The Pivka Valley and its varied heritage

Eng

SNEŽNIK CASTLE

THE MYSTERIES OF NATURE AND OF TIMES GONE BY

What do seasonal lakes and a submarine have in common? How about a castle on a hill and a cart drivers' homestead? A local guide will help you discover the background of the Green Karst's attractions.

During a full-day trip across the Pivka Valley, you will experience the authenticity of this soft karst landscape, its history and tradition influenced by various nations and armies. Pivka, once a market town on the Vienna Southern Railway, nowadays represents a place for discovering a very special cultural and natural heritage.

We start our journey with a local guide in the Ecomuseum of the Seasonal Lakes of Pivka in Slovenska vas near Pivka, where a modern presentation of the phenomenon of the Seasonal Lakes of Pivka is on display. We will learn about the geological, karstological and hydrological characteristics of the Pivka Valley, the adapting of the locals to the occasional abundance of water and the dry periods, and the formation and disappearance of all seventeen seasonal lakes. You will be amazed by the biodiversity of the Pivka Valley, which can be found in different ecosystems: caves, forests, bush, and dry and wet Karst meadows. In this small but interesting museum, the ethnological and natural content is intertwined in an interesting and educational manner.

Only a few kilometres away, the unique museum and experience centre of the Park of Military History Pivka invites us to take a look at the rich military and historical heritage of Slovenia. Apart from one of the biggest tank and artillery collection in this part of Europe, which features the most precious examples of guns and armoured vehicles produced in Slovenia during the Second World War, the Cold War and the Slovenian Independence War of 1991, visitors can also see the collection of five airplanes from four countries. The Park’s most exciting exhibit is the P-913 Zeta commando submarine. It is a small Yugoslav submarine, which we will also enter and explore its interior and learn about the secret world of the submariners. The collections are complemented by a modern museum exhibition dedicated to Slovenian independence.

After lunch in Kantina Pivka, fitted with a military-style interior, we will make our way towards Ilirska Bistrica and the Prem Castle, which is perched on top of a hill above the village of Prem. Prem Castle is one of the older castles in Slovenia. The first time it is indirectly mentioned in official written sources is 1213. Its first owners were the Lords of Duino, but the family died out in 1399 and in the following centuries, the castle changed hands many times, with some of the owners being the families of Wallsee and Haller, the Habsburgs and the Counts of Porcia from Friuli. In 1927, the castle was in ruins and was bought by a physician from Trieste, Bruno Zucculini, who made Prem his summer residence. Today, the castle is renovated in the style introduced by its last private owner. We will take a look at the castle’s premises, which house various museum collections.

Our last stop will be the stonemasons' village of Kal, where the friendly owners of the Šobec Homestead will great us with interesting stories of times gone by. For centuries, this farm has welcomed transporters, merchants, cart drivers and smugglers, who stopped here on their way to the sea and back inland. Martin Krpan himself liked to stop here on his smuggling journeys, whose intriguing stories will entertain us over a shot of homemade Brkini plum or fruit brandy.

The programme includes:

Visit to the Ecomuseum of the Seasonal Lakes of Pivka
Welcome drink in Kantina Pivka – tea/coffee, dessert
Visit to the Park of Military History (including the submarine’s interior)
Lunch in Kantina Pivka (2 courses)
Visit to the Šobec Homestead in Kal and meeting Martin Krpan
Transfer to locations on the itinerary from the starting point and back (Green Karst destination)
Local guide