Εύκολες πεζοπορίες και βόλτες Σμάρτνο ομπ Πάκι

Torretta per birdwatching

The Roman necropolis in the now Slovenian town of Sempeter, which was once called St. Peter am Draufeld in the old Lower Styria, is today one of the most interesting archaeological sites of ancient grave architecture in Central Europe. Here it was not man who destroyed this unique cemetery of important Roman settlers. A huge flood of the Savinja River in the 3rd century AD must have torn even the largest tombs from their foundations and overturned them, so that the families of these dead probably no longer had the strength or time to restore everything to its previous state in honor of the deceased. They had enough to do with saving and restoring their villas and estates. The graves near the rising river collapsed because the foundations had been washed away, fell into the Savinja and were soon covered with sediment, disappeared and were only discovered again by chance almost two thousand years later during excavation work. The monuments further away from the river also collapsed, but were not covered by the river. Their marble components were later reused as welcome building material or were burned to make mortar lime and thus disappeared. It was not until the 20th century that the buried grave monuments saw the light of day again. In 1952, the first debris was discovered by chance and archaeology was called in, which was already exemplary in Slovenia at that time. These excavations lasted until 1956. Even then, there were plans for permanent preservation and public presentation on site. The reconstruction plans were ready in 1959. The findings so far have shown that at least this part of the cemetery must have been created in the 1st to 2nd centuries AD.

Galerija Velenje is located in the heart of the city, next to Titov trg. It is a modernist building erected in 1971 based on a design by architect Adi Miklavc (1937-2002). It focuses on exposition, research, documentation and pedagogical work. With almost a thousand works, its collection is among the most important in Slovenia and includes, in addition to paintings and sculptures of modern and contemporary Slovenian art, also works by ALUO students of graphics, photography and drawings, as well as an international collection of paintings. Since 2015 it has hosted the Center for Creative Industries, an incubator of ideas for the 10 municipalities of the Savinja and Šalek region, both in a strictly artistic and architectural sense, encouraging cooperation between artists and the economy. http://www.galerijavelenje.si/

The Promenada (riverside) area is located in the center of Velenje. On the northern side the promenade ends at Trg mladosti (near the school and health centre), while on the southern side its end is bordered by Cankarjeva Street. With its position, the Promenade constitutes a dividing line between the service area and the work area of the city. It represents the fundamental communication artery that pupils and students (and not only) use daily to access the city centre. The promenade is crossed by the Paka river, over which a new bridge has been built. The new two-storey garage building, located on the north side, along Tomšičeva Street, is also part of the promenade. With the renovation of the riverfront, the city has obtained a modern and attractive area for walking, meeting and socializing, taking advantage of the natural qualities of the area.

Completed between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, Vista Park is an extremely evocative place to host concerts, festivals and large events. The entire complex extends for more than 46,000 m² and is able to accommodate up to 30,000 visitors. The stage area is one of the largest in Slovenia and offers state-of-the-art technical support. The architectural design of the space was inspired by the mysterious image of the Pozoj dragon, with its attractive viewing platform that invites you to climb 14 meters and enjoy an exceptional view of Lake Velenje. To the east you can see Kinta Kunte, an interesting garden settlement. To the north you can see the surrounding hills (Lubela, Vodemlja, Razborje) and Uršlja Gora, up to the slopes of Peca. Towards the west you can see Smrekovec and Golte. On the south-east side, beyond the town of Velenje, the view opens onto Paški Kozjak. The surroundings of Vista Park invite guests to stroll on the paths among the green islands that are home to more than 11,000 newly planted trees and shrubs. There is a tennis court, a beach volleyball court and even a bowling alley. The area is also designed for the enjoyment of cyclists, skateboarders and skaters. There is also a nice children's playground with huge 5m high anancus and mastodon sculptures. Below the viewing platform there is a tourist information center (TIC) and the BarVista, from whose terrace a 50 meter long pier begins which invites you to observe the water surface up close. www.visitsaleska.si/en/vista-2/

Škalsko Lake is the first of three lakes that began to form in the Šalek Valley following lignite mining activity. The body of water, formed before the Second World War, is the result of the less intense period of the coal industry in the valley. With its 16 hectares it is in fact the smallest of the three. The lake is bordered throughout its perimeter by a cycle/pedestrian path connected to the nearby Lake Velenj, which is much better known and popular. Today sport fishing is practiced in Lake Škalsko. Carp, zander and pike predominate in the lake. The lake is also known for large catfish exceeding 2 meters in length.

A good bakery opposite the Necropolis, across the main road. Bakery just across the main road with the best donuts and semelj.

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