Kočevje: Lake, Trails and Culture

Lake Kočevje is an artificial lake that was created between 1973 and 1978 in the basin of a lignite mine. In summer, people swim, surf, sail, dive and fish there.

Nature and Water

A 3-kilometre-long nature trail leads around Lake Kočevje and allows visitors to observe numerous plant and animal species. The combination of lake, forest and nature observation gives the area a distinctive character of its own.

Trails through the Town and Forest

“A Walk Through Kočevje” is a short, easy themed trail around the town. It passes 23 buildings and 2 bridges. The “A Walk Through Kočevje” app displays a 3D reconstruction of the former Kočevje Castle.

The Staneta Jarma Trail is an easy walking route through Kočevje town centre, featuring outdoor artworks by Stane Jarm. Rožni Studenec is a shorter educational forest trail suitable for children that provides interesting information about life in the forest. The trail begins in Marof in Kočevje, leads through the forest to the Rinža River and the cold Mrzli studenec spring, and then returns to the starting point.

Cycling Trails and Routes

The MTB Trail Center Kočevje is located just outside Kočevje in Dolga vas. It has 11 trails of varying difficulty, with a total length of almost 20 kilometres. The paved pump track at the MTB Trail Center Kočevje offers cyclists of all ages a safe sporting experience.

Družinski krog is an easy cycling route particularly suitable for short family outings around Kočevje. Eleonorina pot begins in Kočevje. Above Kočevje, Kolesarska pot Stojna runs through the Stojna Mountains and away from roads; technically, it is of moderate difficulty.

The challenging Kolpa–Rog route leads from Kočevje to the Kolpa and back through the forests to Kočevje. The Pot do koče pri Jelenovem studencu cycling route begins at a car park on Podgorska Street and connects Kočevje with the summit of Stojna. Different difficulty levels and trail characteristics provide concrete points of comparison for planning your day.

Culture

The Regional Museum of Kočevje has been housed in the Šešek Home since 1963. The Šešek Home was built in 1938 as a Sokolski Home and is an important monument to Slovenian statehood. The Regional Museum cares for the movable cultural heritage of the municipalities of Kočevje, Kostel, Loški potok and Osilnica and presents it to the public.

The parish church of St. Bartholomew stands in the centre of Kočevje on the Rinža River. It was built in 1903 in the Neo-Romanesque style and is decorated with works by the Slovenian artists Slavko Pengov, France Kralj and Stane Jarm.

Other Destinations

Other destinations for planning your trip include Banja Loka, Vrh pri Fari and Osilnica.

Getting There

Kočevje railway station is on the outskirts of the town and is about a ten-minute walk from the centre. Regular passenger service from Kočevje railway station to Ljubljana resumed in 2021.

To the main travel overview: Kočevje.