The bike path will take us from Mojstrana to Jesenice, a town renowned for its rich tradition of mining and ironworks. The development of mines, blast furnaces, and smelters in the Jesenice area began at the end of the 14th century with the Ortenburg Mining Order. In addition to the ironworks along the Sava River; Javornik, Plavž, and Murova, there were also ironworks in Mojstrana, Radovna, and Bohinj.
Valentin Ruard and Michelangelo Zois were prominent figures in the ironworks industry at the time. Ruard owned ironworks in the Karavanke region, while Zois operated in the Bohinj area. The largest deposits of siderite, or iron ore, were located above Planina pod Golico in the Sava Caves. Mining commenced in the mid-16th century and continued until the early 20th century. The ore, extracted from tunnels totaling over 7.5 km in length, was transported to the blast furnaces at Stara Sava. Today, the Old Ore Route offers a glimpse into this history, taking us back in time and revealing the daily lives of those who mined and processed iron ore in the area.
Today, Jesenice is home to Slovenia's largest ironworks (Železarna Jesenice) and steelworks, which began operations in 1945 following the transfer of ownership from the Kranjska Industrijska Družba.
Cycling across Lipce, where you will have a beautiful view of Stol mountain (2236 m), we will reach Žirovnica, where the Cultural Heritage Trail begins. This area is known for its great Slovenian linguists, poets, and writers, including France Prešeren, Matija Čop, Fran Saleški Finžgar, and Janez Jalen.
The first stop will be at the birthplace of Matija Čop, which now houses a tourist information center. Matija Čop was a Slovene linguist, literary historian, and critic, and France Prešeren's best friend. He was fluent in 19 languages.
The second stop will be in Vrba, the birthplace of the greatest Slovenian poet, France Prešeren. The seventh stanza of his poem "Zdravljica" has been adopted as the anthem of the Republic of Slovenia. Prešeren, a romantic poet and lawyer by profession, was also known as the “Doctor of Figs” for his habit of distributing figs to children in the village. He was a close friend of Matija Čop, to whom he wrote the poem "Krst pri Savici" upon his death. Prešeren's death on February 8, 1850, is now celebrated as a national cultural holiday, and the Prešeren Award is named in his honor as the highest recognition of art in Slovenia.
The third stop will be in Breznica, the cradle of beekeeping, associated with the biggest Slovenian beekeeper Anton Janša. His birthday, May 20, 1734, was declared World Bee Day in 2017. In Vienna, he was the first imperial royal teacher of beekeeping and authored two important beekeeping books. After his death, Empress Maria Theresa decreed that all beekeeping teachers must use his books for instruction.
Between Breznica and Vrba, we will join a macadam road leading us towards Begunje and from there along the main road to Radovljica.
Radovljica, known for the slogan “Radol’ca genuinely sweet,” connects cultural, beekeeping, culinary, musical, and sports events in the city. Here, we find the birthplace of the first Slovenian playwright, Anton Tomaž Linhart, after whom the old town square is named. Linhart staged the comedy "Mayor Micka." The city also hosts the Beekeeping Museum, located in the mansion on the old square. In spring, the city holds an excellent chocolate festival. Not far away, Begunje village is located, which is known as the cradle of Slovenian folk music, where the ensemble Avsenik was born. It is also home to ski factory Elan. With the culinary “Tastes of Radol'ca, you will pamper your little ones every year in selected excellent restaurants.
For the way back to Mojstrana, you can choose our van transport, but if you want to add a touch of royalty to the tour, you can cycle back.
Slovenian Alpine Museum (650 m) - Jesenice (585 m) - Žirovnica (550 m) - Begunje (570 m) - Radovljica (490 m) - Lesce (500 m) - Jesenice (585 m) - Slovenian Alpine Museum (650 m).
