Rich in resources, naturally good looking and persistently peaceful,
Slovenia has been doing just fine since its break from the former Yugoslavia
in 1991. No longer the undiscovered, bargain gem that it was, Slovenia
still remains a wonderful antidote to much of Europe's crowds and high
prices.
Many of its cities and towns bear the imprint of the Habsburg Empire
and the Venetian Republic, while up in the Julian Alps you'd almost
think you were in Bavaria. The relative affluence of this country on
the 'sunny side of the Alps' is immediately apparent.
Except for a brief period in June and July 1991 when Yugoslavia attempted
to forcibly prevent Slovenia from leaving its fold, there's been no
fighting, no war and no terrorism in Slovenia. While Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina
and Kosovo became embroiled in the bitterest conflict in Europe since
WWII, Slovenes got on with making a good fist of their independence
and keeping out of the limelight.
September is an excellent month to visit because it's the best time
for hiking and climbing, and the summer crowds have vanished. December
to March is high-time for skiers, while spring is a good time to be
in the lowlands and valleys because everything's in blossom. Try to
avoid July and August, when hotel rates rise and there are lots more
tourists, especially on the coast.
The International Summer Festival is the nation's premier cultural celebration,
featuring music, theatre and dance performances in Ljubljana and Bled
during the months of July and August. Maribor's Lent Festival, in late
June or early July, celebrates foklore, culture and music. The Cows'
Ball (Kravji Bal) in Bohinj is a kitschy weekend of eating, drinking
and folk dancing in mid-September to mark the return of the cows to
the valleys from their high pastures. It doesn't get any more Slovenian
than this.
January and March bring ski competitions - the January Women's World
Cup Slalom and Giant Slalom Competition is one of the major ski events
for women, held on the slopes southwest of Maribor. In March, the Ski
Jumping World Championships host three days of high flying in Planica.
In between the two, there's a rite of spring called Kurentovanje, held
every February for 10 days up to Shrove Tuesday. This is the most popular
Mardi Gras celebration in Slovenia; most of the festivities are centered
in and around Ptuj.
Ljubljana is a smaller Prague without the hordes of tourists. By far
Slovenia's largest and most populous city, it feels like a clean, green,
self-contented town rather than an industrious municipality of national
importance.
Ljubljana began as the Roman town of Emona, and legacies of the Roman
presence remain throughout the city. The Habsburgs took control in the
14th century and later built many of the pale-coloured churches and
mansions that earned the city the nickname 'White Ljubljana'. From 1809
to 1814, Ljubljana was the capital of the Illyrian Provinces, Napoleon's
short-lived springboard to the eastern Adriatic. Despite the patina
of imperial Austria, contemporary Ljubljana has a vibrant Slavic air
all its own. The 35,000-something students who attend Ljubljana University
keep the city young.
slovenia
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