Start of new selection for EDEN destinations of excellence

Slovenia has been involved in the European Commission project “European Destinations of Excellence” since 2008. A key feature of the chosen destinations is their commitment to social, cultural and environmental sustainability. Three destinations in Slovenia now boast the title EDEN destination of excellence, and in 2011 the title will be awarded to the destination that makes the best showing in the published call on “Tourism and the Regeneration of Physical Sites”.

Regeneration of physical sites of cultural heritage includes all cases and types of renewal, preservation or improvement of such sites, applying the principles of sustainable development. Examples of projects that destinations can submit include the renovation of a factory into a concert hall, remodelling a military bunker or other military facility into a museum, converting border guard posts into cultural sites, converting old railway or other transport facilities into tourist and cultural paths, incorporating attractions and content into old mines, renovation of castles, renovation of town houses into family hotels, opening and renovating old prisons, converting farm houses into tourist farms and so forth.

In order for Slovenia to promote more easily its selected EDEN destinations – which represent the best examples of practices in the context of the basic guideline of Slovenian tourism, in other words green tourism – a “Slovenian EDEN network" has been established, and this links together all the winners of the EDEN project in Slovenia, while at the same time offering a condensed overview of the work and results in this field in Slovenia.

The first Slovenian EDEN destination was the Soča Valley in 2008, which lures visitors with its experiences on the emerald River Soča, hikes in the nearby mountains and along the trails of the First World War clashes, and it convinced the jury with its Tales of the Soča along the Walk of Peace. The mighty fortress of Kluže is the venue each year for the Tales of the Soča, which take visitors off to a unique fusion of natural beauty and memories of the First World War on the Soča (or Isonzo) Front.

In 2009 the prize went to Solčavsko, which was convincing with its harmony of three Alpine valleys (Logarska dolina, Robanov kot and Matkov kot). The prize was awarded for the unique way it combined nature preservation with the life of the local people and the curiosity of visitors from all over the world.

Currently the holder of the EDEN destination prize from 2010 is the Kolpa destination. The singular River Kolpa, which links this picturesque destination on the southern margins of Slovenia with neighbouring Croatia, has over time been a meeting point of three religions and no less than five ethnic groups, so there are some truly special Kolpa stories preserved here. At the same time the River Kolpa surprises with its natural stream, rapids, canyons, gravel beds, the surrounding landscape and its biodiversity, as well as its luxuriant natural assets and cultural features.

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