Slovenia's location at the crossroads of the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Pannonian Plain and the Dinaric Mountain Range, has through the centuries enabled its regions to develop different economic activities, lifestyles and expressions of cultural creativity.
Some regions are of historical origin (e.g. Gorenjska, Dolenjska, Notranjska, Primorska, Štajerska, Koroška and Prekmurje) while others were created after the Second World War by political decisions (e.g. Pomurje, Posočje and Kozjansko). Among the greatest treasures of these regions are the diversity of dialects of the Slovenian language, different housing and gastronomic traditions, popular entertainment and other aspects of the everyday life of the local population.
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Notranjska
Notranjska was arguably the first region to have become more widely known in the world, thanks to the Slovenian nobleman, castle-owner and polymath Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693), whose comprehensive opus, "The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola", describes the special natural and cultural characteristics of this part of Slovenia.
Valvasor's treatise on the intermittent Lake Cerknica earned him membership of the Royal Society of London in 1687.
Also to Valvasor’s credit is the first mention of the skiing tradition on the Bloke plateau in Notranjska, which puts Slovenia alongside the Scandinavian countries as one of the cradles of European and world skiing.
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Dolenjska and Bela krajina
The countryside of Dolenjska is hilly and varied. Green.
The River Krka is a lifeline and proudly referred to by the locals as the Dolenjska Beauty.
Downstream, the river gently meanders through Novo mesto (the capital of Dolenjska), Otočec and Kostanjevica. Upstream, it flows through the Krka Valley and Suha krajina where it reveals its dynamic karst nature with tuff formations in the riverbed. The valley of the River Krka also boasts many ancient castles, of which the castle at Otočec stands out.
The part of Dolenjska around the towns of Ribnica and Kočevje is home to traditional wooden ware, known locally under the name of suha roba, as well as pottery.
The region known as Bela krajina is isolated from the rest of Slovenia by the Gorjanci hills. It is considered one of the country’s most romantic regions, imbued with southern Pannonian traditions. It is known for its wine-producing slopes, and also for its traditional beautifully decorated Easter eggs called belokranjske pisanice.
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Štajerska
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia and the capital of the Štajerska region famed for its vineyards. The city lies between wine-producing hills and the forested slopes of the Pohorje. The symbiosis of the city and the vine is affirmed by the 400-year old vine of the local žametovka variety, which grows in the Lent Quarter of the city on the left bank of the River Drava. It is the oldest vine in the world.
Celje, once the seat of the Counts of Cilli, an influential aristocratic dynasty from the 15th century, is today one of Slovenia’s most dynamic and rapidly developing towns.
The town's glorious past is reflected in the ruins of the mighty castle, once the largest in Slovenia. Celje is not far from the Savinja and Šaleška valleys. The former is known for hop cultivation. The Štajerska and Dolenjska regions meet in Posavje and Bizeljsko where you can relax in one of the many thermal spas and modern wellness centres.
The unspoilt landscape of Kozjansko offers quality produce, such as old apple varieties grown in orchards surrounded by meadowlands, characteristic sights in the Kozjansko Regional Park.
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