October 2020
EXPERIENCE LJUTOMER
Our first stop was the center of Ljutomer for a guided tour of the city from Andrej, a local teacher. He showed us around the center and introduced us to the history of the region. The town has a very ornate church at the center with a beautifully decorated alter. We saw where the first Slovene movie was shot, the first independent storefront in Yugoslavia, and the park where the first Slovene national gathering was held.
From there he took us for a short walk to the Horse Trotting Museum, located on the grounds of the historic horse racing club and hippodrome. There we met the president of the club and the curator of the museum to learn about the history of pace horse breeding and racing from the area. It was one of the first clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and has continuously operated from 1874 until today. The museum was carefully curated with a collection gathered from the horse breeding families in the region, augmented with documentation from historical archives around the region.
A short walk away from the town center we visited the Žuman pottery studio where we learned about the traditional pottery and cooking techniques. First we made Gibanica using a pan that was made by Sašo, the 5th generation of Žuman potters, and local ingredients. Then we toured the pottery museum showing pieces that had been made by the generations of Žuman potters. We also had the chance to watch as he made and decorated a dish, and attempted to create a dish of our own. We will make the trip back in a few weeks to pick it up once it has been baked in the wood fired kiln – the same one that has been used by the family for over 100 years.
We had a massive lunch at the Tomaž Frank-Ozmec tourist farm, where all the food came fresh from their fields. The mushroom soup and pumpkin oil salad were particularly delicious, and both very fresh. At one point we even saw the chef walk over to the vegetable garden to grab a few more fresh ingredients for our meal. We had a tour of the rooms, which looked very comfortable, and were impressed to see the extensive renovations that are being made to make areas handicap and family friendly. They are also installing solar panels and have plans to become carbon neutral in the next few years.
Our last tour of the day was at the Pristava family farm, where the family has been farming for over 300 years. They gave us a tour of how their family members lived over 100 years ago and walked us through how they would have worked the land. As well, the brothers are still involved in local folk music and demonstrated a number of folk instruments for us. They were very knowledgeable about the history of the town, and shared a number of local legends from the Ottoman invasions and medieval times.
After a long day of touring we spent the night at the Mala Nedelja Bioterme and Glamping. Staying in one of their cozy villas with its own private hot tub, we were also only a short walk away from the relaxing outdoor pools and spas. The Bioterme also offers a plentiful buffet for both breakfast and dinner, ensuring that we had lots of energy for an evening trip to the spa.
The next morning, after a filling breakfast the Bioterme, we visited Tigeli Bees, a museum and apiary. They had an original octagonal bee house, over 100 years old, that had been reconstructed to show the history of raising bees, as well as more modern examples to explain how the family does it today. They walked us through how they are raising bees today, as well as the various factors that impact how the honey will taste, along with samples of the types of honey so we could taste the difference.
Next, Andrej took us on a tour of the Jeruzalem church and explained the history of the town and why it has such a famous name. Right next door to the church was the tourist information and wine tasting center that boasted over 60 local wines to sample. Our host explained to us the various types of grapes that are harvested in the region and the wines they produce. We tried a few of the local specialties and were able to purchase bottles to take home.
For our final meal, we had a 6 course local lunch at the Restaurant Vinski Hram Brenholc, a short walk from the Jeruzalem wine cellar. The terrace looking out on the vineyards hosted amazing views and we were able to try many local delicacies- from pig tongue, fresh caught deer, baked fresh cheese, fresh bread with pork crackling, and of course more mushroom soup. The hosts were very friendly and welcoming to us as tourists and were happy to share information about the food and culture from the region.
Nina & Adam (US/Canada)
Photos by: Nina & Adam
