Sightseeing EN – Osilnica

Bilpa Caves

Bilpa caves are located on the border between the municipality of Kostel and the municipality of Kočevje. Above the caves rises the Bilpa wall, which Valvasor named the wall of echoes. In it, nature has shaped various human, animal and superstitious characters. Bilpa consists of four caves, the last of which was discovered only in 1983. The entrance to the caves is in a wall about 30 meters above the road, it is 8 meters wide and 6 meters high. Immediately behind the entrance to the caves is a long hall, which is quite charming, in it are various stalactite formations. In this work, archaeologists have found several objects that prove that this area was inhabited in the ancient past.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Mill Grbac

As part of Kostela’s technical heritage, the Grbac mill is very important. It is located just below the Nežica waterfall, and powered by the Prifarski ditch. It was first mentioned in 1494. Drežnica goats, cike cows and Styrian hens can be found on the farm, there you can also refresh yourself with colorful bread, a real farm breakfast (mash with milk and other delicacies), visit the mill, participate in farm chores and make a purchase of products. They also run workshops for children.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Jelovicka Cave

Jelovička Cave was discovered in 1941. The entrance to the cave is located under a 20-meter vertical wall and opens at the beginning of a 330-meter-long torrent bed, which is very picturesque with large stone blocks overgrown with moss. The Kotnica streams originate from the Jelovička Cave, and after about 300 meters they flow into the Kolpa.

The cave is 184 meters long and 30 meters wide. At the beginning, the cave descends for a while, and then slowly rises to the end. We descend into the cave along a clayey slope, along which a stream flows, which originates in the cave and flows underground to the river Kolpa. During heavy rains, an underground stream erupts from the cave, flooding the cave almost to the ceiling.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Kostel Family Trail

The Kostel family trail is a shorter cycling trail that takes you around Kostel and is also suitable for small children. At the beginning, it runs along the road, but then turns into the forest, thus enabling a peaceful ride in the shelter of the canopy. The last part of the route passes through two larger villages, where children can observe domestic animals, and you can refresh yourself with local delicacies (goat cheese, honey…), visit a 100-year-old white willow tree with a trunk branched into four parts, or refresh yourself at a nearby restaurant.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Kolpa bike path

The Kolpa cycling route is a long route on which you get to know all the beauties of the green valley of the river Kolpa. It is a circular path that leads you from Kočevje all the way to the Kolpa.

Get to know the green valley of the river Kolpa, its dams and mills, the old smithy, the mysterious karst spring Bilpa and the mighty medieval fortress – Kostel Castle. This landscape-attractive section of the cycle path is interesting for both amateur cyclists and families with children. Along the way there are several tourist farms and food providers, where you can indulge in the tastes of traditional Kočevje, Kostel and Bela Krajina dishes.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Shinrin yoku Kostel

Guided forest baths with yoga, pranayama and meditation

A real antiburnout experience with guaranteed relaxation. Homo sapiens comes from nature, not from the city, so an urban sapiens who wants to escape techno-stress must return to nature for health. Supposedly, plant phytoncides with a hermetic effect are responsible for the regeneration of our immune system. Forest nature with its colors, shapes, smells, tastes and sounds gently but thoroughly refreshes and regenerates all five human senses.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Taborska wall

The Tabor wall rises east of the Žurgarska wall, above the town of Belica above Čabranka. There is a cave in Tabor wall, well in fact it is a hole, where a tragedy took place during the Second World War.

Tabor cave opens at the beginning of Tabor wall. You can reach it along the Kočevje mountain trail if you follow the markings and signposts. Just before we reach the edge of the Tabor wall, we pass a monument, which is actually a pile of stones stacked in a pyramid, on which two memorial plaques are placed.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Lake Resko

When the Reški stream sinkhole was dammed under the Kočevska reka in the 1970s, Lake Reško with approximately 20 hectares in size, was created. The stream river bed was about 3000 m long. Three mills and a sawmill stood next to it in the past. They were called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Mills. Today, piles of stones and a few walls by the water are barely reminiscent of the ruins of the buildings.

In recent years, the upper part of the lake is registered as a forest reserve, and the lower part is intended for boat fishing and other types of recreation. It is an invaluable habitat that provides a habitat for many fish species and many species of birds. The forest reserve also provides shelter for forest animals and beasts. There are also observatory huts along the lake, which offer a magnificent view of the beautiful surroundings of Lake Reško.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica

Goteniški Snežnik

Goteniški Snežnik is the highest peak of the karstic Goteniška gora, overgrown with forest. It rises above Kočevska Reka and Gotenica. The area that was guarded and closed in the decades after the Second World War. The ascent to Goteniški Snežnik is therefore for some still a feat that they once did not dare to even think about.

We walk under the rocks of the Stone Wall. This is the most picturesque part of the trail, where we can find ourselves in trouble in the wet and snowy weather. In such conditions, a more suitable route is from Kočevska Reka, which almost all the time runs along the road. When the rocks recede slightly, the path runs uphill again and ascends to a smaller pass. From there we can walk to the rocky edge, from which the view sails all the way to Klek in Croatia. The most beautiful of course is Kočevska Reka and the landscape around it, which was once much more populated than it is today. 100 years ago Kočevska Reka had a population of 469, but has less than three hundred nowadays. Gotenica had more than three hundred people in 1937, but was completely emptied after the war.

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Published on: June 4, 2021  -  Filed under: Sightseeing EN - Osilnica