Cultural heritage of Luče shines at the 16th meeting of Bergsteigerdörfer member villages...

The cultural heritage of Luče shone at the 16th meeting of the member villages of the Gorniške vasi association.

The Gorniška vas Luče, in collaboration with the Alpine Association of Slovenia, hosted the 16th annual meeting of the Gorniške vasi network between 31 May and 2 June 2024, which includes 40 villages from Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, South Tyrol, and Switzerland. 80 participants from six Alpine countries thoroughly explored the cultural heritage of Luče and its significance for mountain villages over three days, tasted numerous local culinary specialties, and experienced the warmth, courage, and determination of the locals who carried out the meeting despite the catastrophic floods and their consequences in 2023.

Within the framework of the work programme of the international Bergsteigerdörfer (Gorniške vasi) association, the annual meeting of representatives of member villages is also held. The purpose of the association, which unites 40 locations in Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, Italy, Switzerland, and Slovenia, is to connect places that have decided to build tourism development on mountaineering tradition, in carrying out mountain-related activities (hiking, alpinism, mountain biking, ski touring, etc.), with appropriate spatial management (without building large tourist infrastructure - cable cars, hotels, apartment settlements) and attracting guests who respect the culture and traditions of the local population. The project, designed by the Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV) and led and coordinated at the national level by the national alpine associations from member states (AVS, DAV, CAI, SAC, and PZS), represents one of the most prominent projects of the Alpine Convention. From Slovenia, the municipality of Jezersko (the first mountain village from Slovenia), the municipality of Luče, and the local community of Dovje-Mojstrana from the municipality of Kranjska Gora have joined the association. We also expect the inclusion of Baška grapa by the end of this year.

"The annual meeting of the association's members is an opportunity for participants - mayors, project group leaders, alpine organisations, partners - to exchange experiences in implementing the project; examples of good practices and, of course, to establish personal contacts and acquaintances. This year's, the 16th annual meeting, took place in the municipality of Luče, specifically as one of the events within Slovenia's presidency of the Alpine Convention. We are extremely proud and grateful to the municipal leadership and all the locals who confirmed and carried out the organisation of the meeting despite the catastrophic floods and their consequences in 2023. The central theme of this year's meeting was Cultural Heritage and its Importance for Mountain Villages," emphasised Miro Eržen, the project leader for Gorniške vasi in Slovenia.

On Friday, 31 May 2024, 80 participants from Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, Italy, Switzerland, and Slovenia were welcomed by the Mayor of the Municipality of Luče, Klavdij Strmčnik, the Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, Alenka Smerkolj, Nataša Bratina from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, and the Presidents of the Alpine Associations of Slovenia and Austria, Jože Rovan and Wolfgang Schnabl.

In the main thematic part, Dr. Janez Bogataj presented the gastronomic heritage in the broader Alpine area with an emphasis on culinary specialties of the Upper Savinja Valley, while Dr. Borut Juvanec presented Alpine and Slovenian pastoral architecture with some characteristics of this type of construction in the broader area of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. As part of a lecture prepared by local Simona Moličnik and presented by Ana Strmčnik, participants learned about the intangible cultural heritage of Luče with a special emphasis on polyphonic singing heritage. In the contribution by Romana Zorman of the Slovenian Tourist Board, Slovenia - a destination for cultural tourism, indicators of tourism development in Slovenia were presented with an emphasis on sustainable forms, which also has priority in the current Tourism Development Strategy of Slovenia. Participants could also view an exhibition of award-winning objects as part of the Alpine Convention's Constructive Alps competition, prepared by the permanent contact point of the Alpine Convention within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning of Slovenia.

In the afternoon session, participants visited the peculiarities in Luče, namely the monumentally renovated Juvanova hiša, craft production of wooden products in the Šlanger workshop, and the architecturally modern renovated Raduha house. The evening was concluded with a performance by the Luče Folk Singers presenting polyphonic singing or the uniquely preserved method of its performance in Luče - singing in fourths. The young accordionists also thrilled with their performance.

Saturday morning was filled with contributions related to the narrower area of the Luče municipality. Maša Čas Zajec from the regional unit of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Celje presented the cultural heritage of the pastures in Luče; local collector and expert on local history Metod Rosc interestingly presented the population of Luče through history in his lecture. The President of the Luče Mountaineering Association, Anton Žunter, outlined a major historical peculiarity - the supplying of mountain huts in the Savinja Alps, which was carried out by women. Ana Kaker from the Koklej homestead presented the story of the renovated granaries on the Koklej homestead in her contribution "May the granaries be full". In the afternoon session, participants also viewed this interesting renovated building, as well as the renovated Žagarski mlin in Podvolovljek, and tasted the unique Savinja stomach and cheeses at the Selišnik farm.

Saturday evening was concluded with a concert by members of the Zgornje Savinjske doline Wind Band with soloists, a performance by zither players, and the Žetev octet. On Sunday morning, part of the participants ascended to Raduha, the other part to the Dleskovškova planota.

"Participants parted with very positive impressions, as during the meeting they learned a lot of local history related to the main theme of the meeting; they tasted numerous local culinary specialties prepared by members of the hospitality team of the Koča na Loki pod Raduho hut and the Pr' Lampi inn. The leadership of the Luče municipality and the locals proved their warmth, courage, and determination to overcome even the challenges that affected them in the previous year with such a successful implementation of the meeting. As co-organisers in the Alpine Association of Slovenia, we are proud of the implementation of this event, which is a pride not only for the Luče municipality but for the whole of Slovenia. At the same time, we thank the leadership of Slovenia's presidency of the Alpine Convention for financial support and constructive cooperation in organising the event," concluded Miro Eržen from the Alpine Association of Slovenia.