TOP 10 Unique Things from Slovenia

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Slovenia is a unique country as it is home to many interesting beings, treasures, inventions, and people, of course. Today we explore the top 10 unique things from Slovenia. Explore them with us!

 

1. Baby Dragons

Already one of Slovenia’s top attractions and one of Europe’s most famous caves, Postojna Cave made international headlines in 2016 with the birth of its ‘baby dragons’, small cave-dwelling creatures more properly known olm or proteus, or locally as ‘human fish’.

2. Churches, Chapels & Shrines

With some 3,000 churches and thousands of smaller chapels and shrines, as well as many impressive monasteries and convents, Slovenia very likely has more religious structures per capita than any other country in Europe, if not the world.

3. Hayracks

Called ‘kozolec’ in Slovene, these humble agricultural structures are a common sight in Slovenia’s incredibly photogenic rural areas and one of the country’s national symbols. They come in a variety of different forms, from single vertical racks to roofed double racks that resemble elevated barns.

4. The Škofja Loka Passi on Play

Dating from 1721 and staged in the squares and streets of Škofja Loka during Easter, this extraordinary Passion Play involves over 1,000 participants and is included in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

5. Lipica Stud Farm

The small town of Lipica in the Karst region is known throughout the world as the birthplace of the famed white Lippizzaner horses, to which it gave its name. Founded by the Habsburg monarchy, the stud farm is still active after more than four centuries and is a popular tourist destination.

6. Neanderthal Flute

Perhaps the world’s oldest musical instrument, the so-called Neanderthal Flute dates back some 43,100 years and was fashioned from the femur of a cave bear. Discovered in a cave near Cerkno in 1995, it’s now displayed at the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana.

7. Oldest Vine

The world’s oldest grape-producing vine can be found in Maribor. After more than 400 years this noble Žametovka vine still bears some 50kg of grapes annually, with the wine produced from it given as state protocol gifts in bottles by famed Slovene artist Oskar Kogoj.

8. Oldest Wheel

After fire, the wheel is often cited as mankind’s most important invention, and the oldest wooden wheel ever discovered was found in the Ljubljana Marches, a UNESCO Heritage site just south of the modern city. More than 5,000 years old, it’s now on display at the Ljubljana City Museum.

9. Solkan Bridge

Completed in 1905 and consisting of 4,533 individual stone blocks, this beautiful bridge over the equally beautiful turquoise waters of the Soča River north of Nova Gorica is still the longest stone railway bridge in the world, with an arch span of 85m and a total length of 219.7m.

10. Tomb of King Charles X

King Charles X was the last French ruler from the House of Bourbon and the only French king to be buried outside of France. The monarch’s remains are entombed at Konstanjevica Monastery near Nova Gorica, where he died in 1835 whilst in exile.

Source: THE Slovenia Book 2017