The Partisan
Trbovlje – Pod Ostrim vrhom – Prapreče – Čebine – Sveta Planina – Planinska vas – Klek – Trbovlje
Trbovlje is surrounded by green peaks that always reward their visitors with awesome views. One of such peaks is called Sveta Planina or Partizanski vrh (1011 m). The trail starts in front of the Youth Hostel Trbovlje, and it first takes us through the authentic surroundings of the old miner’s colony Njiva, from where it starts ascending sharply with the steepness persisting until reaching the 9-tonne iron sculpture of Prometheus, the Miner, who keeps an eye on the once industrial Zasavje Valley. The ascent itself then continues all the way to the top, until we reach Sveta Planina. The top of the hill is home to the Name of Mary Church, also called St. Anne’s Church, which is the highest-lying parish church in the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. A memorial plaque on the stone wall under the church tells that this was the location of the mountain hotel Ana, erected in September, 1935, and burned down in April, 1943. The view point on the ridge, is practically vertical on its eastern side, offers an excellent view of the valley. On one side, there is Trbovlje, and on the other, there is the Zagorje Valley, while one can also see the Posavje Hills and Pohorje further away. The descent surprises us with a short unpaved ascent, and in general, it offers an enjoyable descent with lovely views of the surrounding hills that still await to be ascended. LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Workers Hall Trbovlje with its mosaic, miner’s colony Njiva, Prometheus the Miner statue, memorial house of the Founding Congress of the Communist Party (Barlič Homestead), St. Anne’s Church
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Workers Hall Trbovlje with its mosaic, miner’s colony Njiva, Prometheus the Miner statue, memorial house of the Founding Congress of the Communist Party (Barlič Homestead), St. Anne’s Church
The Hunter
Trbovlje – Klek – Partizanski vrh – Čebine – Vrhe – Podmeja – Svine – Ostenk – Trbovlje
After a short descent into the valley, past the sports park Rudar, the trail turns up into the hill, past the General Hospital Trbovlje. The trail follows the main road through Klek and all the way to Čebine. At the sharp turn, under the Church of the St. Cross, lies the Barlič Homestead, which hosted the Founding Congress of the Communist Party of Slovenia, which was held in secret in the night from 17th to 18th April, 1937. There is a memorial plaque to commemorate the event. The ground floor of the house is home to a museum, which shows the political events and the position of the working class between the 1st and the 2nd World War. From this point on, the trail still sticks to the main road, which takes us past Sveta Planina or. Partizanski Vrh all the way to the Vrhe mountain hut. The hut is located on the slope of the Kisovec hill (1021 m) with the Church of St. Lenart nearby. The descent takes us past the Medvednica ski course and over Liza to the Podmeja Pass. It may be a good idea to stop there for a while, as it offers an old inn as well as a fantastic view of the valley. After a short descent, we come to a signpost that directs us left towards Čeče, to a road that descends through Svine and Ostenk, all the way down to Trbovlje. It reaches the main road through the town at the local swimming pool, where we can also see the administrative building of the Municipality of Trbovlje.
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: statue of a mother holding a baby, Church of St. Nicholas, memorial house of the Founding Congress of the Communist Party (Barlič Homestead), Church of St. Martin, the oldest house in Trbovlje, also called the Hunter’s Manor or Arzenšek House, memorial room of Ana Dimnik, administrative building of the Municipality of Trbovlje.
The cold one
Trbovlje – Gabrsko – Knezdol – Podmeja – Mrzlica – Čeče – Golovec – Trbovlje
The trail takes us past numerous cultural landmarks to the end of the valley and then along paved and unpaved roads past Gabrsko and Knezdol to the Podmeja pass (724 m). The steepest parts also offer the most magnificent views of the valley and the surroundings. From the pass to the top of Mrzlica, the paved road soon becomes an unpaved road. At this part of the trail, we descend along the same road, which takes us through the landscape park, where we can make short stops at the viewpoints offering wonderful views of the Savinja Valley and the Šalek Valley as well as of Styria. Those with a vivid imagination may even see the indigenous inhabitant of these hills, the green dwarf, which is said to live here. And some local people may also tell of the legend that the hill is filled with water, with a dragon living inside of it, while there is a white snake roaming its slopes as well as a witch on a broom. We believe that in this natural stillness one can experience all that. The cycling goal of the trail is the mountain hut, while the peak of Mrzlica (1122 m), which is also called the Miner’s Triglav, requires us to visit it on foot. The extra labour will be awarded with breathtaking views of Snežnik, Nanos and the Julian Alps. The return is a steep descent to Trbovlje through Čeče and Golovec, which leads all the way back to the Culture Park.
