UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Slovenia
Slovenia has 5 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (3 cultural and 2 natural), the first inscribed in 1986 (Škocjan Caves). The map below plots every one of them alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 5
- Cultural
- 3
- Natural and Mixed
- 2
- First Inscribed
- 1986
Map of World Heritage Sites in Slovenia
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Slovenia. Click a dot to read about the site.
Škocjan Caves
Slovenia · 45.6650° N, 13.9947° E · 4 km² · 15 km from Trieste
Škocjan Caves (pronounced [ˈʃkɔːtsjan]; Slovene: Škocjanske jame, Italian: Grotte di San Canziano) is a cave system located in Slovenia. Škocjan Caves was included on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural World Heritage Sites in 1986. Škocjan Caves is a significant underground phenomenon on the Karst Plateau and in Slovenia. After gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia made a commitment to actively protect the Škocjan Caves area. To fulfill this commitment, Škocjan Caves Regional Park was established, along with its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Škocjan Caves (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Škocjan Caves Is Listed
- (vii)
- Superlative natural phenomena or exceptional natural beauty.
- (viii)
- An outstanding example of major stages of the Earth's history.
More about Škocjan Caves
UNESCO's Description
This exceptional system of limestone caves comprises collapsed dolines, some 6 km of underground passages with a total depth of more than 200 m, many waterfalls and one of the largest known underground chambers. The site, located in the Kras region (literally meaning Karst), is one of the most famous in the world for the study of karstic phenomena.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
The first written sources about Škocjan Caves date back to the Antiquity era (2nd century B.C.) by Posidonius of Apamea. They are also marked on the oldest published maps of the region, such as the Lazius-Ortelius map from 1561 and Mercator's Novus Atlas from 1637. The commissioning of the French painter Louis-François Cassas in 1782 to paint landscape pieces further attests to the caves' significance as an important natural feature in the Trieste hinterland during the 18th century. His paintings depict visits to the bottom of the Big Collapse Doline (Slovene: Velika dolina). In 1689, the Carniolan scholar Johann Weikhard von Valvasor described the sink of the Reka River and its underground flow.
Description
Škocjan Caves is an underground phenomenon in the Karst region and Slovenia. It was designated as Ramsar wetlands of international importance on May 18, 1999. Along with the underground stream of the Reka River, it forms one of the longest karst underground wetlands in Europe.
The explored length of the caves is 6,200 meters (20,300 feet). The caves have formed in a 300-meter-thick (980-foot) layer of Cretaceous and Paleocene limestone.
At the Big Collapse Doline (Slovene: Velika Dolina), the Reka River disappears underground into Škocjan Caves and then flows underground for 34 kilometers (21 miles), resurfacing near Monfalcone. There, it contributes approximately one-third of the flow of the Timavo River, which travels 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Timavo Springs to the Adriatic Sea.
Tourism
Determining the exact start of tourism in Škocjan Caves is challenging. According to speleologist Trevor Shaw, in 1819, Matej Tominc, a county councilor (after whom Tominc Cave is named), ordered the construction of steps leading to the bottom of Big Collapse Doline, which were completed in 1823 (Slovene: Velika Dolina). Other sources suggest that the steps were simply renovated during that time. On 1 January 1819, a visitors' book was introduced, marking the beginning of modern tourism in Škocjan Caves.
In recent years, Škocjan Caves have had approximately 100,000 visitors annually. The first section of the caves, consisting of Marinič Cave and Mahorčič Cave with Little Collapse Doline (Slovene: Mala Dolina), was opened to tourists by 1933.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Škocjan Caves (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Visiting Škocjan Caves
Divača is a town and municipality in the Coast and Karst region of Slovenia. It is known for the many limestone caves in the area, included the UNESCO listed Škocjan Caves.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Divača (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design
Slovenia · 46.0433° N, 14.5022° E · 2 km from Ljubljana
The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ljubljana, Slovenia, listed in 2021. The site encompasses selected the most prominent works of Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana with their original function. During the interwar period, Plečnik worked to transform Ljubljana from a provincial city to the capital of the Slovenian nation by creating a series of public spaces and public institutions and integrating them into the pre-existing urban fabric. Sites include the St. Michael's Church in Črna Vas, and the following sites in Ljubljana: the promenade along the embankments of the Ljubljanica River and the bridges crossing it; the "Green promenade": Vegova Street with the National and University Library from French Revolution Square to Congress Square and Star Park, Trnovo Bridge, Roman Walls in Mirje, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, and the All Saints Garden in Žale Cemetery.
Adapted from Wikipedia: The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design Is Listed
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
More about The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design
UNESCO's Description
The works Jože Plečnik carried in Ljubljana between World War I and World War II present an example of a human centred urban design that successively changed the identity of the city following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when it changed from a provincial city into the symbolic capital of the Slovenian people. The architect Jože Plečnik contributed to this transformation with his personal, profoundly human vision for the city, based on an architectural dialogue with the older city while serving the needs of emerging modern 20th century society. The property consists of a series of public spaces (squares, parks, streets, promenades, bridges) and public institutions (national library, churches, markets, funerary complex) that were sensitively integrated into the pre-existing urban, natural and cultural context and contributed to the city’s new identity. This highly contextual and human-scale urbanistic approach, as well as Plečnik’s distinctive architectural idiom, stand apart from the other predominant modernist principles of his time. It is an exceptional case of creating public spaces, buildings and green areas according to the vision of a single architect within a limited time, the limited space of an existing city, and with relatively limited resources.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Key Facts
| Area | 0.2 km² |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q64494878 (CC0).
Shared With Neighbouring Countries
These sites cross the border. Each is written up on the page of the country UNESCO lists first.
Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of EuropeNatural · 2007 · Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, UkraineRead on the Albania page →
prehistoric pile dwellings around the AlpsCultural · 2011 · Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, SloveniaRead on the Austria page →
Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and IdrijaCultural · 2012 · Spain, SloveniaRead on the Spain page →
World Heritage in Slovenia: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Slovenia?
- Slovenia has 5 World Heritage Sites: 3 cultural and 2 natural. 3 of them are shared with a neighbouring country.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Slovenia?
- Škocjan Caves, inscribed in 1986. The most recent is The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design, inscribed in 2021.
- What are the natural World Heritage Sites in Slovenia?
- Škocjan Caves, Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Slovenia in danger?
- None of the World Heritage Sites in Slovenia is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.