We start from the parking lot in front of the Slovenian Alpine Museum at 650 m. Continue in the direction of the village of Dovje and turn right at the main crossroads in Mojstrana. We cross the bridge over the Bistrica River and continue past the ski resort. Proceed to the Sava bridge and turn right onto the bike path. Pass the Topolino rest area (on the opposite side of the Sava River) and head towards Jesenice. At the first crossroads with the main road (after the Karavanke plateau), turn left and follow it to the overpass above the motorway. Turn right, following the signs for Jesenice, and continue along the bike path all the way to Podmežakla. Through the village, go straight for 2 km to the intersection with the main road. On the left is the Sava bridge. Turn right and go uphill towards Blejska Dobrava, following the signposts for the Juliana Trail. When the slope flattens, turn left towards Lipce and continue straight through the village. At the end of the village, go uphill, cross the highway overpass, and continue straight to the crossroads. You will see factory plants in front of you. Turn left towards Žirovnica and follow the road to the crossroads with the macadam road, which leads to Žirovnica. Turn left onto the macadam road towards Žirovnica. Go slightly uphill and then downhill to the end of the field, where the road descends under the Moste motorway viaduct and reaches the dam of the same name. Cross the dam and go up the slope to the main road Jesenice - Radovljica. Cross the main road and join the side road towards Moste - Žirovnica. Follow this road through Moste. Cross the railway crossing and arrive in Žirovnica. About 200 meters past the Mercator store, turn left (signposted for the Juliana Trail) towards Čop's birth house and continue straight to it. From there, go along the side street for 100 meters, then turn right back to the intersection with the main road. At the crossroads, turn left and proceed straight along the main road to the village of Breznica. Continue past the church and cemetery, and just before the shop on the left, turn left into a side street (signposted for the apiary) towards Janša's čebelnjak. Follow the street for 50 meters and then turn left. After returning to the main road, turn right and after 30 meters, immediately turn left towards Vrba. Follow this road straight for 300 meters, then turn left onto the macadam road. Continue straight on this road (at all intersections with the main roads) to Begunje. When you reach the main road, cross it straight and continue through Zapuže. Proceed to the center of the village and before the bridge, turn right towards Nova Vas. Continue straight through Nova Vas to the underpass with the highway. Go through the traffic light intersection (bike path) and head towards the center of Radovljica. Continue straight past Vurnik Square, and opposite the bus station, turn left towards the park. Go through the castle park and finally turn right towards the old town - Linhart Square. Here the trip can end, and you can call our transport to continue cycling home.
For the return journey, follow the main road (bike path) to Lesce. Continue to the end of the village and before the road starts descending to the traffic lights towards Bled, turn right into a side street. Follow it to the end and reach the railway line. Turn left into the railway tunnel and then cross the plain towards the left downhill, where we join the cart track. Continue straight all the time. This track runs along the railway, leading us to a gravel road. Follow it straight all the way. It runs alongside the highway to the village of Breg. Turn right over the highway overpass, then immediately left into a side street and continue straight. At the end of this street, go through the underpass and turn left. You will arrive in Moste. Follow the main road through Moste (a big bend), to the intersection with the main road that leads back towards Lesce. Cross it and descend to the Moste dam. Cross the dam, and on the other side, go steeply up the macadam road. Reach the plain and continue along the road in the direction of Blejska Dobrava. At the first crossroads (with the industrial zone on the opposite side), turn left towards Bled Dobrava. Continue straight past the zone. At the end of the zone, turn left again. Go through the underpass with the railway and immediately after, turn right back towards Blejska Dobrava. Continue through the village and at the end of the village, descend to the main road coming from Gorje. Turn right along it and follow the sidewalk all the way down to the Sava bridge.
Before the bridge, turn left towards Podmežakla. After a slight ascent, descend and continue straight to the crossroads in front of the hockey hall. Go straight ahead and use the underpass of the highway to join the bike path. Follow the bike path all the way. At the viaduct on the right, where the motorway enters the Karavanke tunnel, you will face 2 steeper ascents on the bike path, followed by a descent to the Topolino rest area, which is located near Mojstrana. Reach it via the footbridge over the Sava Dolinka River. Return to the bike path and head to the intersection with the main road. Turn left and continue along the main road past the church of Sv. Klemen, the ski slopes, and cross the bridge over the Bistrica River to the main crossroads. Turn left towards Vrata and head back to our starting point - the Slovenian Alpine Museum.
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