Landscape and Geology
Although Slovenia is a very small country, there are a lot of different landscapes: the Alpine area, which includes the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, the Karavanke and Pohorje; the hills to the south of the Alps; the Karst area from the south of Ljubljana towards the Italian border; a short Adriatic coastline of only 46.6 kilometres; numerous rivers to the east and a small area of Pannonian plain near the Hungarian border.
Most of Slovenia has a karst topography and is composed of limestone. Kras is the Slovenian name for these landscapes, and that is also where the term karst derives from. Nowadays this term is used all over the world to describe the dissolution of one or more layers of soluble rock like limestone. You can clearly see the results of this in the landscape because it allows water to sink directly into the soil. Therefore there are several periodic lakes. These are lakes that come and go throughout the year. The most famous periodic lake in Slovenia is the lake of Cerknica .
There are around 7000 caves in Slovenia and every year there are even discovered more. Some of them reach a depth of 1000 metres. Most famous of them are the caves of Postojna and of Škocjan. The Škocjan Caves are even on UNESCO's list of natural and cultural world heritage sites.
The lowest point is 0 metres above sea level on the coast, and the highest point is 2,864 metres on mount Triglav.
Climate
The different landscapes result in different climates. There is a Mediterranean climate on the coast and a continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys in the east.
When to go
In Slovenia every season has its attractions. There can be snow in the mountains until late June or even July. Spring is a great time to spend in the lowlands and in the valleys, they will be covered with flowers. Be aware that it can be pretty wet in May and in June. When the days are getting longer, the cultural events like theatres are in full swing and off-season rates are generally still available.
Summer, from mid-June to September, is great for hiking and camping, but be aware that it is the peak season for visitors. This also makes accommodation and dining in restaurants hard to come by without reservations, and it is most of the time also be more expensive.
September is a great month to go to Slovenia. There is plenty of local fruit and vegetables and the prices are going down again because tourists are heading home. The Adriatic sea is still very comfortable to swim in.
Autumn is beautiful, but by October lots of camping sites have closed down. October and November are the best months for hiking and climbing. Please be aware that it can be very rainy in autumn.
The best time for skiers to go is in winter. It can be very cold. But most museums and tourist sites have closed down. It can get very crowded during the winter holidays. The winter holidays for school children are about ten days between Christmas and New Year. They again have holidays for a week in the second half of February.
History of Slovenia
The Slavic ancestors of the Slovenes came in the 6th century AD from eastern Europe. They started to live in the northern part of modern days Slovenia. They found a state called Carantania (Slovenian: Karantanija), which was an early parliamentary democracies in Europe. The Knez (ruler) was elected by popular vote.
During the following years, the Carantanians were defeated by both Bavarians and Franks, who eventually assimilated them. They were Christianised, but kept a lot of their rituals of their heathenish religion and, most important of all, they kept their own language.
The Slovenian territories were part of the Holy Roman Empire and also of Austria under the Habsburg dynasty up to 1918.
In 1918, the Slovenes, the Serbs and Croats formed a new state ruled by the Serbian Karadjordjević dynasty. It was called ‘the Kingdom of the Serbs, the Croats and the Slovenians’ (Slovene: Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev), and was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.
The country was occupied by Germans, Italians and Hungarians during WW II . At the same time, there has been a civil war between the procommunist liberation formation (the Partizani) and Roman Catholic anticommunist formations (the Belogardisti and the Domobranci), therefore collaboration with the occupational forces took place. The victory of the allies and as a result also the Partisans, resulted in mass departure and mass execution of members of anticommunist formations.
After WW II, Slovenia became a part of the new Yugoslavia. They were Communists, but they distanced themselves from Russia. This resulted in a system between the East and the West. Frustrated with the power of the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in certifying their sovereignty in 1991 with minimal violence.
In 2004, Slovenia became member of both the EU and NATO. In January 2007, Slovenia was the first of the new member states that joined the EU in 2004, to adapt the euro as its official currency. And Slovenia held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008, as the first new member state to do so.
Costs and money
Slovenia adapted the euro in 2007 as its official currency, before it was the tolar. The most important goods cost in Slovenia just as much as they do in the rest of Europe but, though the prices are rising, Slovenia is almost a third cheaper than its neighbours Italy and Austria. Hungary stays cheaper and everything will cost at least 33% less than in Slovenia, but Slovenia always has been cheaper than Croatia.
When you stay in a guesthouse or private room, eat average-priced food at restaurants and travel 2nd class by train or bus, you should manage to pay everything with ± €50 each day. Travelling in greater comfort (active nightlife, bottled wine in restaurants, etc.), it will cost you €75 - €80 in the provinces and ± €100 in Ljubljana. People who spend the night at hostels or college dormitories and eat simple food, e.g. burek (pastries), for lunch and eat in self-service restaurants or fast food for dinner, should come by on €30.