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Culture Park, Zasavje Museum of Trbovlje, Workers Hall Trbovlje with its mosaic, monument to the fight against Orjuna, statue of a mother holding a baby, memorial room of Ana Dimnik, the oldest house in Trbovlje, also called the Hunter’s Manor or Arzenšek House, Vrhar Homestead and the monument to the national-liberation fight, Church of St. Catherine, Church of St. Martin
The Miner
Trbovlje – Bevško – Nasipi – Lakonca – Retje – Prapretno at Hrastnik – Plesko – Ostenk – Golovec – Trbovlje
Starting at the Youth Hostel Trbovlje, the trail follows the cycling trail to the southern part of Trbovlje, where it then ascends via the industrial road to the village Retje above Trbovlje. Moving between the houses, the trails leads us to the beautiful Church of St. Cross (520 m), with a viewpoint beside it, which offers a view of Trbovlje, Čemšeniška Planina, Klek, Mrzlica and Kum. From here, we can also see the upper part of the chimney of the former Trbovlje Thermo Plant (TET), which is the highest chimney in Europe, measuring no less than 360 meters in height. Its grandeur and the view of the vast facilities surrounding the Power Plant can be experienced even better, if we look a little closer and find a path to ride nearer. Those curious enough can also go to the R2 mine entry, the highest point of the Trbovlje Mine, which is located nearby. Our trail then moves on along the paved road to Prapretno and Plesko. At the shooting range, the trail ascends along a more difficult unpaved path above Ojstro, and it then returns to the centre of Trbovlje through Ostenk and Golovec.
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Culture Park, entrance to the Vasle Shaft, Church of St. Cross, Thermo Plant chimney, Church of St. Marko, Church of St. Martin, the oldest house in Trbovlje, also called the Hunter’s Manor or Arzenšek House, memorial room of Ana Dimnik, statue of a mother holding a baby.
The Kum Trail
Trbovlje – Bevško – Škofja Riža – Lontovž – Kum – Župa – Dobovec – Bevško – Trbovlje
The cycling trail through Trbovlje runs all the way to the Sava River. After crossing the river, we take the steep paved ascent, which soon offers the view of the 360-metre high chimney of the former Trbovlje Thermo Plant (TET), which is the biggest man-made structure in the Republic of Slovenia. The trail then turns right towards Škofja Riža and takes a roundabout way along a good unpaved road through wonderful forests of the Čebulova Dolina (Onion Valley) and Lontovž. The area is part of a landscape park with numerous natural landmarks. At the top of Kum, or Triglav of Zasavje, as it is also called, there is the Mountain hut Kum as well as an old Church of St. Neža and a large radio and television transmitter opposite to it. To get there, the trail follows a still steep road, which is partially paved, while the last two kilometres are unpaved. The laborious ascent is awarded with views ranging from the nearby Posavje Hills and all the way to distant Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Karawanks and Julian Alps with its highest peak, Triglav. When returning, the trail turns right onto the Slovene Mountain Bike Trail to the village Župa. The unpaved trail becomes a paved road when it turns toward Dobovec, an idyllic village where we can observe an old scale for livestock. The only thin g that remains is a descent towards the valley, crossing the Sava River and riding back to the starting point in the centre of Trbovlje.
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Culture Park, entrance to the Vasle Shaft, Thermo Plant chimney, Church of St. Neža, St. Anne’s Church, Workers Hall Trbovlje with its mosaic
The Trboule Trail
Trbovlje – Bevško – Nasipi – Ribnik – Terezija – Dom in vrt – Mestni trg – Savinjska cesta – Obrtniška cesta – Rudarska cesta – Ulica 1. junija street– Njiva – Trbovlje
Those who think Trbovlje is all grey … Think again! The town is surrounded by hills and green areas in all directions. The trail along the streets of Trbovlje, a more than 7 km long vale by the Trboveljščica stream, we can witness, how industry and 200 years of intensive mining marked the area and its people. The trail leads us from the Youth Hostel Trbovlje along the mark cycling trail towards the south, and turns uphill towards the business zone at the crossroad with the inscription “Trbovlje”. The trail leads past the administrative building of the Trbovlje – Hrastnik Mine, main entrance into the mine, miners’ bathroom “vašhava” and other preserved external structures. It continues through or past miner’s colonies (Žabjek, Terezija, Kurja vas), as well as Gvido and Bajer communities, along which there are still several structures connected to the miner’s heritage, such as the Drajeršoht exit tower with its accompanying engine room and a former mine entrance – Terezija Shaft. After that, the trail leads back down into the valley, turns toward the north, turns around at the Ledenica sports park and returns to the starting point along the marked cycling trail.
LANDMARKS ALONG THE TRAIL: Culture Park, entrance to the Vasle Shaft, Trbovlje – Hrastnik Mine (entrance, miner’s bathroom “vašhava”, exit tower Drajeršoht, entrance to the Terezija Shaft), the oldest house in Trbovlje, also called the Hunter’s Manor or Arzenšek House, memorial room of Ana Dimnik, statue of a mother holding a baby.
