Kostanjevica na Krki, a tiny town ringed by the river

A town on an island in the Krka

The town counted just 703 people at the start of 2026, according to SURS, with 2,424 in the municipality’s 28 settlements. It recorded just 2,020 arrivals in 2025. The tourist board calls it the only town in Slovenia on an island in mid-river, in this case the River Krka, and awards it the bronze Slovenia Green Destination label. Nearby lies the Krakovo forest, designated an Important Bird Area (IBA).

The Cistercian monastery of 1234

The Cistercian monastery of Marijin Studenec was founded in 1234 by Duke Bernard of Spanheim of Carinthia, who chose to bury his wife and son here. It was an economic and cultural centre until its dissolution in 1786, and was already fortified in the Renaissance. The great baroque rebuild was carried out by Abbot Alexander Taufferer in 1738. After the dissolution it fell into decay, it burned in the Second World War, and restoration began in the 1950s and is still going on.

Posavje.com highlights its arcaded courtyard, which it counts among the largest in Central Europe, and the church, which it considers one of the finest early Gothic interiors in Slovenia.

The Božidar Jakac Gallery

Inside the monastery is the Božidar Jakac Gallery, which Posavje.com ranks among the country’s largest by exhibition space and holdings. It focuses on 20th-century Slovenian art, with an emphasis on expressionism and artists such as France and Tone Kralj, Jakac, Gorše and Boljka. Since 1977 it has also shown the Pleterje collection of European painting from the 17th to 19th centuries, including a series of apostles based on works by Van Dyck.

Doors are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 until 18:00, and a ticket costs €7. For me it’s what makes the trip worthwhile.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kostanjevica na Krki before prices climb.

Forma Viva, oak sculptures

In 1961 the Forma Viva international sculpture symposium began here, and Posavje.com considers it the oldest still running anywhere. Every two years sculptors spend a month carving oak, the local timber. Over the decades a park of more than a hundred monumental pieces has grown up around the monastery, and you can wander it in the open air. Along with the monastery, it makes this one of the more unusual stops in Posavje.

The cave and the rest of the day

Kostanjevica Cave, at the foot of the Gorjanci hills, is closed for renovation until 15 April 2027. In the meantime I’d pair Kostanjevica with Krško or some time on the Krka, which is popular for canoeing and swimming in summer, according to the club that runs the cave.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Kostanjevica na Krki and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kostanjevica na Krki before prices climb.