Travelling 100 kilometres by train or bus will cost you €5.50 - €9. Bicycle rental for one day will cost you €4.20 - €5.45. A bottle of ordinary Slovenian wine will cost you about €6. A cup of coffee in a café will cost you only €0.75 - €1.
Government and politics
The President of Slovenia is the Head of State. He/she is elected by the Slovenian people every five years, and can be president for a maximum of two terms. The President is officially the Supreme Commander of the army, but his/her power is mostly reduced to ceremonial powers.
The Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government, and the Cabinet form the law-making power. They are both elected by the parliament.
The Slovenian parliament is bicameral and is made up of the National Assembly, with 90 members, and the National Council, with 40 members.
People
There live about 2 million Slovenes in Slovenia. There is a confluence of ethnic groups in Slovenia, but the Slovenes form a majority of the population. More than 80% of the population is Slovene. Some other peoples living in Slovenia are Bosnians, Croats, Serbs, Yugoslavs, Hungarians and Roma people.
Religion
Most of the Slovenes are Roman Catholics, but there are also about 40 other religious communities recorded in Slovenia. In Slovenia state and religion are separated and all religious communities have got the same rights, and are allowed to practice their activities freely. The 2002 Census data of religious membership are: Roman Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1%.
Kurentovanje in Ptuj (February)
The ten days long ceremony of spring and fertility in Slovenia is called kurentovanje. The origins of this festival are unclear, but it is very likely connected to earlier Slavic, Celtic and Illyrian traditions. Festivities like kurentovanje are found all over Central Europe. Kurentovanje is a unique pre-Lenten festival, so it is a kind of carnival. The name derives from the main figure of the ceremony, the Kurent or Korant. Kurent was the god of uncontrolled pleasure and pleasure-seeking. In earlier times people believed that the Kurent had
the power to drive out winter and to guide in spring.
During the procession through the village or town, crowds of Kurenti (=plural of Kurent) wear sheepskins with cowbells and furry masks with horns and other decorations, e.g. a long, red tongue hanging down to their chest, ribbons, sticks and feathers. The bells are, together with their wooden clubs with hedgehog spines, meant to scare off bad spirits. Traditionally, the Kurent's outfit only could be worn by bachelor men, but currently Kurents can be married men, children and women as well. A devil is the leader of the procession. He is covered in a net to take the souls. Young girls attach handkerchiefs to the Kurent’s belt. The village people break terracotta pots at the feet of the Kurents for good fortune and good health. More info at: http://www.kurentovanje.net/
Festival Lent in Maribor (June)
The International Festival Lent is a festival of more than 14 days of outstanding festival activities with many well-known Slovenian and foreign performers, but also with many amateurs from all over Slovenia and abroad.
The festival offers concerts of all kinds of music, theatre, dance and drama performances. There is always something for the children like a puppet show, sports and artistic workshops. In the City Park there is lots of comedy and folklore festivities. Some events are free, but for others you will have to buy tickets.
More info at: http://lent.slovenija.net/
Ljubljana summer festival (July-August)
The summer festival is held seven weeks long in Ljubljana each summer. It is the biggest cultural event of the year and attracts every year about 50,000 visitors. The first time the festival was held, was in 1953 and every summer it continues with a wide range of music, dance, opera, ballet, theatre, art and films in a variety of venues and locations all over the city. Ljubljana Castle is the most famous location.
More info at: http://www.ljubljanafestival.si/
Rock Otočec near Novo mesto (July)
Rock Otočec is a traditional music festival with that started in 1976. The events take place at a really idyllic location close by the river Krka, just at the back of the Otočec castle. It is situated near Novo mesto, an old town about 70 km away from Ljubljana. At the three days long festival there is always something to do. Aside for the music, the festival is well-known for its wide range of activities, in particular those that involve mud. Half of the tickets are usually reserved before any of the performers are known, so it is very popular. You can buy tickets on-line, but they are available during the festival as well. Parking and camping are also available for all visitors.
More info at: http://www.rock-otocec.com/
Cow Ball in Ukanc (September)
Each year the Cow Ball is held. It symbolises the return of cattle to the valley after a long summer pasture. The event takes place in Ukanc at Lake Bohinj. The cows are decorated and accompanied by herdsmen, dairymaids and cheese-makers. They walk in a parade, carrying all the requirements of a herdsman when he leaves with cattle to the mountains at the beginning of summer. You can buy there the typical home made products of Bohinj: baskets, lace and wooden products. The visitors can taste and buy cheeses and take part in traditional entertainment and sports typical for the mountainous areas: sling shooting, chopping trees with a crosscut saw and throwing horseshoes.
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