In the dead of the night, a group of women set out along the narrow path towards Trieste. They carry baskets full of fruit and vegetables on their heads. It will take them six to seven hours of walking to get to the city. They will only return home in the evening, with some flour or coffee, and some money if they are lucky.
The Bohinj Railway is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, having been opened in 1906 during the Austro-Hungarian era. It ranks among the most technically challenging and, at the same time, most picturesque railway lines in this part of Europe. Still in operation today, it connects the Gorenjska and Primorska regions and is recognised as an important technical and cultural monument. It is also one of the most beautiful railway lines in the world.
How did people once record their thoughts, express their beliefs, mark their belongings or tell stories? What can ancient artefacts tell us about this today? The exhibition Tweets from the Past (Čivki iz preteklosti), on display at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana until 23 August 2026, reveals the earliesttraces of symbols, signs and written records in the territory of present-day Slovenia through remarkable archaeological finds. Some of the exhibited objects even hold the remarkable distinction of being the oldest of their kind in the world.
The Škofja Loka Passion Play is based on the original work of Father Romuald, Lovrenc Marušič, dating from the early 18th century, and is regarded as the oldest preserved dramatic text in the Slovene language. The text of the Škofja Loka Passion Play was developed on the basis of the tradition of Slovene penitential processions. It comprises 865 verses and 13 scenes: Paradise; Death; the Last Supper; Samson; the Agony in the Garden; the Scourging; the Crowning with Thorns; Saint Jerome; Ecce Homo; Christ on the Cross; the Mother of Seven Sorrows; the Ark of the Covenant; and the Holy Sepulchre. This year, it will be staged for the first time since its inscription in 2016 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
As we celebrate International Women's Day on 8 March, behind the flowers and greeting cards lies interesting information that reveals how women live in Slovenia. Statistics are not just a collection of numbers, but a mirror of society.
The picturesque and rugged landscape of the Idrija and Cerkno hills hides one of the most important archaeological sites of the Early Stone Age in Slovenia. In a steep and rocky area above the Idrijca valley, archaeologists have discovered remarkable traces of life from tens of thousands of years ago, including the famous Neanderthal flute. Around 60,000 years old, the flute is the oldest surviving musical instrument in the world and a treasure of global significance, confirming that Neanderthal man was, like us, a fully evolved spiritual being, capable of sophisticated artistic creations such as music.
The childhood of past generations was inseparably linked to free play in courtyards, meadows, or in front of the family home. The world children created was built on imagination, resourcefulness, and community. Their main “tools” were pebbles, elastic bands, chalk, or simply their own bodies, while the rules emerged spontaneously. Today, children grow up surrounded by an abundance of activities and organized programmes, yet toy - free play, once taken for granted, is becoming increasingly rare.
Ptuj, founded on the banks of the Drava River and inhabited for thousands of years, is today one of Central Europe's richest archaeological and cultural towns. Its renown reaches far beyond Slovenia's borders – not only because it was named Best Cultural Heritage Town in Europe 2026, but also thanks to its remarkable density of preserved traces of the past.
Perched on a scenic hill overlooking the Sotla River stands Podčetrtek Castle - one of the oldest fortresses in the Kozjansko region, watching over the valley for nearly 800 years.
This September, miners working in the Preloge shaft of the Velenje mine made an extraordinary discovery — fossilised bones of a mastodon, an extinct ancestor of today's elephant. While paleontologists were not surprised by the find, as the Šalek Valley has long been recognised as a rich source of fossils from large Ice Age animals, each new discovery adds another chapter to the story of life on our land millions of years ago.
For about five centuries, the territory of present-day Slovenia was part of the vast Roman Empire. Before the Romans set foot on what is now Slovenian territory, it was inhabited by Celtic tribes which left an important mark on early culture and the economy.
Strmol Castle, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved castles in Slovenia, is located at the foot of Dvorjanski Hill near Cerklje in Upper Carniola. Its history dates back to the 13th century, when it was built by the Strmol knights, from whom the castle takes its name.
