River Mura is the last large lowlands river in Slovenia that still retains its pristine character. Slowly flowing across the Pomurje plain Mura is a biodiversity hotspot, a Natura 2000 area hosting many endangered fish, birds and plants species. In 2018 the river and its floodplain was registered as a UNESCO biosphere reserve; it includes … Read more
As soon as we – Homo sapiens – emerged from them gloomy caves and started to live under the sun, we joined a selected group of animals that had had enough of constant adapting to the environment, and chose a different strategy: to change the environment in order to better suit their lifestyle. And thus … Read more
So now that our Kite society KAP Jasa is all set, we got busy thinking how to do some community outreach, how to bring the kites – kite making, kite flying, and kite aerial photography – closer to the people. In Slovenia there is no kite tradition, apart from those kites your father bought you, … Read more
We talk a lot about Ljubljana Marshes, that 160 sq km marshy plain south of Ljubljana, and we have reasons for that. First, there is a lot of natural, archaeological, and historical moments to be found here (Iška moor nature reserve, prehistoric pile dwellings, Plecnik’s church), and second, the Marshes are flat and perfect for … Read more
The past is buried, and some say it should stay that way. Not archaeologists, though – they want just the opposite. But how do you know where exactly are the remains of the world long gone – so that you don’t dig just everywhere and hope to get lucky? This is the church of St. … Read more
You know how the 17th century was … the Recatholisation that began after the Protestant upheaval of mid-16th century slowly backed off its peak hysteria and became somewhat complacent. But the coffers of the church and wealthy aristocracy were still quite full, and people were using stories of apparitions and miracles to drive resources to … Read more
The vast Ljubljana Marshes, a 163 square kilometers of flat, marshy land south of Ljubljana, are a strangely beautiful place, rich in biodiversity, geology, prehistory and history. The black soil of Ljubljana Marhses . The basin of the Marshes formed at the end of Lower Pleistocene (~800.000 years ago) by a collapse along two still … Read more
Inspired by fantastic aerial archaeology work by dr. John Wells (who uses kites for flying the cameras!), with last summer’s discoveries at Newgrange, and with our own chance find at castle Kalec, we went searching for more ancient remains that can be seen only from the air. The Ministry of Culture of Slovenia maintains a … Read more
Et in Arcadia ego … Baroque style – fodder for the masses, as the poet wrote – was both flamboyant and organized; countering the austere and sombre Reformation and celebrating the power of humans over Nature. While sacral Baroque architecture and art went berserk soon – losing itself in excesses of the Rococco – houses, … Read more
Vast, deep forests of Zaplana plateau, some 30 km southwest of Ljubljana, are a mysterious place. A place where dragons live – and are born. So where better to fly a kite – incidentally, the Slovene word for kite, zmaj means dragon (as it does in many other languages) – than here! Do dragons really … Read more