Celje - In Your Pocket

2 lAško
Tabor Castle
Laško: throughout Slovenia and entire region of South East
Europe, the name is synonymous with the green cans and
bottles of the locally-produced Zlatorog brand pilsner. In
fact, in Slovenia the word Laško has almost become the
equivalent of beer. This in itself is no small achievement
for a small medieval town of only some 3,600 residents.
However, there is much more to Laško than its internationally
renowned brewing tradition.
To begin with the town itself is one of the oldest continuously
inhabited settlements in Slovenia, with a compact old city
centre located in an enviable position amongst rolling hills
and picturesque valleys that spread out in all directions
from the river Savinja. The surrounding area is perfect for
exploring by either bike or on foot, and long before beer
was produced on a large commercial scale, the town was
known for the healing powers of its thermal springs - which
made it a favourite holiday spot of the Austrian Emperor
Franz Joseph during the middle of the 19th century. Since
then, Laško’s Thermal Spa has grown into one of the most
important health resorts and tourist centres in all of Slovenia,
with its modern hotels packed year-round with guests from
all over the world.
Of course the highlight of the year remains beer-related, with
some 150,000 visitors flocking to the area for the annual
Beer and Flower Festival every summer - something like
Slovenia’s version of Oktoberfest (only with more flowers
and cheaper beer). All this is only a scant 10 minute drive,
or train ride, south of Celje.
Arriving in Laško
Located along the river Savinja in the southern part of
Slovenia’s Štajerska region, Laško is well-connected to the
country’s other major cities by both rail and road. There
are some two dozen trains per day to and from the capital
Ljubljana to the west, and at least as many heading north to
Celje and Maribor (although on Sundays there are significantly
fewer options). If you’re coming by car from either the west
or the east, simply follow the A1 motorway to Celje and then
take the route 5 south along the river for roughly 10km.
Alternatively, if you’re coming from Ljubljana and aren’t
pressed for time, you can take the smaller two-lane route 108
along the picturesque Sava River valley to Zidani Most, and
then follow route 5 north along the Savinja from there.
Welcome to Laško!
Celje In Your Pocket celje.inyourpocket.com