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Crno jezero - the Black Lake

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Attraction | "The Black Lake - Worth a Mud Bath "

First Steps to the Black Lake Photo - Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia

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Note - I've added this attraction to a Maribor trip as it can be accessed from Maribor as well as Slovenska Bistrica.All of the guidebooks and tourist literature for the region of Slovenia in which we have our second home recommend a hike to the "Crno jezero" (pronounced "cherno yezero") or, in English, the Black Lake. This remote lake gets its name because its water appears jet black because it contains hundreds of years of decayed organic waste from dead plants and animals. The Black Lake is situated in a protected park because this is a unique ecosystem and only by visiting it can you truly appreciate how peaceful and unspoilt it is. The lake is actually artificial. It was made deeper a...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 1, 2010

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Pohorje Partisans Exhibition

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Attraction | "A Tribute to the Pohorje Partisans"

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During the "socialist era" it was common for streets and roads in the eastern bloc countries to be named after significant events or great heroes of the struggle for freedom. In our town, Maribor, in Slovenia, we have near to our house Cesta Proletarskih Brigad (the way of the Proletarian Brigades), Ulica Pariski Kommune (the street of the Paris Commune) and ulica Pohorska Bataljon (the Street of the Pohorje Battalion). The latter is a very ordinary residential street that I tend to use occasionally as a short cut; I think the people who live on that street must be very proud to have an association with such an important part of Slovenia’s history. I know I would be. When World War Two br...Read More

During the "socialist era" it was common for streets and roads in the eastern bloc countries to be named after significant events or great heroes of the struggle for freedom. In our town, Maribor, in Slovenia, we have near to our house Cesta Proletarskih Brigad (the way of the Proletarian Brigades), Ulica Pariski Kommune (the street of the Paris Commune) and ulica Pohorska Bataljon (the Street of the Pohorje Battalion). The latter is a very ordinary residential street that I tend to use occasionally as a short cut; I think the people who live on that street must be very proud to have an association with such an important part of Slovenia’s history. I know I would be.

When World War Two broke out Slovenia was part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; the Germans invaded and occupied much of Slovenia, ruling with an iron fist and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. In Maribor’s National Museum of the Liberation, there is a photograph of Hitler in what is now Trg Svobode, making a speech in which he vowed to "make all this German again".

Although there was resistance the towns fell easily but Slovenia was then a largely rural country and the Germans found it considerably more challenging to dominate the countryside. South of Maribor is the Pohorje, a mountainous region that is today as it was then, popular with skiers and walkers. There are a couple of very small towns and numerous villages hand hamlets scattered around but this is a sparsely populated area, perhaps more so since people have moved to the towns in search of better work prospects; in the past there was small scale industry in the Pohorje, most notably glass making. The people here are tough; the winters are harsh and often long. The Pohorje is largely forested; it’s not really agricultural country though the lower villages are often farming communities.

The people formed into a loose battalion of resistance fighters to defend their homes, their villages and their country against the Nazis. They were not organised but they were committed to the cause and would, in the end pay the ultimate sacrifice. On 8 January 1943 during a fiercely fought two and a half battle 69 members of the Pohorje Battalion were killed; among there number were several women and the well known leader of the Battalion, Alfonz Sarh and his three sons (all of the sons were minors). Only one member of the Battalion survived, he was captured and later executed.

The battle was fought in the forest in the middle of winter. This is at the best of times a challenging landscape. We visited in summer and noticed it was several degrees cooler up here in the depths of the forest than in the villages below. One can only imagine how terrible it must have been up here in winter and in those dreadful circumstances.

In 1961 at the tiny hamlet of Osankarica an exhibition was opened that covered the Pohorje Battalion. In 1978 the building was extended to also cover the Pohorje Partisans' activities in the Stajerska region more generally. The centre is attached to a large restaurant and bar which is a welcome sight for tired walkers (we had been walking for several hours and had come to Osankarica by way of the Black Lake. If the exhibition is locked you must ask in the restaurant and the owner will open up and take your payment (there is a very small admission charge).

There are just two large exhibition spaces. In the first you watch a short film about the Pohorje Battalion and can see a display about the battle at Osankarica. I found the film very moving and it’s incredible that, considering that the Battalion was not an official military unit (it was made up purely of partisans), so much is known about who was involved and the exact timetable of events leading up to the fateful battle. The people of the Pohorje were systematically targeted by the Germans; homes, farms and other businesses were frequently destroyed as the Nazis attempted the crush any possible partisan activities. A model of the area shows the difficulties the partisans faced in trying to carry out their activitiesin this terrain.

