What to do and see in Kranjska Gora, Upper Carniola Region: The Best Things to do

Planica Nordic Centre offers you fun ways to spend time in hot summer days as well as in the chilliest winters. Check our activities that you can carry out in Planica, and spend some quality time in a wonderful valley under the Ponce! Ready to fly over the jumping hill and turn into real-life eagles? Planica represents a synonim for courage, innovation and development. With more than 40 world records, it has become a popular tourist attraction. Take a walk down memory lane of 80 years of world-class achievements!

The Zgornjesavska Valley is one of the most breathtaking alpine valleys whose center of activity is the resort town of Kranjska Gora. The valley has developed into a major tourist and sports region, famed primarily for its World Cup.

At an altitude of 1611 metres, the mountain pass at Vrsic is the highest in the eastern Julian Alps and provides a natural link between the Savska and the Soska valleys. You may wish to have a relaxing cup of coffee or even stay the night at the Ticarjev mountain hut, which is located at the top of the pass. There are five mountain huts on Vrsic offering you rest and refreshment. Just off the main road winding up Vrsic, at an altitude of around 1200 metres rests the Russian chapel. Whilst ascending Vrsic, you can admire the natural rock-carved face of the lovely maiden Ajdovska deklica and a natural rock-window created in the face of the Prisank mountain.

According to tradition the church was built in the very earliest days of Kranjska Gora’s history. It was built in honour of the Virgin Mary and was called the church of Mary at Beli prod. Only the bell tower, built from sandy blocks in Romanesque style remains from the original church. The existing church dates back to the late Gothic period and was built in 1510 by master builder Jernej Firtaler from Villach. A certain Carinthian influence is evident mainly in the nave vault, which is supported by internal pillars and decorated with a web of ribs which makes it one of the most interesting of its kind in Slovenia.

The Russian chapel was built to honour the memory of those who died and to serve as a reminder of the follies of war. Russians prisoners built the neat little chapel between 1916 and 1917. The chapel has two small towers built in traditional Russian style. All around the chapel and along the roadside are the graves of Russian soldiers. In the First World War Vrsic was a strategic point providing the Austrian troops a more accessible router to the Soča Front. The supply of arms was crucial and the road to Vrsic had to be kept clear at all times, including during the winter months. Therefore, in winter, huge amounts of snow were cleared from the road by Russian prisoners of war under close supervision of the Austrian army. One day a huge avalanche buried the Russian prison camp, killing more than three hundred Russian prisoners and ten of their guards.