Preskar Museum – A Unique Insight into the Shepherding Heritage of Velika Planina

The Preskar Museum is located in the heart of the shepherds’ settlement on Velika Planina and is open daily during the grazing season. Its exterior immediately draws attention – a small, grey shepherd’s hut built from wood and stone, surrounded by a stone fence. A cross atop the roof once served to protect shepherds from dangers, storms, lightning, and evil forces.

Today’s hut stands on the site of the original building, which was burned down just before the end of World War II. In the summer of 1945, Andrej Preskar rebuilt the hut on the ruins in the same distinctive oval shape it had before the war. This faithfully preserved form, along with its modest size and simple interior, sets it apart from other shepherd’s dwellings – and gives it unique museum value.

Every day at 1 p.m., visitors can also enjoy a special experience – a demonstration of traditional trnič cheese-making, a specialty of Velika Planina. Come, discover the shepherding culture, and taste the heritage!

Herdsmen’s settlement

The herdsmen’s settlement is known as one of few the settlements of such size in Europe and attracts many visitors throughout the year. It is distinct by its typical architecturewhich symbolises Velika planina. The roofs are covered with pine shingles, which extend rather low. The name of the cottage in the Kamnik part of Velika planina is “a herdsman hut” or “a shepher’s home”, and a pine shingle is called “šinkel”.

The settlement is revived every June, when herdsmen return to the settlement and tend to their cattle until September. They are delighted to invite you to taste their dairy products or try a typical herdsmen’s lunch; sour milk and buckwheat mush.

Snow Mary chapel

The chapel of Snow Mary, which originally stood at the same place before the Second World War, is located slightly above the herdsmen’s settlement. It was burnt down by German soldiers during the war, and was rebuilt in 1988 on the herdsmen’s initiative. It was consecrated to Snow Mary and this is why 5th of August presents a special holiday for the chapel and the entire herdsmen’s settlement. During the summer, the masses are held every Sunday and several thousands visitors attend the sacred mass or the midnight service on Christmas Eve.

Veternica and Dovja Griča caves

Veternica cave is the most popular natural site of interest on Velika planina. It is assembled of the caves Mala Jama and Velika Veternica, which came into existence when the roof caved in as the result of rock disintegration. The cave Velika veternica is more popular. It is known for its patches of snow, which remain in the cave also during the summer.

Dovja Griča cave is located in the valley Tiha Dolina and is 9m deep. It is known for the legends which were happening near by. The cave, therefore, sheltered many good and bad characters, which were mostly invented by herdsmen themselves. The most known are the legends about wild men who lived in Dovja Griča, also known as the wild rock, as suggested in the name itself.

Kamnik flower Nigritella Lithopolitanica

The purple flower is most commonly found in June, when it decorated the green pastures of Velika planina.

Although its original growing site is the nearby Krvavec, the flower is most common on Velika planina. It is recognised by its grass-like leaves and purple, egg-shaped blossom. It is the only sort of Nigritella to be enlisted on the Red list of endangered species as one of the rare plants in Slovenia.

Tourist settlement

Tourist settlement is known as the area around the lodging house Zeleni rob. It is the area with the largest number of cottages, built for tourists and, therefore, adjusted to their needs. The idea for building such settlement first appeared in 1959, during the blossom of the so-called trade union tourism.

Several companies sponsored the built-up of the cottages, and by the end of the year 1964 there were around 60 cottages. The settlement was build according to the plans of the architect Vlasto Kopač, whose idea was to strictly separate the tourist settlement from the herdsmen’s settlement. Despite this idea, the cottages are built in the unique style and are in their appearance very similar to the herdsmen’s cottages. Kopač, who was amongst other things also the pupil of Jože Plečnik, wanted to transfer a part of folk architecture into the project of tourist settlement and has succeeded in doing so.