One of the most interesting parts of the exhibtion focuses on Alfona Sarh and his sons. Sarh is regarded in Slovenia as a national hero. In 1917 he escaped from the Soska front to the Pohorje mountains and in the inter war years he played an instrumental part in the Slovenian national movement. In 1941 he managed to avoid arest and the following year he joined the Pohorje Battaion in the town of Ruse (about ten kilometres from Maribor) and was soon joined by his three sons who managed to escape the transportation camp at Frohnleiten. His fellow partisans referred to him out of respect as the King of Pohorje.

The monument on the battlefield is a short walk from the Dom Osanakrica and the former partisan hospital of Jesen is about thirty mintes walk away. Viewing all of these sights is a very worthwhile way to spend a day and has the bonus of allowing you to see some of the more remote parts of the Pohorje. The museum is also very close to the wonderful Black Lake.

Although not all of the display is in English (the film has English subtitles) I would strongly recommend a visit to the musuem. The monument and hospital are more difficult to access but the museum is a must. Not only does this excellent exhibition tell the story about an important part of Stajerska and Slovenian history, it also explains a lot about the strength and determination of those living in the Pohorje.

To reach the museum requires a lot of legwork or a car. From Slovenska Bistrica you can take a bus to the village of Kebelj and from there follow the road up the hill or follow the footpath and reach the museum via the Black Lake; this requires some stamina as this is quite a climb. If you are driving you can park up at the Dom Osankarica and walk to the monument. You should remember that this is marshy terrain and wear appropriate footwear.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 16, 2011

Pohorje Partisans Exhibition
Dom Osankarica
Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia

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First Experiences of Slovenska Bistrica

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Main Street, Slovenska Bistrica Photo - Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia

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Initially I didn't even consider Slovenska Bistrica to be a place at all because when the train between Maribor and Ljubljana stopped there all I could see were small groups of cottages on the mountains of the Pohorje Massif. Perhaps I was sitting on the wrong side of the train but there didn't seem to be a town at all. I assumed that the station must have been built there so that all the local hamlets could have access to the train line - the line is an important one historically because it links Zagreb and Vienna, two very important cities of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Sometime later while browsing the country's official tourism website I noticed something about Slovenska Bistrica ...Read More

Initially I didn't even consider Slovenska Bistrica to be a place at all because when the train between Maribor and Ljubljana stopped there all I could see were small groups of cottages on the mountains of the Pohorje Massif. Perhaps I was sitting on the wrong side of the train but there didn't seem to be a town at all. I assumed that the station must have been built there so that all the local hamlets could have access to the train line - the line is an important one historically because it links Zagreb and Vienna, two very important cities of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Sometime later while browsing the country's official tourism website I noticed something about Slovenska Bistrica and this is how I learned that it really is a "proper town" and not just the Slovenian version of "Alfreton Parkway". Having said that, I travelled there by bus and didn't see a single sign for the train station so perhaps it is situated some distance from the town centre.

The bus station is situated a minutes walk from the historic centre of Bistrica (as I shall now refer to it as this is what the locals call it). The only sign for the Tourist Information office was a big blue "I" right outside the office - it isn't signposted from any other part of town. The tiny office is staffed by one very friendly but not very helpful young woman who recommended a visit to the Botanical Gardens - not open until May and impossible to get to without your own car. It was February and we had told her we'd come by bus. We did leave, however, with a mountain of useful and interesting leaflets about all the villages in the Pohorje Massif and we intend to visit some of them by bike in September. She did not actually recommend the castle until I asked her directly about it; odd as it is the chief site of Bistrica.

The castle is in the heart of the town and this is quite notable because it stands on flat ground rather than taking advantage of a hillside location which would strategically have made more sense. It's a castle in the central European style so British people might think it looks more like a large stately home than a castle. The castle is open daily but you need a guide to visit it. The young man in reception sprang to attention and asked what parts of the castle we would like to visit. As we had not been before we couldn't say but this was not a problem. He phoned a colleague, picked up some keys and asked us to follow him. Our personal tour lasted an hour which was just right to get a quick view of all the collections and learn about the history of the castle. I intend to review the experience in more detail but will mention briefly here some of the exhibits. The highlight is the Knights Hall with its wonderful frescoes and painted ceiling. Other points of interest (for me) were a fabulous collection of costume dolls from all over the world which was donated to the museum by a local woman who traveled the world meeting all kinds of important people. Colonel Gaddaffi himself had heard about her collection before she arrived in Libya and presented her with a magnificent doll. There are some fine prints of castles all over Slovenia made from old engravings and a room in which is displayed a collection of flags from the days of the Partisans.

