Kozjansko Regional Park, a landscape of orchards and castles

Podsreda Castle

Podsreda is the heart of the park. Its castle, at 475 m above the village square, was once called Hörberg, and the park describes it as one of Slovenia’s most important Romanesque buildings, with its medieval core almost intact. It dates back to the 12th century and passed through the hands of the bishops of Krško, the Counts of Celje and several noble families before the Windischgrätz. Today it belongs to Kozje municipality and the park has run it since 1983.

You can visit with an audio guide or a guide, there’s a treasure hunt for families, a café, a shop of local produce and a visitor centre. You can also stay the night, in four-star rooms and apartments. An interactive 2.5 km path climbs from the square to the castle.

What else to see in Kozjansko

The Bistrica gorge, between Podsreda and Bistrica ob Sotli, is in the park’s words the most picturesque and best-preserved river gorge in eastern Slovenia, with a 2 km path from Zagaj and birds such as the dipper and the black stork. There are market villages such as Podsreda, Kozje and Pilštanj, the monastery at Olimje and, on the park’s edge, the repnice of Bizeljsko, turnip caves turned into wine cellars. The park hires out e-bikes for €20 a day, which is the best way to link it all up.

Where it is and what it protects

The park lies in the east of the country, between the River Sotla and Mount Bohor, right where the Alpine and Pannonian worlds meet. It covers 206 km² across five municipalities, Kozje, Bistrica ob Sotli, Podčetrtek, Brežice and Krško, and has its headquarters at Podsreda. According to the park, it’s about half an hour from the motorway, whether you come from the north via the Dramlje exit or from the south via Krško or Brežice.

What makes it distinctive are the high-trunk orchards, the dry hillside meadows, the beech woods and the wet meadows along the Sotla. Most of the park lies within Natura 2000.

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

The apple festival, every autumn

The apple is Kozjansko’s emblem. Every autumn the park holds the Kozjansko Apple Festival in Podsreda’s square, with a market of regional produce, contests and music, and free entry. The 27th edition took place on 10 and 11 October 2026. If you come in spring instead, you’ll find the same orchards in blossom, which for me is the best time of all.

A landscape with a UNESCO prize

The area was first protected in 1981 as the Trebče Memorial Park, a compromise between cultural heritage and nature conservation. Since 2010, Kozjansko and Obsotelje have formed a UNESCO biosphere area, and in 2021 the park became the first in Slovenia to win the international Melina Mercouri Prize, which UNESCO awards for managing cultural landscapes. It fits what you see, countryside looked after for generations.

Among the national parks in Slovenia and their regional cousins, Kozjansko is one of the three regional parks, alongside Notranjska and Škocjan Caves.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Kozjansko Regional Park and choose by the reviews.

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