Landmarks

What is known today as Matkov kot was once a lake. As a result, the location has remained known until present day as “Jezera” (the lakes). Once upon a time, Lintver the mighty dragon resided in the lake. Along the lake, cows of the farmer by the name of Žibot would often graze. However, when cattle got too close to the lake, Lintver would create waves so strong that the cows would be swept into the lake, and in turn eaten by Lintver.

The lake was also a popular fishing location. Fishing nets would be dried at a monumental rock near the lake, hence the name “Ribiška peč”. One time, Lintver decided to peck the gigantic rock. When they learned of Lintver’s efforts, the locals placed watches that would warn them in time of the flood, just before Lintver broke through the rock. They placed watches at Košac, Čelo, Opresnikov hrib hill and Tolstovrška peč.

When Lintver broke through the Ribiška peč, the flood created was so great that the water reached as high as the doorstep of the church at Solčava. What is more, the water also carried to the church doorstep a crib. It contained a child.

The flooding lake also carried away Lintver, killing the mighty dragon. It was actually killed by the tops of a larch tree – the only thing capable of killing Lintver the dragon. The dragon’s bones and jaw were later discovered in the fields throughout the Logar Valley.

(source: Jože Vršnik, Preproste zgodbe s solčavskih planin (Simple stories from the Solčava mountains))

The Kamnik-Savinja Alps are a mountain range in the Slovenian north, named in part after the city of Kamnik, and in part after the Savinja River. Along the eastern section of the mountain range lies the border separating Carinthia and Upper Carniola, while together with the Karavanks, it constitutes the border between Austrian and Slovenian Carinthia and Upper Carniola. Mt. St. Ursula is the location of the famous tri-border delimiting the former Austro-Hungarian duchies of Carinthia, Carniola and Styria.

From a geological point-of-view, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are extremely diverse with the surface layers being composed primarily of carbonates (especially limestone). Forests cover approx. two thirds of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, making the region one of the most forested areas in Slovenia.

Rinka Fall, alongside the recognisable landscape, world-famous panorama and the exquisite meadows nestling amidst the peaks of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, is the main attraction in the Logar Valley. Water flows from a wide face of the rock and is the second highest waterfall in Slovenia with a height of 90m.

It is located in the upper section of the valley – accessible from the parking area at the end of the paved road along the simple blazed trail in a mere 15 minutes. Soon after reaching the ground, the water disappears, then reappears in the lower sections of the valley near the source of the Črna. In the waterfall rock face is the Orlovo gnezdo snack bar. The mountain trail runs past the waterfall to the Frischauf Hut at Mt. Okrešelj and into the high mountain range.

On the initiative of the Logar Valley, farmers as well as Dr. Šuman, the architect Jože Plečnik in 1930 produced the chapel plans. However, the design by Plečnik was never realised. The present-day Chapel of Christ the King located at the entrance into the Logar Valley was designed by the architect Martin Golob and was constructed between 1930–1931.

The bell tower encloses a fine bronze bell weighing 140 kg. It was cast in Klagenfurt in 1668, and was once hung in the castle of the once Counts of Celje at Žovnek near Braslovče in the Lower Savinja Valley. It was ceremoniously installed in the chapel in 1969, three hundred years after its casting.

High above the rock faces of Mt. Olševa lies the settlement of Podolševa. It is known among the locals as the Holy Spirit, named for the Baroque Church of the Holy Spirit giving the settlement its unique image, while its fairytale-esque appearance also gives a particular character to the Solčava Panoramic Road.

The present day church was erected at the end of the 19^thcentury at the location of the previous church built in the 15^thcentury. Inside the church are kept the well-preserved Gothic chalice and a yew wood relief of the Holy Trinity, which is particularly interesting because of the depiction of the Holy Spirit in the form of a youth carrying a globe instead of a dove. In the church is also the oldest bell with writing in the ancient Gothic majuscule. 

The characteristic housing in the Solčava region is the traditional Alpine farm, telling the story of the grandeur and strength of the Solčava locals. The locals have always lived in harmony with nature, providing them with every necessity for survival. Even today, they are mostly engaged in wood, wood as well as food production.

The identities of the locals also persevered through stories and tales developing into legends, as well as dance, song and music. Also an important element of the tradition in the Solčava region is the zither, the instrument which has remained popular at many such Alpine farms until the present day.

In the Solčava region, there remains 50 active solitary farms. Of these fifty, 18 are engaged in tourism and 26 in other complementary activities. About a third rely on organic, and the rest on environmentally-friendly farming methods. About half of the farms lie at elevations above 1,000m, while Bukovec at the elevation of 1,327m is the highest Alpine farm in Slovenia. Here, the atmosphere surrounding the solitary Alpine farms in the Solčava region is truly peaceful and characterised by a primal attitude towards nature, fellow man and luxuries.

The farmers in the region are famous for their peculiar names preserved throughout centuries: at Gradiš, below Kočno, at Matkovo, at Perkovo, at Žibovče, at Covc, at Šumeče, at Ložek, at Pastirkovo, at Klemenča, at Strevčovo, at Plodrovo, at Rogarjevo, at Potok, at Macesen, at Podolševa, at Štiftarjevo, at Prod, at Rob, at Osojnica, at Bukovec, at Majdač, at Ramšia, at Podbreg, at Ivanija, at Plesta and at Log. Today, there are 50 active traditional farms in the Solčava region.

The Macesnik homestead consists of a new residential building, a granary, a large agricultural facility, two chapels and a power plant, while once it also encompassed the ancient home as well as the dower house. The main attraction is the large agricultural facility composed primarily of two parallel buildings connected with corridors – hence the characteristic square-shape of the roof, similar to Renaissance mansions. 

Inside the buildings are various technical devices once driven by the mill and the transmission mechanism once powered by water, and today by electricity. Despite necessary changes to the original Macesnik homestead, it has maintained until present day its cultural status and remains a true landmark.