Begunje, the Avsenik village below the Karawanks

The Museum of Hostages at Katzenstein

In the centre of the village stand St Ulrich’s church and Katzenstein mansion, surrounded by a well-kept park with pavilions by Jože Plečnik. From 1941 to 1945 the mansion served as a Gestapo prison. A total of 11,477 prisoners passed through it, most of them from the Gorenjska resistance; many were sent on to Mauthausen and Dachau, and 849 were shot as hostages. On 4 May 1945 the partisans took the prison and freed 632 prisoners.

Today the cells of the north-west wing form the Museum of Hostages, with the prisoners’ writing still on the walls. In the park and in the Draga valley there are 667 graves of hostages and partisans, laid out by the architect Edvard Ravnikar. Visits are by prior arrangement, and it’s a place to go with time and in a quiet frame of mind.

Begunje and the Avsenik brothers

The brothers Slavko Avsenik and Vilko Ovsenik began creating a new kind of music in 1953, at their family home Pri Jožovcu, which is now known as popular folk music and is imitated by many bands in Slovenia and further afield. The Slovenian Tourist Board recalls that their ensemble filled large concert halls around the world.

The Avsenik Museum is in the brothers’ birth house, next to the Avsenik inn. It displays original instruments, the clothes Slavko wore on stage and on record sleeves, awards, and gold, platinum and diamond discs, and it has interactive points where you can listen to tunes and watch recordings from different decades. Upstairs you’ll find the family’s story and a flat furnished with pieces from the house. At the inn there are concerts every week, a weekend of this music in summer and, every other year, the Avsenik Festival.

Kamen Castle and the Draga valley

The road out of the village leads to the ruins of Kamen Castle, the seat of the Lamberg counts, on a rocky ledge at the mouth of the Draga valley. This is the start of the Lambergh trail, which passes two archaeological sites and continues up the valley, the starting point for many walks in the Karawanks and for the climb to Begunjščica. A short walk also takes you up to St Peter’s church above the village, with a magnificent view. If ruins are your thing, you’ll find plenty more in the guide to castles in Slovenia.

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Elan, the ski maker

Begunje is also known for the Elan ski and boat factory, and the Elan Alpine Skiing Museum shows how its skis developed, with interactive exhibits. Stage 3 of the Juliana Trail ends here, after crossing the villages of Žirovnica, so walkers on the long-distance route often spend the night in the area.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Radovljica and pick one that fits your day.

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