World Heritage in Slovenia
Škocjan Caves with its subterranean canyon, Idrija with the once world-renowned mercury mine, and the Ljubljana Marshes with the heritage of an ancient pile-dweller culture – these are the special features of Slovenia on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Truly worth a visit!
Škocjan Caves
This karst cave has the largest subterranean canyon in Europe that is 146 m high and it also has many kilometres of trails for visitors with no less than 500 steps. The trail leads you across incredible bridges allowing you to see underground waterfalls (there are no less than 26 in this cave system), grand halls, giant stalactites and stalagmites that have grown to 15 metres in height, and other underground creations made by the karst river. The area surrounding Škocjan Caves is a regional park – an area of protected natural and cultural heritage. Educational and biking trails take visitors around the park.
Nature parks of Slovenia
In addition to Triglav National Park, Slovenia also has three regional parks and 45 landscape parks in which the priceless heritage of nature is protected.
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Idrija and its mercury heritage
Idria and the Spanish town of Almaden are the keepers of the globally important mercury mining heritage. Anthony’s Underground Mining Tunnel, dating from 1500, is known as one of the oldest mine entrances in all of Europe. It is open for tours during which you can learn about old mining methods. What is more, there is also a mine dwarf waiting to surprise you. Numerous attractions in Idrija are connected with the mining heritage and the life of the former mining families: from the surprising technical heritage maintained by the museum at Gewerkenegg Castle to the tradition of original lace making.
Slovenian mines for tourist visits
In addition to the mine in Idrija, incredible visits to the subterranean world are also offered by the town of Velenje and its Coal Mining Museum, which you can reach by going down in a mining lift dating from 1888, and Mežica , where you can even bike or kayak through the tunnels of the old lead mine.
The Ljubljana pile-dwellers and the oldest wheel in the world
Slovenia is one of the countries safekeeping the protected world heritage of the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. Nine pile dwellings were discovered in the Ljubljana Marshes, and the most important findings is a 5200-year-old wheel, which is considered to be the oldest wooden wheel with an axle in the world! Findings related to the pile-dwelling culture are on display in various museums, and the Ljubljana Marshes is a landscape park, where you can explore the natural features of the marshy area near Ljubljana.
Go bird-watching
About 100 species of birds nest in the Ljubljana Marshes. They also include numerous endangered and rare species. Most of them can be observed at the Iški Morost reserve, where there is also an educational trail.
The oldest flute, needle, and wheel
In addition to the oldest wheel with an axle, the world’s oldest musical instrument – a flute from Divje Babe - and a needle, which was considered to be the oldest needle in the world until 2016, have also been found. These exceptional findings are housed in Slovenian museums.
ExploreOther treasures of Slovenia to be included in the World Heritage
The three UNESCO world heritage items make Slovenia one of the richest guardians of the treasures of humanity in relation to its population. There are even more exceptional items from Slovenia on the Tentative List, on which items under consideration for World Heritage status are listed.
Franja Partisan Hospital
The Franja Partisan Hospital operated during World War II in a hidden gorge of a wild stream with difficult access. In its barracks, nearly 600 wounded soldiers were treated in a year and a half. This incredible symbol of humanity and unique example of the medical treatment of people under exceptional circumstances has been a worthy aspect of European heritage for a long time, and its entry into the UNESCO list is now pending. An arranged path through a picturesque gorge now takes visitors to the hospital, which has been fitted out for historical accuracy.
Plečnik's Ljubljana
The architectural legacy of Jože Plečnik and his original approach to buildings and urban planning includes the most beautiful features of Ljubljana. This legacy is on the UNESCO Tentative List together with selected works that he designed in Prague. Plečnik’s unique architecture can be seen if you take a stroll through the capital of Slovenia. Discover Plečnik’s Ljubljana – from the marketplace to the library, from the Three Bridges to the church in the Ljubljana Marshes.
Walk of peace
The valley of the River Soča (Isonzo) was the scene of numerous battles during the First World War. Today it provides an idyllic picture of mountain backdrops offering abundant scope for active leisure pursuits. The Walk of Peace, which runs from the Alps to the Adriatic, is both a commemoration and a reminder of times of war and also a way of getting to know the wonderful natural environment along the emerald River Soča. Discover a world of underground bunkers, firing trenches, military cemeteries, ossuaries and open-air museums. Owing to its mission and its homage to peace, the Walk of Peace is on the trial list of UNESCO heritage.
The Mysterious Karst
Don’t just visit the most famous Slovenian caves! If you visit the Karst, make sure to take this publication with its list of numerous other special features of this surprising landscape.
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