Bled

I had planned originally to stay in Bled during my trip to Slovenia.  I changed my plans, however, figuring that the mountain resort town would be a bit sedate for me.  Instead of staying, I just planned a day-trip to the mountain resort town.  In retrospect, that was a wise decision, as Bled is sleepier than Ljubljana.

When most people see tourist pictures of Slovenia, it is usually the town's island church with the Julian Alps in the background.  Lonely Planet used this image on the fourth edition of its Slovenia guidebook.  Countless travel brochures and websites also use this image, so I had to come see what all the fuss was about.  After all, it is Slovenia's most popular tourist destination and a solid contributor of hard currency to the economy.

I have divided this page into three sections:

• Bled's History
• Tourism
• Tour of the Town's Sites

History
The oldest traces of human settlements in the Bled area come from the late Plaeolithic period of the Stone Age; this evidences exists in form of artifacts found near the Poglejska cerkev in Poljšica.  Evidence of settlements from the Copper Age (2700 - 1700 BCE) have been found near the castle including two bronze axes, a sword and a grave in a cave below the structure.  The most important find was a cemetery containing seventy-seven cremation graves dating from the period between 800 and 650 BCE in Pristava, which is located on the lake's northeastern shore.

Next to inhabit the region were the Romans; coins from these settlements have been found at excavation sites near Želeče, on the eastern banks of the lake.  There is evidence of Christianized Roman settlements from the 5^th and 6^th c. CE.  Graves from these inhabitants were intermingled with later graves of the Slavs who migrated to the region after the fall of the Roman Empire.  These also appear to be graves of Christians, as indicated by the jewelry found with the deceased.  Evidence also has been excavated that shows a link to the culture of the old Slavic king, Samos, who ruled from 632 to 658 CE.

After the fall of the old Slavic kingdom, the region fell under the rule of first the Frankish kings, then the Germans.  From 1004, Bled became the domain of the bishops of Brixen, which is about 60 kilometers east of Innsbruck, Austria.  This date generally is recognized at the foundation of Bled; the town, in fact, is planning a millennium celebration for next year (2004).  The territory, which included Bled and neighboring Bohinj, was a gift from King Henrik II to Bishop Albuin.  Initially, the bishops visited the dominion very occasionally, preferring to leave its administration to diocesan officials.  From 1371, the bishops leased the region to noblemen, who mostly came from the local nobility class. When the rent was not paid, the nobles were replaced with trustees appointed by the presiding bishop.   The local von Kreigh family leased the estate until 1515, when their brutality led to the local peasants joining the pan-Slovene revolt.  In 1558, Herbert VII became the new holder of the estate.  In the 18th c. CE, local townspeople began to rent the estate, but they rarely lived in the castle. 

In 1803, the dominion was nationalized by the decree of the Vienna Court Commission.  For the four years between 1809 and 1813, the estate was included in Napoleon's Illyrian provinces.  In 1838, the estate was returned to the administration of the bishops of Brixen, which held the property until the feudal system was abolished ten years later.  Finally, in 1858, the dominion was sold to industralist Viktor Ruard.  He kept the castle, the lake and the usable land, but sold the remaining area to the Kranj Industrial Company.  

Ruard sold the estate in 1882 to Adolf Muhr, a wholesale merchant based in Vienna.  He then sold the estate in 1919 to Ivan Kenda, an operator of hotels in the area.  This marked the first time that the region was in possession by a Slovene.  In 1937, the estate was bought by the Zadružna Gospodarska Banka (Associated Commercial Bank).  In 1960, it was granted township status.

Tourism
Tourism began as early as the late 17^th c. CE.  In 1689, travel book writer Janez Vajkard Valvasor described the lake's thermal spring qualities in his book entitled The Glory of the Duchy of .  In 1855, Swiss doctor Arnold Rikli opened thermal baths at a manor on site near the present-day casino.  This attraction drew a number of visitors, and the 1870 opening of the railway to the region only enhanced the town's reputation as a tourist center.  Now the region mainly caters to German and Italian tourists, with a number of package tour operators including the town on their Slovenian tours.  The town tourist board operates a very informative website, which is published in Slovene, English, Italian and German.

Tour
I entered the town on Ljubljanski cesta through the downtown area, where most of the hotels and stores are located.  Most of these stores sell touristy kitsch, so I bypassed them completely.  I headed straight for the lake, and it was a beautiful sight to behold.  Measuring 2120 meters (east-to-west) by 1380 meters (north-to-south), Lake Bled was formed by the retreating Bohinj glacier.  Tectonic in origin, the lake is 30.6 meters at its deepest point.  Springs feed the lake at a constant temperature of 23°C and there are no effluent streams or rivers.  Since it was still early in the morning (~09.30) when I arrived, no one was out on the water, making the surface as smooth as glass.  The water was so clear that I could see schools of fish swimming near the shore.  This is not a sailing or motorboat lake, so I can image that it is mostly in the serene state that I saw it.  There are a number of boat houses that surround the lake, but they're restricted to "crew" type boats; I did see one rower later in the afternoon.

