Features
By
TesaJanuska
The best thing about living in Slovenj Gradec is that it's a small, unknown middle-aged town that has everything you need – a town center with all the shops, museums, parks, historical buildings and the surrounding hills that provide a peaceful place for everyone.
Shop
Although there are a lot of bigger stores my favorite shop is a small antique shop on the main square, but I never bought anything in it. There are just too many awesome and unique things to choose from!
There is just one specialized shop for buying craft supplies and it has a specific name Fantazija [Glavni trg 3, 2380] (Fantasy in English) and although it's not the biggest shop it has all the necessary and high quality supplies every crafter would need. But if you don’t need fancy supplies you can go and check out the stores Tedi [Polje 10, 2391 Prevalje, Slovenia] or KiK Textilien [FRANCETOVA CESTA 16, 2380 SLOVENJ GRADEC IZRIŠI POT NA ZEMLJEVIDU], where you can buy craft supplies which are a bit lower in quality but also much less expensive.
Crafters from Slovenj Gradec used to have a shop that sold unique and handmade items but due to the lack of interest they had to close it down. But crafters can try their luck at the Flea Market that takes place on the town square every last Saturday in the month.
Inspiration
For inspiration you'd simply have to go on a walk through the old town center! The beautiful baroque “cerkev Svete Elizabeta [Slovenia]” (“St. Elisabeth’s Church”) from the 13. century that is magically lit up during the night is just stunning. There is always an exhibition in the town's gallery or at the museum. But I like going on short walks by the small creek of Homšnica from where you can see all the hills with their distinct looks – for example, the hill with the church of Sv. Pankracij [] that overlooks the town. They say every village in Slovenia has at least two churches, so if you’re fond of churches you can see at least seven in and near Slovenj Gradec. But of course I also have to mention the castle Rotenturn, which is just a minute’s walk from the main square and offers peace for inspiration.
My top non-craft attraction must the the old castle of Sv. Pankracij [] rising above the town. There used to be a real castle, but all is left of it is the bell tower. It's a twenty minute walk from the center on the small hill, and the view is fantastic!
You can take a picture with Mahatma Gandhi, because Slovenj Gradec is the peace messenger town and they made a statue dedicated to him. Or take a picture with the statue of the Venetian Horse sculpted by Oskar Kogoj. There are only five in the entire world, one even in Geneva, Switzerland in front of the United Nation’s palace.
Eat & Drink
If you are looking for a nice restaurant in the center, I have to disappoint you, because there is only one, and that one is in the Hotel Vaboc [Glavni trg 43, 2380], which is just an ordinary hotel restaurant. But you can go and eat our famous and best kebab on Tržnica [Poštna ulica 4, 2380] or you can go to Apachi bar [Pohorska cesta 17, 2380] that serves Italian and Mexican food, pizzas, seafood, vegetarian and fast food.
I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea. And the biggest selection with the most welcoming atmosphere is at Čajnica PEČ [Glavni trg 24, 2380]. In Ars you can enjoy the Marlenka, an ancient Armenian honey layered cake with nuts, which is absolutely delicious. With it you can also choose from a fine selection of Czech beer.
My favorite place to grab a drink and hang out with my friends must be Čajnica PEČ [Glavni trg 24, 2380], because you can relax and enjoy the moments with good music and a homely interior. It also is a place where art is the priority, so you can find a lot of young and old artists that share their opinions.
Craft
Crafting is best in nature and when it’s too cold outside I’d recommend Čajnica PEČ [Glavni trg 24, 2380].
I think there is a craft club based at the Fantazija [Glavni trg 3, 2380] store since craft workshops are organized there. At the workshops they teach the participants how to use and work with certain supplies. There is one more group I know of, which is the Ekološko društvo. They run bigger projects, recycling old clothes for instance, and their latest project includes an old refrigerator standing on the main square of Slovenj Gradec. It’s filled with books that can be taken or exchanged for another book by anyone.
To make new crafty friends, it’s best to attend one of the mentioned craft workshops in the craft store Fantazija [Glavni trg 3, 2380].
See Something Special
I can’t think of any quirky or odd sites in the town, maybe the most interesting place would be Cerkev Sv. Jurij [Slovenia] (St. George’s Church). It was built upon a cemetery and thanks to the glass floor you can see the remains of the skeletons.
Slovenj Gradec doesn’t really have a distinct souvenir, but maybe the closest to it would be a glass dove, as a symbol of peace (peace messenger city), made by a craftsman Matijaž Gostečnik.
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