AVSENIK

Avsenik

1/1

Begunje na Gorenjskem is situated in the northernmost part of the Radovljica Plain and is the birthplace of the legend of Slovene popular folk music, Slavko Avsenik. This typical Gorenjska region village is home to a number of archaeological sites, the mighty Kamen Castle and Katzenstein Mansion, the preserved Robačnek Mill, the innovative Elan, and more.

Bégne, as the village is referred to by locals, comprises a range of historical and cultural landmarks which are due to the position of the village, but even more down to the creativity of the locals. It is also home to one of the most innovative sports equipment manufacturers, Elan, as well as to Slavko Avsenik, the pioneer of Slovene popular folk music. Concerts featuring national folk music ensembles are organised every week at Restaurant Avsenik, which is just next door to the Avsenik Museum.

The village stretches along the Begunjščica Stream, and its centre comprises the Church of St Ulrich on one side of the road and Katzenstein Mansion with a park adjacent to it on the other. During World War II, Begunje was under German occupation. The mansion housed the notorious Gestapo prisons and large numbers of hostages were executed by firing squad. Memorial burial grounds are to be found near Katzenstein Mansion and in the Draga Valley.

The road that leads through the village will bring you past Kamen Castle and into the Draga Valley, at the end of which is the starting point for hikes into the Karavanke Range (Polška planina and Preval mountain pastures, Roblek Hut, and Mt. Begunjščica). The other option you have when you reach the end of Begunje is to continue along the panoramic road that winds beneath the slopes of Mt. Dobrča all the way to the town of Tržič.