Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The young hunter, seething with jealousy, climbed the mountain in search of the chamois, figuring that if he
were to get even a piece of the golden horns, the treasure of Bogatin - and his beloved - would be his. At last the
young man spotted Zlatorog, took aim and fired. It was a direct hit.
The blood gushing from Zlatorog's wound melted the snow, and up sprang a magical Triglav rose. The chamois
nibbled on a few petals and - presto! - was instantly back on his feet. As the chamois leapt away, roses sprang up
from under his hooves, luring the hunter onto higher and higher ground. But as they climbed, the sun caught Zlat-
orog's golden horns. The glint blinded the hunter, he lost his footing and plunged into a gorge.
The once kind and trusting Zlatorog was enraged that a mere mortal would treat him in such a manner. In his
fury he gored his way through the Triglav Lakes Valley, leaving it much as it looks today. He left the area with the
White Ladies, never to return.
And the fate of the others? The innkeeper's daughter waited in vain for her lover to return home. As spring ap-
proached, the snow began to melt, swelling the Soča River. One day it brought her a sad gift: the body of her
young swain, his lifeless hand still clutching a Triglav rose. As for the innkeeper's rapacious wife, we know noth-
ing. Perhaps she learned Italian and moved to Venice with the merchant.
Observant (and thirsty) travellers will see the face of Zlatorog everywhere they go in Slovenia. It's on the label
of the country's most popular beer.
Festivals & Events
International Wildflower Festival
(Mednarodni Festival Alpskega Cvetja;
www.bohinj.si
;
late May-early Jun)
A relat-
ively new event that is gaining in popularity is the International Wildflower Festival, held
over two weeks in late May/early June. It includes guided walks and tours, traditional
craft markets and concerts.
CRAFTS
Bonfire Night
(Kresna Noč;
www.bohinj.si
;
Aug)
On Bonfire Night, celebrated on the weekend
closest to the Feast of the Assumption (15 August), candlelit flotillas go out on the lake,
and there are fireworks.
CULTURAL EVENT
FOLK TRADITIONS
Cows' Ball
(Kravji Bal;
www.bohinj.si
;
mid-Sep)
The Cows' Ball is a wacky weekend of folk
dance, music, eating and drinking in mid-September to mark the return of the cows from
their high pastures to the valleys
