November 8, 2020 – Although Zagreb has been shrouded in fog on Sunday morning, it has been a sunny autumn day on Sljeme and its forest.
Standing 1000 meters above Zagreb, the highest peak of Mount Medvednica, Sljeme, is the perfect and most favourite weekend excursion site for many Zagreb residents, as well as people from the surrounding area.
Although the fog did not look promising on Sunday morning, many Zagreb recreationists and excursionists still decided to head to the highest peak of Zagreb. And they did not regret it, as the sun appeared just after the first hills. Climbing to an increasing elevation, the fog slowly but surely disappeared, and the late autumn sun shone through the already half-bare branches of the Medvednica forest.
Sljeme (1033m), the highest peak of Medvednica or Zagrebačka Gora, as it is also called, can be reached on foot and by bike on hiking trails, or by road. From 1963 to 2007, the Sljeme cable car was in operation, and a new one is currently under construction, and should have its first test run of only 16 minutes very soon.
The area of Medvednica is also a nature park of the same name, and along the walk or ride through the beautiful forest, it is possible to get to know more than 1000 plant species. You can find your peace on as many as 70 hiking trails, and listen to the murmur of water from 70 streams. Exactly because of that, but also because of the immediate vicinity of the Croatian metropolis, the interest in visiting Medvednica and Sljeme is great throughout the whole year, and mostly on weekends.
Apart from the beautiful untouched nature, there are other tourist attractions in the Medvednica Nature Park, such as the old medieval fortress Medvedgrad. The Veternica Cave, the sixth-largest in Croatia, and the Zrinski Mine, cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia, are also an indispensable part of a visit to the park.
Since 2005, Sljeme has been the host of the Snow Queen Trophy ("Snježna kraljica"), women's slalom race of the World Ski Cup. The original name of the race was the Golden Bear ("Zlatni medvjed"), but it was changed in honor of Janica Kostelić, legendary Croatian skier, without whose sporting success the race would not have been given to Croatia and Zagreb to organize. Apart from that, Sljeme is also well-known for its television tower, visible from every part of Zagreb, and the Restaurant Vidikovac.
After a few hours of climbing, depending on the chosen route, hikers most look forward to eating homemade beans or baked “štrukli” and sweeten with strudels in the famous Mountain Lodge Puntijarka (947m).
The descent, due to fallen brown leaves and swept stones, is as challenging as the ascent to Sljeme, but the pleasure of observing the stems and treetops is even greater.
All photos © Donatella Pauković
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