Holiday apartment in Laško – beer tradition, thermal spas and old town

Laško is located on the Savinja. The Thermana Laško thermal spa is situated directly beside the river. The town combines historic townscapes with beer tradition, thermal spas and routes through the surrounding landscape.

Culture

Laško’s brewing tradition dates back to 1825. It also shapes the Pivo in Cvetje Laško festival, which has been a fixture for several generations since 1964 and offers an annual presentation of Slovenia’s musical creativity. The Laško brewery tour is a guided walk through the brewery and active production facilities. It ends with tastings of selected beers and non-alcoholic drinks.

The HoneyBrew Laško tour adds another hands-on experience: it combines thermal springs, Laško beer, the cuisine of chef Marko Pavčnik and honey specialties. The Laško Cultural Centre hosts performances, seasonal programmes, concerts and exhibitions. In addition, next to the bridge over the Savinja leading to Laško’s old town centre, there is a statue of Gambrinus – the “king of beer”.

Smaller historical traces are also part of the townscape. A copy of the original wooden Black Bridge was built by the Laško brewery in 1997 at the request of the local population. The B2 trail along the boundary of the old market town follows the former boundary path used by locals to secure their territory.

History

Valvasorjev trg, Orožnov trg and Aškerčev trg shape the distinctive appearance of Laško’s old town. Orožnov trg features a depiction of Medusa, which is considered an indication that the Laško area was already inhabited in Roman times.

The Laško Museum presents the town’s historical development from prehistory to the present day in its permanent exhibition “Laško – A Journey Through Time”. Another exhibition is dedicated to Laško’s and Rimske Toplice’s brewing industry as well as their thermal spa and health-resort traditions. The museum is open to individual visitors.

Notable buildings include the Weichselberger Manor House, a Renaissance building from the 16th century that now houses the Laško library. Its current architectural features include arcades from the 19th century. The Archparish Church of St Martin is considered one of Slovenia’s most important Romanesque buildings and has ten Baroque altars. Its bell tower, central nave and ribbed vault are original parts dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Routes

Several routes explore the town and its immediate surroundings in different ways. The path along the walls of Laško’s old town up to Tabor Castle and its summer garden offers views of the old town centre, the Savinja and the surrounding hills. The A7 Hum Trail passes the viewpoints at Prižnica, Prepadna udorina and Blaževa skala, as well as a rest area with a flora information board.

The A8 Spa Trail is an easy circular route that begins and ends at Thermana Laško. It is 3.4 km long and takes approximately 40 minutes. The trail runs along both banks of the Savinja and also includes a 2 km test trail and an outdoor fitness area. In the Wellness Park, outdoor fitness equipment is located on both banks of the Savinja; each piece of equipment is provided with instructions and exercise recommendations.

Nature

The Gračnica Valley, located in the Laško municipality near Laško, is part of the European Union’s NATURA 2000 network of protected areas. The valley is home to numerous rare and endangered plant species, habitats for endangered animals along marshy riverbanks, and rare birds on wet meadows.

Below Hum Hill, the Holy Well “Holly well” springs up in Laško. The chapel beside it was built in 1906 by the Laško Tourist Association. In the area around Laško and Rimske Toplice, the thermal springs have a temperature of 34 to 38 °C and contain 370 to 430 mg of dissolved minerals.

Further destinations in the same regional page section: Svibno, Trobni Dol, Rimske Toplice, Radeče.

To the higher-level travel overview: Laško.