TOP 5 easy hiking trails

Not an extreme hiker? Although Bela Krajina is a great hiking destination with its 23 hiking trails, it doesn't let those who want to go for a "little walk" down. That's why we've rounded up the TOP 5 easy hiking trails that will get your blood pumping and your body moving, but still leave some air in your lungs.

Kučar- Kolpa Educational Trail - Kolpa

This easy, 3-kilometre circular trail leads to the only isolated spot in Bela Krajina, from which you can see the fertile fields on the Slovenian and Croatian sides of the Kolpa River, which meanders below Kučar Hill. It's true - Kučar is a small hill, the climb is only 85 metres. You start at Camping Bela Krajina and head towards Kučar Hill. Past the Veselič Inn, you slowly start to climb past houses and vineyard houses.

Apart from the beautiful view, one of the most important archaeological sites not only in Slovenia but also in the wider south-east awaits you at the top. It has become world-famous for the rich finds from its burial sites. Rich remains of a settlement dating from the earlier and younger Iron Age (8th-1st centuries BC) have been excavated here, but even more surprising was the discovery of an early Christian building complex (5th century AD) with two churches, a baptistery, a large building, and a wall reinforced by two towers. Below Kučar, numerous necropolises have been found scattered around the villages of Podzemelj, Zemelj, Škrilje, and Grm.

You can see the archaeological finds in the Bela Krajina Museum in Metlika, where you can find, besides all the Iron Age finds, a special children's toy of the time.
Due to its long and rich history, many folk tales about Kučar have been written by Lojze Zupanc, about Kučar's Treasure, how Kučar came to be, and many others.
When you are heading back to the starting point in Camping Bela Krajina, stop at the Veselič Inn and eat something from Bela Krajina Finest.

Along the Trail of the Forest Railway

Walk through the forest on the outskirts of the Kočevski Rog along one of the best-preserved sections of the forest railway. You'll see many interesting sights along the way, marked with signs. From the water reservoir to the embankment and the glade where cattle grazed, to the grave of the national hero Franc Rozman Stane. There will be no climbs, because you are already on the hill. Start at the Sredgora Pond and follow the marked trail.

In the second half of the 19th century, sawmills began to be set up in the forests due to the heavy exploitation of the forests. The first sawmill to be opened was the Rog sawmill, where logs were transported by forest railway.
At the beginning of the 20th century, forest railways were also operating in Bela Krajina, at Radohi near Gornji Lazi, Veliki Bukovje near Bojance, at Gorjancih, and at Črnomelj - Leseni Kamen. This railway was built by the Jugoles company - the first Slovenian steam-beech industry, employing more than 300 workers. There were 3 locomotives on the line, one to the "Bremzberg" and two to the Črnomalj railway station, where there was a sawmill. During the years of the railway, the beech forest in this area was almost completely cleared. In this forest grows the brek, a rare tree species with edible fruits in the shape of egg-shaped pears.

What is a Bremzberg? The Bremzberg is the special feature of this forest railway. It was a self-balancing rail descent under Sredgora. It was used to overcome the big drop in the track by lowering the carriages down on steel wires.
You can also see the old cemetery of the Gottschee people as you pass by Planina. Seeing the old Gottschee surnames on the monuments is a special glimpse into pre-World War II history.

Župančič Trail

Would you follow the path of the great Slovenian poet from Dragatuš to Vinica? Well, let's go on the 13-kilometre route, which will take you 4 hours.

You start in Dragatuš, where the inn opened by the poet's father, Franc, still stands. The house in Dragatuš was given to his mother, Ana Malič, as a dowry when she married Franc Zupančič. In the Župančič Hram there is a memorial room which you can see before you set off on the trail that leads you through the Lahinja Landscape Park. Did you know that you can explore the Landscape Park through Oton's Adventure? A great hiking activity for school-age children who have been learning Župančič's poems and solving puzzles since the first grade of primary school. Take part in Oton's adventure yourself.

From Belčji Vrh, walk onwards to the village of Hrast pri Vincici, where there is a deposit of iron ore or bauxite, which was too small for an industry to have been established here. In Hrast, a little further on from the bauxite deposit, there is a small pond, which harbours the indigenous terrapins, frogs and ducks, and in the direction of Vinica you will find the largest pond in Bela Krajina, 100 metres across. In the past, the watering troughs were used for watering cattle, but now the watering trough in the oak tree serves as a fish farm. After Hrast and Perudina, you start climbing up to Žeželj. Once an important pilgrimage centre with the Church of the Mother of God, where pilgrims from Slovenia and nearby Croatian villages made pilgrimages, it is also an important archaeological site.

In the Late Iron Age, a tribe called the Japodi (after Roman sources) settled in Vinica. The territory of the Japodi extended to the border of Bosnia and Croatia in the area of the Una valley around Bihać. Vinica was the northernmost settlement of the Japods. The Duchess of Macklenburg excavated in the vicinity of Žeželj.
The Duchess was not appreciated in the professional circles of the time. Today, however, it can be said that her work was well done and important. She excavated for 9 years, unearthing 20,000 objects and treating more than 1,000 graves at 21 sites. In the cemetery of the Vinnitsa fortress, the Duchess of Mecklenburg excavated a small number of prehistoric tombs from the Hallstatt period, a flat (flat) cemetery from the Latin period containing some 350 graves, and an early Roman cemetery adjacent to the Jacobean cemetery.

As you descend from Žeželj past the hunting lodge to Vinica, you will be greeted by a view. The locals have built a bench there, so you can sit for a while and admire the plain around the Kolpa River, which is full of bathers in the summer months. Walk down to Vinica, where the birthplace of Oton Župančič is located.

Castle Trail Along the Kolpa River

Start your journey at Šokčev Dvor in Žuniči and get to know the clothing and artistic history along the Kolpa River. Šokčev Dvor is a unique open-air museum where you can see the making of linen garments, the rooms of an old Uskok farmhouse and stories from the lives of the people who lived here. The Castle Trail is one of the most beautiful routes around the region, which is shaded even in the summer months, but due to its proximity to the Kolpe River, it is not passable at higher water levels. You walk past the Žuniči birch forests with bracken undergrowth, past the Orthodox Church of St Peter and Paul in Miliče, from where you descend to the Kolpa River and walk along it to Pobrežje, where the old 16th-century castle mill awaits you. Above the mill is the old castle complex of Pobrežje Castle, which is still partly inhabited. The castle was built in the 16th century by Vojna Krajina General Ivan Lenkovič as a defence against Ottoman invasions of Bela Krajina. The castle survived all the invasions and was burnt down twice during World War II.

The Millers' Trail

Another walk along the Kolpa River? Yes.
From one of the most beautiful bathing spots in the Bela Krajina, head to Vinica. The path between Damelj and Vinica runs right along the Kolpa River and is not the least bit difficult. Walk with the current, but will you be faster than it? You can pass by the villages that lead you to Vinica and rest your mind in silence. Stop wherever you like and sit on the bank overlooking the Kolpa. What else to write... discover for yourself.