My tour took me counterclockwise around the lake; most of Bled's attractions are located near the shore of the lake's northeast quadrant.  There is a paved pathway around the lake that is a rather beautiful way to see the sights.  A tree canopy keeps most of the pathway under shade and the town does a great job landscaping the trail with blooming, in-season flowers.  The nice weather only enhanced the walk.

The first sight along the trail is a rather nondescript monument to Dr. France Prešeren.  It was erected in 1882 by the Ljubljana Reading Club to commemorate his contribution to Slovene literature.  Unless I was looking for it specifically, I would have miss the monument completely.  The monument in Kranj deciated to Dr. Prešeren is much more impressive.

The next sight is located only a short distance from the monument.  Consecrated on 27 August 1905, Cerkev Sv. Martina was designed by Austrian Friedrich von Schmidt in the neo-Gothic style.  It replaced a previous Gothic church that had stood on the site since the 15^th c. CE.  It is believed that the earliest church on the site was consecrated around the time that the estate was given to the bishops of Brixen.  The visitor enters the single-aisle church through an ornate Gothic front portal, shown in a picture below.  The interior contains some beautiful frescoes by Slavko Pengov.  The center arches of the church are painted in a deep brick color and are accented with blue, yellow and green geometric shapes, while the side arches are dark green, with blue, yellow and mustard colored geometric shapes.  The exterior was being restored; the church's southern façade was covered in scaffolding.  When I visited the church, there were a few women mopping the floors, so I only stayed in the narthex.

From the church's location, it's a short hike to the castle. Blejski Grad sits on a cliff about 100 meters above the town.  The strenuous hike passes through a forested section of the hillside; fortunately, the trees shaded the mid-morning sun, so it wasn't too hot.  But the hike is well worth its physical cost - both from the exercise and the castle experience.

Construction on Blejski Grad started in the 11^th c. CE.  As discussed before, German emperor Henrik II gave the estate, including the castle, to Bishop Albuin of Brixen in 1004. The castle started as a Romanesque tower and protective walls, which provided a great lookout point and protective fortress when enemies attacked.  During the 1511 earthquake, much of the castle was damaged, thus necessitating reconstruction.  The new castle, which is seen today, included additional fortifications, a Gothic entrance arch, and a moat complete with a drawbridge.  This bridge, as seen in the picture below, is the modern entrance to the castle; the admission fee was SIT 800.

The interior structures are built around two courtyards.  The lower courtyard housed the former outbuildings, which now host a number of tourist-oriented shops.  The upper courtyard once contained the residential buildings, but now hosts a restaurant and the castle museum.  The latter gives a historical perspective of Bled, including archaeological treasures from the various civilizations that have inhabited the area; I highly recommend a visit to the museum.  (Much of the history information given above is derived from this exhibit).  There is also a small chapel, dedicated to Saints Albuin and Ingenium; this building is worth a look.  These saints, both Benedictines, served as bishops of the Brixen see; Albuin in the 11th c CE and Ingenium four centuries earlier.  Their feast day is celebrated on 05 February.

I was lucky that I left when I did; a group of about fifty schoolchildren was entering as I was departing.  Luckily, I had the castle mostly to myself, so I didn't have to fight for the excellent views of the surrounding mountains.  I walked back down the mountain and into the best experience of the whole trip.

In the middle of Lake Bled, there is an island with an historic church located on it.  The traditional transport to the island is on a pletna, which is a narrow boat that seats about fifteen people.  Its unique feature is that the boat is powered by a man rowing two oars at the stern.  He makes a circular motion with the oars, which provides enough propulsion to get across the lake.  It takes about fifteen minutes to reach the island, and the trip costs about SIT 1800.

There were a couple of boats at the dock when I arrived.  One boat had two women sitting on it and, consequently, appeared to be departing soon.  One of the women was sitting on the bench, while the other was sunbathing on the bow of the boat.  I must have startled them when I boarded because they both looked in my direction.  My appearance must have indicated that I was an American - the Abercrombie & Fitch shirt and Auburn hat probably gave it away.  They asked where I called home, and started laughing when I responded Atlanta.  They both were from Atlanta as well and were touring central Europe for a couple of weeks.  I came five thousand miles to meet two women from Atlanta - imagine that!  We talked during the whole boat ride to the island.  Tina is a student at Georgia State, while Holly works for a real estate management company.  They have been traveling buddies for several and have seen some unique places.  Ironically, I ran into Tina accidentally at the corner of Tenth Street and Charles Allen in Atlanta one Sunday afternoon - another completely random occurrence.

Anyway, back to the island.  Known as Blejski Otok, it is Slovenia's only island.  Archaeological evidence shows that the island has been used since the 8th c. BCE, mainly to worship some religion's god or gods.  The early Slavs worshipped the goddess Živa in a temple on the island.  Historians believe that it has housed a Christian church since the 9^th c. CE.  

