Municipality of Žumberak – Nature Park and Cultural Heritage

The Municipality of Žumberak is defined by Žumberak–Samoborsko gorje Nature Park: the entire municipal area lies within the nature park. The landscape therefore provides the setting, while strictly protected areas and designated cultural heritage sites offer specific points of interest. When planning your holiday, you can choose between active days spent hiking or cycling and a stronger focus on cultural history. Both themes have concrete points of interest in the municipality.

Nature Park and orientation

Kuta Forest is in the Municipality of Žumberak, within the strictly protected zone. The source area of the Slapnica stream, up to Brisalo Waterfall, is also in this zone. The protected status of both places is useful to know when finding your way around; check the park’s latest guidance before visiting.

Čunkova Draga is in the municipality and is one of the six main entrances to Žumberak–Samoborsko gorje Nature Park. As a designated main entrance, it provides a specific reference point if you include the nature park in your travel plans. Cycling and hiking are among the nature park’s sports and recreational activities. This gives you two different types of activity to choose from, without suggesting any particular route.

Cultural sites and history

The traditional farmstead with a watermill in Kalje, Kalje No. 37, is listed as protected cultural heritage under code Z-4535. Stari grad Žumberak is listed as recorded cultural heritage in the municipal cultural heritage inventory. In Tupčina, the Bishop Čolnić Manor is listed as protected cultural heritage under code Z-3926. These names and locations offer concrete topics for visitors interested in cultural history to consider when planning a trip.

In Sošice, the Greek Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul and the Catholic Chapel of the Assumption of Mary are jointly listed as protected cultural heritage under code Z-5702. A school opened near the church complex in 1769 and is considered one of the two oldest schools in Žumberak. The nature park’s visitor centre is also in Sošice; it opened in April 2022. The historical details and designated cultural sites give this place several distinct points of interest for exploring Žumberak’s cultural history.

Choose the right focus

When looking for a holiday rental in the Municipality of Žumberak, you can first consider what kind of holiday you want: would you like to focus on hiking and cycling, or are you particularly interested in the designated cultural sites and their historical context? If you would like to combine both, the nature park and cultural heritage offer different themes to include in your plans.

More things to explore in Zagreb County

The wider destination of Zagreb County also offers a variety of regional highlights. Traditional Samobor specialities include Muštarda and Bermet; Samoborske kremšnite is another local speciality. For cyclists, the route Stopama svetog Martina is another named option: it leads from the centre of Dugo Selo to the Martin Breg excursion destination. Ivanić-Grad has three developed cycling routes with different levels of difficulty. The orange route is easier, while the yellow and blue routes are more challenging. These examples from Zagreb County complement the nature park and cultural heritage themes of the Municipality of Žumberak with regional food culture and cycling routes of varying difficulty.

Discover places in the Municipality of Žumberak: Kostanjevac, Kalje, Žumberak.

Discover more destinations: Municipality of Jastrebarsko, Municipality of Brdovec, Municipality of Pušća, City of Samobor, Municipality of Zaprešić.

Go to the main travel overview: Zagreb County.