Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KRKA CRUISING
If you have your own transport, you can make a maze-like trip through Dolenjska by following Route No 216 along
the Krka River, which cuts a deep and picturesque valley along its upper course. Along the way you'll chance upon
historical churches, mighty castles and even a couple of caves worth visiting. A few buses from Ljubljana to Novo
Mesto via Dolenjske Toplice follow this route but they are very infrequent.
The journey begins about 9km south of
Ivančna Gorica
, in the village of
Krka
, where you can find a pair of
caves
, one of which is the source of the Krka River. Carry on for another 13km or so and you'll reach
Žužemberk
,
a town dominated at street level by a multi-turreted castle but watched from on high by the mammoth
Parish
Church of Sts Mohor and Fortunat
(Župnijska Cerkev Sv Mohorja in Fortunata), built over six decades in the
18th century. Nine kilometres to the south of Žužemberk at
Soteska
are the ruins of
Soteska Castle
, a fortress ad-
mired by Valvasor but more or less razed during WWII. Nearby is the irresistibly sweet
Garden Pavilion
, a cyl-
indrical structure from the late 17th century with trompe l'oeil frescoes.
At Soteska you can elect to carry on south on the No 216 to the spa town of
Dolenjske Toplice
or turn east on to
Route No 419 and continue following the Krka River. If you choose the latter, within 6km you'll reach
Straža
,
which boasts the massive
Church of the Assumption of Mary
(Cerkev Marije Vnebovzete), built at the very end
of the 18th century and featuring some impressive illusionist paintings. Then it's onto Dolenjska's main city,
Novo
Mesto
.
KRKA RIVER CAVES
01 / ELEV 268M
Two kilometres from the main road and just southeast of the village of Trebnja Gorica,
Krka Cave
(Krška Jama; 041 276 252;
www.tdkrka.si
;
ticket office Krka 4; adult/
child €2.50/1.60; tours hourly 2-5pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep)
isn't in the same league as
Postojna or Škocjan Caves, but along the 1.9km route (a bit more than half the total
length) you get to see some stalactites shaped like ribbons and fragile-looking 'spaghetti',
a century-old specimen of
Proteus anguinus
(
Click here
)
and a lake that's the source of
the Krka River. The usual depth of the lake is 17m, but in winter - depending on the rain
and the snowfall - the lake can rise almost as high as the ceiling. The cave temperature is
8°C to 9°C.
Poltarica Cave
(Jama Poltarica; 031 766 555; by appointment)
is a
cave 400m before the entrance to Krka Cave.
ŽUŽEMBERK
07 / POP 4536 / ELEV 240M
About 17km from Muljava is the site of the mighty, 13th-century
Žužemberk Castle
(
388 51 80, 041 324 710;
www.zuzemberk.si
;
Grajski trg 1; by arrangement)
, perched
on a cliff overlooking the Krka River. It was refortified in the 16th century, only to be all
