The town and municipality of Grosuplje lie to the south east of Ljubljana, the town itself being only a 15 minute drive away. Due to its proximity to the capital, Grosuplje has grown in recent years, and also has a few attractions of its own to offer visitors.
Magdalenska Gora and Tabor nad Cerovnim are a couple of hills worth seeing, and are part of the surrounding range enclosing the basin in which Grosuplje is situated. There’s also the natural Karst wonder of Županova Jama (the Mayor’s cave). It can be worth staying in Grosuplje if you’re visiting Ljubljana (at least if you have a car), the Kongo Hotel & Casino having earned recent renown.
MAGDALENSKA GORA : A very special mountain! Here is in fact one of the most significant archeological sites on the territory of Slovenia, the remains of a prehistoric settlement having being found, with man-made terraces and a defensive rampart. Ranging between the 8th and 1st Centuries BC, the hilltop was the site of an acropolis, and is now home to St. Magdalene’s church, built in the gothic style. The archeological finds are kept in museums in Ljubljana, Vienna and Harvard, but the walkway-learning path features a reconstruction of the Iron Age settlement for visitors to see. Situated near Zgornja Slivnica, a few kilometres north of Grosuplje.
ŽUPANOVA JAMA: The ‘mayor’s cave’ is named as such due to its discovery in 1926, by no other than the mayor of Šentjur! A Karst treasure, it consists of seven beautiful halls, 600m of walkways, the usual stalactites and stalagmites, and sinter pools with crystal clear waters. The cave hosts tours at the weekends from April to October (3pm), just on Sundays in March and November, and groups of more than 10 can be hosted by arrangement on other days too. It lasts about an hour. The cave is located 8km south of Grosuplje, near the village of Velike Lipljene. Info: www.zupanovajama.si, +386 (0)41 40 77 05.
RADENSKO POLJE: The mysteriousness of the seasonal lake in Cerknica, if you’ve come across it, is also present in the surroundings of Grosuplje. Karst land formations and features, namely sink holes, gorges and underground streams, mean that what is a field in some seasons, becomes a lake in certain parts of the year. Officially a landscape park, the area is ecologically diverse, supporting a wide range of rare and protected plant and animal species. To reach it, drive south on the main road towards Račna and Videm Dobrepolje.
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