Unforgettable experiences of Rogatec

A thousand-year-old castle, the largest open-air museum in Slovenia, a horse stable where you can ride horses, the opportunity to make your own glass cup, clay pots, slippers made of cowpea, singing or cooking school, hiking on Donačka gora and food that will leave you breathless (both in price and quality). Add to that the destination is less than an hour's drive from Zagreb, and you don't need a Slovenian vignette for it, and you have the opportunity for a perfect trip for the whole family. Get to know Rogatec, the green municipality of Slovenia, where you will have great fun and experience unique attractions. You will want to repeat the trip as soon as you get home.

Rogatec is the first Slovenian municipality you will see if you cross into Slovenia from the Zagorje side. On the Zagreb - Krapina highway, take the Đurmanec exit and follow the local road. Rogatec is only a few kilometers from the former border with Slovenia, and your landmark should be Strmol Castle. Hidden in a thousand-year-old forest, this elegant Baroque-style castle is today a museum with several permanent and visiting exhibitions, a wedding hall, and a large ceremonial hall with excellent acoustics where numerous concerts are held.

There is also a singing school with Natalia and Dominik Hormuth, directors of the Viamus Institute, located at the foot of the Palace. The workshop is fun, interactive, and, more importantly, intended for everyone, even those who think they do not know or cannot sing. However, the music workshop is not the only thing you can experience here. Every weekend, as part of the ticket for this castle, the doors of the rooms are opened where educational workshops are held, telling the story of how a glass cup is made (with master glazier Ivan Lampret), how clay dishes were once, and are still made today (workshop with mentor Bojana Križanec), what can be made and woven from straw and wicker (head of the Handicraft Center Gordana Bilušič).

"In Rogatec, at the Strmol Castle and the Open-Air Museum, many educational and experiential workshops are held that are intended for educational institutions, individual groups, or visitors. Through interactive experiences, participants can learn about craft skills, taste traditional dishes, try out music and dance workshops, and thus unforgettably experience the rich cultural heritage. All activities and workshops are free for visitors or included in the classic ticket. Since we are a weekend destination and love both young and old visitors, we offer family tickets (two adults, two children) for 21 euros. For that amount, you can see the entire exhibition, peek into history, and join the workshops you choose that day. If you would like to come at a time when the doors of the workshops are open, feel free to contact us - we are here for you!" - says Urška Grobelšek from the Institute for Culture, Tourism and Development Rogatec.

You will arrive at the Open Air Museum from the castle in a few minutes by car, a fifteen-minute easy walk, or a few minutes by bike (soon you can rent bikes here). The largest museum in Slovenia contrasts with what you experienced in the castle. Here you will hear how people used to live in this strategically and commercially important place.

At the Open-Air Museum, you will find a small rural settlement with houses that take you back to the distant past, rooms that shaped rural life, and contemporary experiences for the whole family. This place combines traditional and modern through a digital experience with the help of HoloLens smart glasses, with which you can experience the experience "Herb Garden, Learn About Herbs". Just like at Strmol Castle, here you will be 'hired' if you want to participate in one of the activities. In the laboratory hidden in the premises of the village shop, you will learn with Simona Arzenšek, a graduate agricultural engineer, how homemade liqueurs, as well as distillates and creams are made, and in the kitchen of one of the cottages you will quickly knead your bread with her or learn how to make traditional savory and sweet delicacies. All programs are in Croatian, including Strmol Castle and the Open-Air Museum.

"Before coming on a day trip to Rogatec, many people ask us where they can eat something delicious and traditional. When we say we're at the Museum, people think we're joking," says Urška, showing a list of everything you can eat and drink at the Museum on Prostem. The list is long, the prices are excellent (coffee 1.20, ice cream 1 euro), and only traditional food is offered. You can eat Ješprenjski goulash whenever you come here, enriched with local vegetables and delicious sausage. This traditional dish combines the history and authenticity of regional cuisine. The dish is presented as the Museum Bowl, and is served in a traditional clay pot with homemade bread, at a price of €7. The taste and quantity will satisfy even the most demanding gourmets.

You can experience how this specialty is made less than five kilometers away, on the Kitak family estate. Nataša and Izidor, two young people, are developing a wonderful family story on their estate. The central star is the Gostišče pod Goro restaurant below Donačka gora (884 meters). This is where people celebrate and mark the most crucial life dates, but they also enjoy excellent local food and traditional specialties even when they are not there. The choice is yours - sit down, eat and watch the unique panorama or roll up your sleeves, put on an apron and learn to cook traditional Jašprenjski goulash or traditional jerpica bread with the owner Nataša, which is served here with melted cracklings.

"In the past, the residents of Rogatec always had to create a garden within their houses in which they grew vegetables, herbs, and greens. Completely self-sufficient, they lived exclusively from products they grew and processed themselves, so self-sufficiency was essential then. Today, this tradition is being reawakened, and food from their own cultivation is increasingly appreciated," Nataša tells us, revealing that people eat 'home-cooked' in Rogatec. You can get what you don't produce yourself from your neighbors, she says, charmingly listing the family farms they collaborate with.

And so, one story about life in the castle, one custom, excellent gastronomy, and very kind hosts, and the time in Rogatec flies by. At sunset, you should get on a horse, experience that experience at the Strmol Equestrian Club, and head home at dusk. Or maybe sleep over at one of the Rogatec family farms, waiting for a new day, a homemade breakfast, and new experiences of this destination.

foto: Nikola Zoko