Celje - In Your Pocket

3 lAško whAt to see lAško whAt to see
Tours
Laško’s modern brewery with nearly 200 years of
traditions
Laško Brewery Tour B-3, Trg Svobode 8, tel.
(+386) 3 733 89 50, tic@stik-lasko.si, www.
stik-lasko.si. Founded all the way back in 1825 by a
local producer of mead and gingerbread (and a tasty
combo that is!), the brewery was originally located in
the Valvasorjev Špital building in the city centre, which
still stands today and is home to the Hotel Savinja.
By far the most popular beer in Slovenia, Laško - or
more specifically it’s flagship Zlatorog brand (which
for those keeping track, means ‘mountain goat’ in
Slovene and is a Czech-style lager) - is also widely
found on menus at restaurants and pubs throughout
the former-Yugoslav states and beyond.
For those interested in finding out more about Laško’s
eponymous brew, tours can be arranged through the
tourist information centre next to the train station
(note: at the time of writing tours were only available
for groups of 15 or more, but regularly scheduled visiting
hours for individuals and smaller groups were set
to be introduced shortly). The tour includes a stop by
the city museum, where well-presented exhibits outline
Laško’s nearly 200 year brewing history - including
the short-lived attempt at using water from the city’s
healing thermal spring in the process.
After the museum, the tour moves across town to
Laško’s state of the art facilities and one of the largest
breweries in the region, and concludes with a requisite
beer tasting. While our all too well-documented taste
for drink probably makes us biased, for our money the
Laško brewery tour easily deserves a place among
Slovenia’s must-see attractions. Q Admission is
€6.50 per person, and includes entrance to the
museum, beer tasting and a small snack.
Sights
Black Bridge (Črni Most) A-2, Savinjsko Nabrežje.
Looking like something out of a period piece horror movie,
the aptly named Black Bridge lies along the right bank of
the river Savinja and straddles the tiny Žikovca stream as
it flows into the larger waterway. Orginally built in 1923
for commercial purposes, the covered wooden bridge was
actually torn down after World War Two and replaced by
a more functional - albeit much less aesthetically pleasing
- concrete structure. In later years the bridge was
mercifully returned to its original appearance thanks to
the patronage of the Laško Brewery, and is once again
the highlight of the towns picturesque pedestrian along
Savinjsko Nabrežje.
Tabor Castle B-1/2, Cesta na Svetino 23, tel. (+386)
3 734 50 40/(+386) 31 787 884, info@gradtaborlasko.
si, www.gradtaborlasko.si. Perched on a small hill to the
east of the town centre, Laško’s castle is reached relatively
easily on foot and provides great views of the town below
and the river valley meandering off in both directions. The
castle was likely built sometime at the beginning of the 12th
century, and later came under the ownership of the Counts of
Celje, who were the region’s most powerful family for several
generations during the 14th and 15th centuries. After being
burnt to the ground by the Turks in 1487, the castle was for
a time used as a camp and then left to slowly decline into
ruins over the following two centuries. It was finally restored
after being purchased by Laško Brewery in the mid-1980s,
and today houses a restaurant, summer garden, wine shop
and incredibly popular wedding hall - if you visit on any given
Saturday you’ll like find the latter in use. Q Restaurant and
wine shop open Tues-Fri 12:00-21:00, Sat 11:00-21:00 and
Sun 11:00-19:00. Closed Mondays. Surrounding grounds
open 00:00-24:00.
Black Bridge on the banks of the Savinja
Celje In Your Pocket celje.inyourpocket.com
Squares & Parks
Aškerčev Trg (Aškerc Square) B-2. The main square in
Laško’s old town is a bit odd both for its circular shape as well
as its noticeable slope from north to south, but is nonetheless
the most picturesque open space in the town. Dominated on
one side by the massive Church of St Martin, the opposite is
occupied by a row of old buildings containing various shops
and residences, and a hopefully soon to be reopened beer
hall. In the centre of the square a column topped by a statue
of Mary sits in a small round garden.
City Park A-1/2, . Occupying the long narrow strip of land
between along the river Savinja between the Cultural Centre
and Thermal Spas, the city’s well-kept park is the most
popular place in Laško for a relaxing stroll at the weekends.
Several large white stone sculptures, mostly of abstract
forms, give the area the appearence of a sculpture garden
and add to the overall charm.
A day at the park
Cycling and Hiking
With its location nestled amongst seemingly endless
rolling hills and picturesque valleys - with villages and
churches on every hilltop and natural wonders around
every corner - Laško is the perfect base to explore the
surrounding countryside either by bike or by foot. The
local tourist office has already put together a detailed
bi-lingual guide that includes eight different cycling routes
of varying degrees of length and difficulty, which can
easily be modified to provide even more flexibility. The
guide includes a description of the routes, a list of places
of interest to be found along the way, a graph charting
the altitude and virtually fool-proof topographical maps.
And no need to fret if you’ve left your bike at home, as
the tourist office hires them out at reasonable rates
(although you may want to book ahead during the high
season). For avid hikers there are even more paths to
choose from, and the staff at the tourist office will be
happy to answer any questions about routes and also
hires out trekking poles for more arduous journeys. Q
Bike rentals €3/5/7/9 for 1/3/5/8 hours, and includes
a bicycle helmet and lock.
celje.inyourpocket.com
May - November 2010
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