After our tour of the museum we took a stroll around Castle Park, now a shadow of its former self as large sections were chipped away in the post-war period for the building of schools and other public buildings. Now less than a quarter of the original is still a park but it's nicely planted in the French style and is worth a look.

Bistrica was known by the Germans as "Windisch-Feistritz" and, walking around, it's easy to see that this town was once under German control. Slovenska Bistrica has been struck by serious fires on three occasions and the handful of public buildings that remain are very much in the German style. So strong was the German government of the town that Slovenians were not allowed to live in the town itself and lived in the villages clustered in the hills surrounding the town.

At first glance it looks like Bistrica is the perfect place for a day out but the truth is that in the town itself, except for the castle all you can do is look from the outside. The town has several attractive churches but they were all locked up so we could only admire them from outside. We had seen a photograph of a magnificent altar inside one church but that one was perched on a steep hill outside the town and we suspected it would not be open if we made the trek.

After lunch (which was not easy to find as Bistrica has a distinct lack of town centre eating places) we remembered we had seen a wine barrel by the side of the road as we entered the town and so we took a walk to find out whether we could tour the winery. First we passed a gostilna which we assumed would be serving food and selling the wines from the winery but we wanted to see the cellars and find out a bit about the wines from this region. We walked all round the main building but we couldn't find a visitors' entrance. Finally we went to the only door that was open and went in; there was nobody to be seen and a tentative "Dober dan" failed to raise any attention so we went to the gostilna instead. It was a large and fairly modern inn but it was homely and the staff were welcoming. We asked to try some local wine - I asked for white, himself asked for red. Despite mine being a yellow muscat and supposedly semi-sweet it was very good indeed but not anywhere near as good as the red - as we found out when the bill came, the hefty 8 Euro tag on the glass of wine proved what good taste we have!

If you happen to be in this part of Slovenia I would certainly recommend spending half a day in Bistrica, perhaps a whole day if you can take part in a guided tour or can gain access to some of the churches. However it seems that the handsome buildings and old world charm of Bistrica offer false promises. Touristy it may appear but the truth is that Bistrica is a town in decline as the number of empty shops indicates. Bistrica is the sort of attractive old market town that is crying out for some craft shops, perhaps some nice coffee shops and definitely a good market; Bistrica grew around the fact that it was an important market town but we couldn't see any sign of a market these days.

Despite appearance Bistrica is not worth making a special trip for. However, a stop at the scenic town centre along with exploring the outlying villages would be a nice way to pass a couple of days if you are in Slovenia. Nearby Mount Boc is popular with walkers and provides good skiing in winter. Also nearby is Ancnik , a Roman fort - this is one for summer only obviously as there is nothing to see when it is covered in snow like in February when we visited Bistrica.

If only the local council realised what a gem they have here; it shouldn't be difficult to find places to eat or to gain access to interesting buildings. I'm sure a little thought into how to make Bistrica more tourist-friendly would pay dividends and see a rejuvenation of the town. As it is the town is visually appealing but needs to do so much more to help tourists get more out of their visit.
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Slovenska Bistrica Castle

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Attraction | "Slovenska Bistrica Castle - Roll Up for a Private Tour"

Slovenska Bistrica Castle Photo - Slovenska Bistrica Castle, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia

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Every Slovenian town worth its salt has a castle (in Slovene a "grad") and Slovenska Bistrica's is one of the best. The castle is very much in the central European style and therefore looks more like a baroque mansion than a fortress. The town is surrounded by villages that nestle in the foothills of the Pohorje Massif and the castle is in the heart of the town rather than occupying a strategically defensive position from which to repel invaders. It is partly the seeming innocuous location that makes this castle seem less "castle-like". When the Germans controlled the town, Slovenian people weren't allowed to live inside its boundaries and were confined to the villages. Only one of the tow...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 3, 2010

Slovenska Bistrica Castle
Grajska 11, 2310
Slovenska Bistrica
+386 2 818 55 26

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Slovenska Bistrica - Often Closed to Tourists

Crno jezero - the Black Lake

Pohorje Partisans Exhibition

First Experiences of Slovenska Bistrica

Slovenska Bistrica Castle

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