Our pletna landed on the northeast side of the island.  The boats that originate from the southern shore land on the southwest edge.  It is at this landing that one must climb the grand staircase, which was added in 1655 and contains ninety-nine steps.  I would recommend taking on of the south-originating boats to experience this architectural treasure.  About midway up this staircase is a monument to the Virgin Mary.  The altar is housed in a small white building with a red-brick roof.  It looks like several offerings had been left for the Virgin in hopes that she bestows favors on the people who left the gifts.  

At the top of this staircase are the former houses of the church's chaplain and provost.  The first house was built in the 17th c. CE, while the second was built in the next century.  The coat-of-arms of the Brixen bishops has been carved into the houses' façades.  Currently, one house now serves as a restaurant while the other is a store selling souvenirs.  As a treat, I bought myself an ice cream cone from of the vendors: two scoops - one melon and the other was some type of mountain berry.  A delicious afternoon treat for only SIT 400.

As stated above, there has been a Christian church on the island since the 9^th c. CE.  Remnants of the pre-Romanesque church, the only one in Slovenia, can be seen in church's narthex; there is a small exhibit that shows pieces of this former church.  On 03 December 1103, Bishop Henry of Brixen appointed a provost to the island church, removing it from the authority of the Bled estate.  In 1143, a three-nave basilica was consecrated by Aquilean patriarch Pellegrino.  The church was rebuilt three-hundred years later in the Gothic style, receiving a new presbytery and altar.  On 05 December 1465, Count Žiga of Lamberg, the first bishop of Ljubljana, consecrated the new church.  This church was destroyed during the 1509 earthquake; a new church, in the Gothic style, was constructed to replace the destroyed church.  In the 18th c. CE, the present church was built.  Known as the Church of the Assumption, this single-aisle church has a main altar, with elaborate gilded decorations and three side altars. The pulpit on the left side is ornate, decorated with gilded sculptures and wood carvings.  There is also a wood carving of the Virgin Mary, which is the only article that survived from the 15^th c CE Gothic church.

The real reason that people visit the church is to ring its bell.  Originally constructed in 1534, the belfry has been renovated several times - twice because of earthquakes and once because of a lightening strike (1688).  The tower stands fifty-four meters high and have three bells, which were fabricated by Ljubljana bell makers Samassa and Franchi.  Legend says that any wish made while the requestor is ringing the bell will come true.  I rang the bell twice, making a wish each time; as of July 2003, neither of my wishes had come true. 

The pletna operator only allows visitors to stay on the island for thirty minutes.  The visitor must ride back on the same boat on which (s)he arrived, as one pays at the end of the trip.  Thirty minutes is enough time to see the whole island, plus have a snack.  As I mentioned in the above section, I recommend taking the pletna from the southern dock, which is located just east of the Hotel Vila Bled in Mlino.  This provides a dramatic entry up the grand staircase.  Holly, Tina and I rode back to the northern dock together and decided to meet in Ljubljana for dinner.  We did meet later that evening and had a great time at dinner.

Since I had seen everything in town that I wanted to see, I decided to have lunch.  I had read good things about Gostilna Pri Planincu, both in the Lonely Planet guide book (LP3°) and on a website of a Canadian couple that had visited Bled several years earlier.  In addition, and probably most importantly, it was close to the bus station, from where I needed to catch a bus back to Lesce.  Since it was nice outside, I decided to sit at a table on the outdoor patio.  Most of the other tables were occupied, as it was towards the end of the lunch hour.  The table to my right was occupied by two really annoying Frenchmen.  I wish I could have listened to my CD player to muffle their conversation.  The other tables were occupied by locals enjoying the sunny afternoon.

I started with the goulash soup, which was average.  Unfortunately, my basis of comparison is an excellent soap I had in Austria many years earlier.  Nothin has come close, and this specimen fell way short.  For the main course, I tried the čevapčiči, as it had been recommended by the guide book.  Billed as a Balkan specialty of spicy meatballs of beef or pork, the actual dish disappointed me.  It was nothing more than eight sausage links with a dab of mustard on the side.  Making the experience even worse was the less than average, but not horrible, service.  For example, my waiter took about five minutes to bring me a spoon for my soup.  Considering everything that happened during the experience, I would not recommend dining at this restaurant.

I caught the Alpetour bus to Lesce.  The woman at the office was not very helpful; she seemed more interested in conversing with her friends than helping potential customers.  The bus ride took about ten minutes and dropped me right at the Lesce-Bled train station.  Fortunately, there was a train departing in twenty minutes so my wait was short.

Meeting Holly and Tina made the Bled experience worthwhile and the trip to the island enhanced the adventure.  Unfortunately, my poor service experiences at the end of the stay tainted my good impression.  I would recommend visiting Bled while in Slovenia or southern Austria.

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