Haloze, the vineyard hills south of Ptuj

What Haloze is, hills south of Ptuj

The Haloze hills stretch about 31 km as the crow flies, from Makole to Zavrč, roughly 10 km wide in the west and 6 km in the east. Hostelling International Slovenia explains that the steep terrain, the border and a hard life have led many people to leave, and that some vineyards are being lost to scrub. The highest peak is Jelovice, at 623 m. Haloze lies in Podravje, and Ptuj is its natural capital.

Haloze wine

Thanks to the climate, the location and marl soils, the vines thrive, mainly on the eastern slopes, while the western side is almost all forest. The tourist board says the Ptuj wine cellar, the oldest in the country, has kept the best wine from Haloze and the Slovenske gorice for 700 years. Among the vines turn the klopotec, wooden wind rattles that announce a land of traditional winemaking, and in Haloze they have six sails.

What to see in Haloze

By the Drava, Borl castle looks out from a cliff over the river. It belonged to the lords of Ptuj, worked as a holiday resort with pools in the 1960s, closed in 1980 and was partly renovated a few years ago, with a café and spaces for concerts. St Anne’s church, reached by a steep path, offers a sweeping view of Haloze, Ptuj and Pohorje according to Ptuj tourism, and beside it grows an offspring of the Lent vine in Maribor, the world’s oldest vine.

In Cirkulane, St Barbara’s church has one of the tallest bell towers around, and the birthplace of Professor Vladimir Bračič, the first rector of the University of Maribor, now houses a tourist information centre. The ethnographic heritage park shows the Bložak house, a traditional Haloze home. To the west, in the wooded part, Ptujska Gora holds the Gothic basilica of the Virgin Mary the Protector.

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The Haloze trail and gibanica

The Haloze Hills Trail was waymarked in 1983 by the Ptuj Alpine Association. It runs 70 km from Borl castle to the summit of Donačka gora, with 11 checkpoints. For food, the tourist board recommends Haloze gibanica, a leavened cake with curd cheese, egg yolks and sour cream that was once baked in a wood-fired oven.

A day in the hills

My plan would be to stay in Ptuj and spend a day in Haloze by car or bike, taking in Borl, St Anne’s and Ptujska Gora. Walkers can do a section of the trail and stay on a farm among the vines.

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