Honey and beekeeping stories in Slovenian historical towns

Today, we are aware that bees are extremely important for the preservation of biodiversity and human survival. This is the main message of the World Bee Day, which we celebrate on 20th May.

Our ancestors were very connected with bees, as evidenced by painted motifs on hives. This specialty of Slovenian rural culture is presented in the collection of more than 800 beehive panels, which are kept by the newly renovated Beekeeping Museum in Radovljica. Visit the Radovljica Gingerbread Museum, where you can learn about the history of making gingerbread hearts, the best known decorated dessert made of honey hearts that used to be exchanged among young people as tokens of love. The town of Radovljica also invites you to a fun adventure called On a Stroll with a Bee through Radovljica, where children will enthusiastically learn about the fascinating world of bees.

Perger 1757, the gingerbread, mead and candle workshop, which operates in the heart of Slovenj Gradec also upholds the tradition of gingerbread making, as well as the ‘pri Lectarjevih’ Kamnik Museum candle workshop. There you can see, among other things, how the renowned Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik used wax casts from gingerbread moulds to decorate candles in a special way.

The town of Koper, together with its Croatian colleagues, is working to add Istrian honey to a list of protected dishes with geographical origin.

In the Dolenjska Museum in Novo mesto you can see the permanent exhibition and a rich collection of carved models for gingerbreads and wax votives from the 18th and 19th centuries. Andreja Stankovič, a beekeeper from Novo mesto, will take you through apitourism and treatment with bee products.

In Idrija, you can see one of the few preserved examples of the town apiary, which was built as early as 1927, and was thoroughly renovated a few years ago.

Škofja Loka invites you to take the educational trail of the Carniolan honeybee, an autochthonous Slovenian bee. Surrounded by variegated vegetation, the educational trail pauses at ten spots, equipped with beehives, apiaries and information boards, where you will get to know the bee family and bee dwellings.

Text by the Association of Historical Cities of Slovenia, photo by Visit Radovljica, Polona Bartol.

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