Welcome to Suha krajina

You are invited to explore and have unique experiences surrounded by the exceptional natural and cultural heritage of Suha krajina. We recommend unique experiences in our famous karst landscape, dotted with countless “bigas”; and the playful Krka river. Come for a short or a little longer escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and we promise you that you will feel that time really flows differently here.

What to see?

Come to Suha krajina and bring your most curious self.

What to see?

Explore the views

Where to stay the night?

When, intentionally or not, you're caught up in the night and in good company...

Where to stay the night?

I would like a bed

What to eat?

Would you like to have something prepared quickly or do you like to take your time with food?

What to eat?

I'm hungry

A castle on a rocky cliff, and its imposing reflection on the water…

Suha krajina is probably one of the best undiscovered tourist destinations in Slovenia. The landscape is characterised by the Krka river with its famous systems of tufa barriers, which are the most beautiful and most impressive precisely in the narrower part of Suha krajina. This is also almost the only surface water vein, as our country is a rather dry, stony and partially wooded karst landscape.

We, residents of the Suha krajina region, are also fine tuned to our natural environment. That’s why we’re a bit special, we speak our dialect and, if necessary, we occasionally also think according to our own rules… and that’s why we’re all the more interesting for all visitors. If you would like to get to know us, you kindly invited to come here, among our hills and valleys, among our “bigas” and the roaring dams of the Krka river. When are we going to see each other then and have a conversation in our dialect?

PS: We have twice mentioned our “bigas”. “Bigas” are our special motionless and silent sheep, stone sheep. If you stop at just the right places and look around our bare hills, you will see dozens of silent and motionless grey-brown “bigas” among the grass. The image will almost certainly remind you of a flock of sheep.

PPS: Check them out yourselves and tell us if we are wrong…

Natural heritage

The seemingly barren karst landscape will gladly show its unique features to the most curious visitors.

Cultural Heritage

Numerous traces of human transformation, which are just waiting to be discovered, have left an indelible mark on Suha krajina.

Activities

Numerous traces of human transformation, which are just waiting to be discovered, have left an indelible mark on Suha krajina.

What can we offer you?

Our Suha krajina is very particular. The name itself suggests that we have quite a few problems with water, which just does not want to stay on the surface. Most water flows somewhere down there, underground. That is why we like to boast about the only surface watercourse, the Krka river, which in the past dictated life and work in our regions.

Explore with the new tourist map

A tourist map is available to visitors, which enables easy navigation of selected tourist spots using mobile devices. Take a day or two to visit our places and let us show you our unique gems.

Listen to the stories from our lands

If you are going to explore Suha krajina in your own company, we offer you a guide who is always ready to whisper to you our dry and wet stories from the distant and recent past. Just tell him that you would like to hear, not just see, and he will be happy to respond no matter the season or time of day.

And more playful stories are available to children

Children see and perceive Suha krajina in their own way. We hired the dwarf Suhec just for them, to tell them about Suha krajina and its peculiarities in a language that is more comprehensible to them. You know that children get along better with dwarves than they do with adults, right?

You can see and hear better on foot or by bike

You can park in front of the castle in the centre of Žužemberk for free and reach nearby sights on foot or by bicycle. In this way, you’ll do your bit to help preserve nature, recharge your batteries and breathe fresh Suha krajina air.

Take a walk around our castle and listen to it

You can visit the Žužemberk Castle on your own or accompanied by our guide. Real or virtual. In the nearby “Gostilna pri gradu” inn, you will be handed a folder with access to audio guides for 20 locations around the castle.

Discover the history of the ironworks in Dvor

In Dvor, the second largest place in Suha krajina, once operated one of the largest and most important factories of its time.  The memory of the mighty iron foundry is still alive in the museum and preserved blast furnace.  

All lovers of the beauty and delicacies of Suha krajina unite!

The Suha krajina Lovers Club is a voluntary, free informal association of individuals within the Municipality of Žužemberk who want to be the first to know and hear, see, taste and experience Suha krajina.

Žužemberk represents the intersection of Suha krajina

The town of Žužemberk got its name from the castle of the same name, around which a small town developed on a rocky ledge above the Krka river. And if we pause for a moment on the name – the origin of the name Žužemberk is not fully explained. According to the first of the three derivatives, the name is said to originate from a nearby hill called Eisenberg, today’s settlement of Zafara, formerly known as Železno Vrhovo, where iron ore was once mined. The nearby castle was eventually renamed to Seinsenberg and then Žužemberk.

Another version of the name is said to be connected to the nearby Krka river and the constant murmur of the river flowing over the waterfalls below the castle. According to the third version, the name of the castle and settlement is said to be derived from the phrase “zožen-breg” (narrow bank in English), as the Krka river near the castle is somewhat narrower, which eventually changed to Seinsenberg and Žužemberk. Which theory of the origin of the name seems most plausible to you?

Grad Žužemberk

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Lehnjakovi pragovi na reki Krki

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Cerkev sv. Nikolaja

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Litoželezni vodnjak z zmaji, ki bruhajo vodo

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Hišica na drevesu

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Tomažev leseni most

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Park znanih Suhokranjcev

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We are here for you

We are here for you before, during and after your visit. If you have questions, we almost certainly have the answers. If you would like to suggest something, praise or criticise us, we will be happy to receive your message. We welcome any opportunity to further improve and upgrade the experiences of visitors of Suha krajina. 

Testimonials

The website visitsuhakrajina.si is co-financed from EU funds within the project Explore, taste and experience Suho Krajina through an interactive, connected and personal experience of natural and cultural heritage (SKIN).

The governing body appointed to implement the Rural Development Program of the Republic of Slovenia for the period 2014-2020 is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.

 

 

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