporting tournaments and partied or as they call them gavda that never needs a reason, it can just happen. But during the summer you can just simply go there to swim, play some volleyball in the sand or try out the ski slopes – if you prefer winter to summer. And if you love hiking, you’ll quickly recognise the lonely mountain of Uršlja Gora, recognisable for its transmitter at the peak of 1696m of elevation. It is the easternmost peak of the central Alps of Karavanke. There are many paths to the top and once there, you get a great view of the valley of Mislinja, Mežica, Drava (valleys named by their rivers) and Šaleška valley.
On the way back from the village of Kotlje towards the valley of Mislinja I stopped at the Old Square. There you can see the Roman archeological finds and above the centre there’s a proud church of Radegunda. From its defensive walls you can see the entire town of Slovenj Gradec.
Next I went through Podgorje to reach Vodriža. There are two signs that take you to the foot of the “Kajuhova tehnika,” it’s a walking trail on part of the transeuropean connection connecting the Adriatic and Baltic seas. I haven’t had the time to walk the whole thousands of kilometre long path, but have searched for the sign saying »Grad Vodriž, 200 m«.
Through the thick branches it seemed I’d have to go straight up and since it was very steep I wasn’t off by much. In his book “A beautiful day – vol. 4” Željko Kozinc also suggests us to take the easier path on the other side of the hill. My path was for those who want to take a big bite out of the castle and if I took the longer easier way, I’d have missed the magical late afternoon twilight.
I was very tired before reaching the first ladder and it was not easy climbing it with a camera in my hand. And they I’ve, although I thought it a mirage at first, glanced at the first outlines of the castle. When you see the mighty ruins from below, with the sun in the background, you recharge your batteries quickly and I had no problems going on. I wrestled the last few metres of the climb and walked around the castle until I found the access point to the top.
Castle Vodriž stands on the ridge of the Fidejev peak and is well protected from uninvited stares. It only has one fairly easy access that used to be protected by the castle malt. Once you reach the top, there’s not only ruins, there’s also many benches to the north, giving it a feel of an open space amphitheatre. Also, you can have a great picnic by the castle. I’d suggest the south-western part, for there is a nice forest clearing there and you can get quite some sun.
The one Gothic masterpiece with almost two metre tall stone walls was a mighty construction, which is still obvious by some of the remaining windows and doors. But climbers – do not be too brave! Leave the walls to rest in peace, for even if they are grown over by trees and animals hang around them, they might not be able to take your weight. The last man who lived there was a love disappointed hermit.
Due to the special way of life the spiritual Valentin Podstenšek was a trastuworthy healer – today we’d probably call him a guru or something similar, who showed people trees they can hug to get a charge of positive energy. Some people still practice that and especially after a long climb it does have an effect.
My last stop was the airport. It was a real small airport with its own guesthouse and a hotel. The aero club Koroška boasts it has an asphalt landing strip, eight gliding and two motor airplanes. This allows them to have flying courses for pilots and some interesting competitions and events. With more luck than horse sense I’ve turned my camera on just as a paratrooper was landing.
If you are enthusiastic about models of motor or gliding planes, you need to visit and bring your little plastic/wooden pet. Want to jump off a plane? It sounds unbelievable, but at the Slovenj Gradec airport you can do just that! And you can arrange for a logo, aerial photos, panoramic flight and more.
Our lovely little country has so many beautiful places! And the best thing is, wherever you go, with no great expectations, you get your eyes full of beauty, ingenuity and skill. If you’ve seen Slovenj Gradec already, you can easily visit (like I did) any other Slovenian town. We have a rich history, many other nations envy us.
Patricija Turnšek
