CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 02/2017

SAVOIR VIVRE WEEKENDER
Der Bleder See liegt
inmitten einer anmutigen
Landschaft, was auch dem
königlichen Golfplatz
zugute kommt. Lake Bled
is located amidst a graceful
landscape, which also benefits
the royal golf course.
Die Villa Bled hat auch schon
Staatsgäste und Prominente
aus aller Welt beherbergt.
Villa Bled accomodated state
visitors and VIPs from all over
the world.
TIPP
Wine Bar & Restaurant
Sova
„Was wir kochen, das kommt
vom Herzen“, sagen die
beiden Küchenchefs Knego
und Branko, die in ihrem
Restaurant, das in der
Ortschaft Mlino direkt am
See liegt, einer kreativen
Beschäftigung mit der
lokalen Küche nachgehen.
Wunderbarer Blick auf den
See.
”We cook from the heart,“
the two chefs Knego and
Branko maintain, who use
their restaurant to engage
creatively with the local
cuisine. Their eatery is
located in the town of Mlino
right by the lake, onto which
you can enjoy a fantastic
view.
restavracija-sova.com
internationale Gäste zu empfangen. Vor allem Staatsbesuchen
aus den Ländern der Dritten Welt oder aus
Osteuropa wollte Tito so zeigen, wie erfolgreich Jugoslawien
war, weiß Bürgermeister Fajfar zu berichten.
So waren u.a. Haile Selassie, der Kaiser von Äthiopien,
hier und Nasser, der Präsident von Ägypten.
Aber auch Akihito, der Kaiser von Japan, hatte das
Vergnügen, die Villa Bled zu besuchen. Persönlichkeiten
aus Kunst und Kultur wie Paul McCartney
wohnten im Lauf der Jahre ebenfalls hier. Und Donald
Trump war hier, was vermutlich verwandtschaftlichen
Verhältnissen geschuldet war.
Anekdoten und Geschichten gibt es zur Genüge.
Eine der originellsten erzählt von von Kim Il-sung,
dem nordkoreanischen Präsidenten, der hier nächtigte
und von seinem Bett so begeistert war, dass er es
abbauen und nach Pjöngjang verschiffen ließ. Bemerkenswert
an der Villa Bled ist auch, dass sie ist aus
dem selben Marmor gebaut, der auch beim Bau des
Weißen Hauses in Washington verwendet wurde.
An Tito und seinem Umbau erinnert heute noch
ein Wandfresko im Konzertsaal. Es erzählt von der
Geburt des Staates Jugoslawien und zeigt die Partisanenschlachten
des Zweiten Weltkriegs, aus denn
Tito siegreich hervorgegangen war. Seit 1984 ist die
Villa Bled ein Hotel. Nicht irgendeines, sondern
wohl das bekannteste der Region.
Eine wichtige Veranstaltungen im Herbst ist das
Bled Strategic Forum, das in diesem Jahr am 4. und
5. September stattfindet. Es ist ein Treffen von Politikern
und Wirtschaftsleuten vor allem aus Mittelund
Südosteuropa. Janez Fajfar nennt es kokett das
„Davos des Balkans“. Die Veranstaltung unterstreicht
die Bedeutung, die Bled heute als Kongress- und
MICE-Ort hat.
With plenty of passion, Janez Fajfar, mayor
of Bled, compiles a list of reasons why
people should come visit his town in the
Slovenian region of Upper Carniola at the foot of the
Julian Alps. There is, of course, Lake Bled, which is
considered among the most romantic and most
beautifully located spots in Europe. There‘s the little
island in the heart of the lake with a pilgrimage church
dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, there are
the Pletna, the region-typical boats with fabric roofs,
which navigate around the lake and can be rented by
visitors for a round trip or a ride to the church.
There‘s the splendid, six-kilometre-long hiking and
cycling trail around the lake, always right by the water,
with plenty of eateries all around, there‘s Villa
Bled, with all its history, there‘s the Golfsko Igrišče
Royal Bled, the royal golf course, whose beginnings
date all the way back to 1937 and which is said to be
one of the most beautiful in Europe.
The best way to experience the lake is naturally from
above, for example from the castle hill Grajski Grič or
from one of the surrounding mountains such as Osojnice
or Straža, which can be reached via chairlift.
PHOTOS: MIRKO KUNŠIČ , CRT SLAVEC, FRANCI FERJAN, MIRKO KUNŠIČ, JOŠT GANTAR
Bled Castle houses a museum which tells the history
of the region. And that history reaches far back
into pre-Christian times when a shrine was erected
for the goddess of love and fertility on the island in
the lake. Bled became known as a resort town in the
middle and toward the end of the 18th century, during
the time of Maria Theresa. The lake and its
springs were attributed with healing properties.
Countless aristocrats and members of the upper class
settled within the idyllic landscape around Lake
Bled. In 1883, even Emperor Franz Joseph visited the
place. In 1906, Bled was connected to the railway
network — the track leads from Villach and Jesenice
to Bled and then continues to Görz and Triest. Back
then, it was the most expensive railway track that
had ever been built, with spectacular bridges and
tunnels, and its opening was accompanied by Archduke
Franz Ferdinand.
Those visiting Bled today won‘t do without a trip
to the famous Villa Bled. It is located just outside of
the resort town. Amid a generous park facility, it‘s
quite magical. Janez Fajfar, the long-time mayor,
used to work here as the hotel director. Villa Bled has
made history and history was made in it, too. Originally,
there used to be a little half-timbered house in
its place, erected by the noble family Windischgrätz,
which, due to its ignoble role in the March Revolution
of 1848, preferred the remoteness of the Carniolian
mountains over the Habsburg metropoles of Vienna
and Prague. After 1918, it was the location of
the castle of King Alexander of Yugoslavia. The royal
family Karađorđević received members of the Greek,
Romanian and English courts as guests here.
Villa Bled, as we know it today, was only constructed
after World War Two. It became the summer
residence of Marshal Tito. The president of Yugoslavia
used it to receive international guests. Tito
was particularly keen on showing state visitors from
third world countries and Eastern Europe how successful
Yugoslavia was, reports mayor Fajfar. This is
how, among others, Haile Selassie, the King of Ethiopia
and Gamal Nasser, president of Egypt, came here.
But also Akihito, the Emperor of Japan, had the pleasure
of visiting Villa Bled. Individuals from art and
culture such as Paul McCartney also stayed here. As
did Donald Trump, which was probably due to family
relations.
There‘s plenty of anecdotes and stories here. One
of the best is about Kim Il-sung, the North Korean
president, who had been so impressed by his bed that
he had it deconstructed and shipped to Pyongyang.
Another thing that‘s remarkable about Villa Bled is
that it‘s made of the same marble which had also
been used for the construction of the White House in
Washington.
A fresco on a wall in the concert hall still reminds
visitors of Tito and his reconstruction. It tells the story
of the birth of the Yugoslavian state and portrays
two partisan battles from World War Two, from
which Tito emerged victorious. Since 1984, Villa
Bled has been a hotel. Not just any, but one of the
best-known in the region.
An important event during autumn is the Bled
Strategic Forum, held on 4 and 5 September this
year. It‘s a meeting between politicians and business
representatives, particularly from Central and Southeast
Europe. Janez Fajfar straightforwardly calls it
the “Davos of the Balkans“. The event underlines the
importance that Bled carries today as a conference
and MICE location.
INFO:
bled.si
Schloss Bled
blejski-grad.si
Bled Strategic Forum
bledstrategicforum.org
Golfsko igrišče Royal Bled
golfbled.si
www.slovenia.info
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