Kočevska region is known for its natural resources, especially its vast, intact forests. In the (not so) distant past, the area was rich in another natural resource that had a significant impact on the lives of the inhabitants – lignite. Kočevje is one of the Slovenian towns that can boast a rich mining tradition. Although the Kočevje Coal Mine closed its doors in 1978, the memory of mining history has…
Culture Heritage Tourism
A stroll through the village of Občice (Gott. Khrapflern)
“Isn’t even the humblest dwelling magnificent, when it is observed intimately?” I took a walk through the village of Občice occupied with similar thoughts as the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962), who dedicated his work The Poetics of Space to the relationship towards the perception of houses and spaces. This clustered settlement along the so-called “Partisan main line”, seven kilometres from Dolenjske Toplice, despite its smallness, offers visitors a glimpse…
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Animals Environment
Lynx, the mysterious feline of Slovenian forests
Most probably you will never spot a lynx in the wild. We may see traces of its footprints in the mud or snow. Yet the very thought of a large wildcat watching us from behind a nearby rock stirs the imagination. The forest is more full, diverse and inspiring because of its presence. What kind of an animal is lynx – the mysterious denizen of our forests? The Eurasian lynx…
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Heritage History
Franc Volf, a miner from Kočevje: memories of a miner’s life in Kočevje
Unfortunately, there are less and less former miners from Kočevje still alive today. One of the few retired mine workers who still remembers his mining years with great joy and pride is Franc Volf from Šalka vas. He came to work at the Kočevje Mine directly after completing his compulsory military service in 1968. He also worked as a mine rescue worker at the coal mine, where he remained until…
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