STA, 3 August 2022 - A new via ferrata (Ferata Dobršnik )was inaugurated in a gorge in the municipality of Jesenice in the Karavanke Alps in the north-west of the country, to put Jesenice on the country's tourist map.
"There are many well-known tourist areas in our neighbourhood, and I believe we also have a number of attractions we can offer," Mayor Blaž Račič said on Wednesday.
Jesenice joined forces in the project with Kranjska Gora, a very popular tourist area in the Julian Alps, as the protected climbing route in the Dobršnik Gorge runs along the border between the two municipalities.
Kranjska Gora has opened four such via ferratas in recent years, in Gozd Martuljek and Mojstrana, and they have all proved very popular.
Some 1,000 metres long, the Dobršnik Ferrata is graded as moderate, alternating between easier and harder sections, with some caution needed.
It is also very picturesque, offering a view of as many as eight waterfalls while also being rich in flora and fauna, as well as fossils.
According to Almin Gorinjac, director of the Jesenice Sports Institute, there was a tourist route here already more than 100 years ago.
The ferrata, which cost both municipalities EUR 40,000, can also serve as a relatively safe training ground to get prepared for visiting high mountains.
Kranjska Gora Tourism Board head Blaž Veber is convinced the new ferrata in the Karavanke has a lot of tourism potential and rounds off the offer in Gozd Martuljek and Mojstrana. Kranjska Gora Mayor Janez Hrovat said that such protected climbing routes attracted tourist all year around.
