One of the partners in the MerlinCV strategic project of the Interreg V-A Italy-Slovenia programme, Municipality of Pivka, organised a guided bike tour along “The Castle Trail” this year again. It is a thematic route in the Pivka region, created as part of the project and already proposed for a guided bike tour last autumn for the first time. This year, the tour took off on Sunday, 27 June at 9 a.m. Participants were greeted in front of the Park of Military History by Tomaž Penko who is an experienced cycling guide at Bike Slovenia company and also a local photographer.
From the park, participants continued through the village of Kal, known for its quarry, to the Ravne manor which is the first location along the castle heritage trail. The Ravne manor, called »Rovne« by the locals, was built in the 16th century on the ruins of Ravne castle, which was first attested in history as early as in 1313. It was owned by various noble families: Raunach, De Leo, Hohenwart and Marenzi. From the manor the cyclists drove to the tourist village of Narin and then uphill to Šilentabor, another important heritage site in the Pivka regioin. At Šilentabor (751 m), the Raunach nobles from the nearby Ravne manor built a castle in the 15th century, which together with the defence camp against the Turkish invasion represented the largest fortified system on Slovenian territory. Any traces of the castle are gone now, but Šilentabor’s ridge still delights visitors with its magnificent views. From Šilentabor the tour descended past the church of St. Martin to the region of Ilirska Bistrica, precisely to the village of Podtabor, which lies under a precipice, where once stood a fortress mentioned already by Valvasor. In the final part, the guide led the group on a forest trail to a refreshment point “Črna njiva” where a snack was prepared for everyone. A transport was organised to take the participants back to the starting point at the Park of Military History.
The biking tour organised by the Municipality of Pivka in cooperation with the company Bike Slovenia was a part of a bigger event titled “Celebrate with us” (25-27 June) which is traditionally organised by the Park of Military History in Pivka on the occasion of the Statehood Day. The organizers hope for the guided bike tour along “The Castle Trail” to become a tradition and for the thematic trail itself to be upgraded and attract even more visitors who love nature, good food and adventure.
Operation co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
