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A little closer toVelenje.
A town built from nothing in the 1950s, a coal mine you can go down, and three lakes that exist because the ground sank.
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About Velenje
Velenje
Velenje is the most interesting modern town in Slovenia and the least likely tourist destination in it. The centre was designed and built in one go in the 1950s on the proceeds of the coal below it, which is why it looks like nowhere else in the country, and a ten-metre statue of Tito still stands in the square it was built around. The Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia puts visitors in overalls and takes them down a shaft into the real workings: the best industrial visit in the country. The lakes on the valley floor are not natural: the ground subsided as the coal came out, water filled the hollows, and the largest of them now has a sand beach in the middle of a mining basin. Velenje Castle on the hill above holds the regional museum, including an unexpectedly good African collection.
Photo: Yerpo (via LetsVisit)
What To See & Do
Explore Velenje
Žovnek Castle
Žovnek Castle is a castle northeast of Braslovče, Slovenia. It lies above Lake Žovnek.· Wikipedia
Velenje Castle
Velenje Castle is a well-preserved castle in Velenje, Slovenia that was owned by the Kunšperk family, followed by their Ptuj relatives and the Lichtenberg family. The castle houses a museum of art and culture.· Wikipedia
Ojstrica Castle
Ruins near Velenje.
Novi Klošter Monastery
Novi Klošter is a former Dominican priory near Polzela (Slovenia), built in the mid-15th century by Frederick II, Count of Celje.· Wikipedia
Smrekovec Lodge
The Smrekovec Lodge is a mountain hostel on the southern slope of the Smrekovec Mountains in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps. The first lodge was built in 1933, but it was burned down during World War II.· Wikipedia
Turn Castle, Velenje
A castle near Velenje.
Dobrna Castle
Ruins near Velenje.
Forhtenek Castle
Ruins near Velenje.
Grad Pakenštajn
Ruins near Velenje.
Lake Žovnek
Lake Žovnek is a lake near Celje in Slovenia.· Wikipedia
Hell Cave
Hell Cave is a karst cave in the settlement of Zalog pri Šempetru in Slovenia.· Wikipedia
Lake Družmirje
A lake near Velenje.
Rotovnik Cave
A cave near Velenje.
Lake Velenje
A lake near Velenje.
Okrepčevalnica Ribiški dom
Restaurant in Velenje.
Restavracija Jezero
Restaurant serving regional in Velenje.
Skalca
Pub in Velenje.
Ribiška koča Šoštanj
Pub in Velenje.
Vila Herberstein
Restaurant serving regional in Velenje.
Kavarna Nova
Cafe in Velenje.
Tuševo
Pub in Velenje.
Čujež
Restaurant in Rečica ob Savinji.
Lucifer
Cafe serving coffee shop in Velenje.
Best time to visit
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
Elevation
390 m
Population
25,000
Suggested stay
Day trip