Bled (Slovenian: Bled, German: Veldes / Feldes) is a town and the administrative center of the eponymous municipality of Bled, which belongs to the Gorenjska region in the Republic of Slovenia.
According to the last census from 2002. the settlement of Bled had 5,252 inhabitants. Bled is a village near Lake Bled and is one of the oldest and most beautiful tourist areas in Slovenia. It lies at an altitude of 504 meters in the middle of a glacial valley.
The first settlements from this area date back to the Stone Age, but more significant and larger communities appear in the Iron Age, when we have preserved numerous necropolises. Slavs immigrated to this area in two waves. The first wave was in the 7th century and the second in the 9th and 10th centuries. After the collapse of the Slavic states, Bled entered the state of Charlemagne. In 1004, St. Henry II granted Bled as a feud to Bishop Albuin of Brixen. It was then that Bled was first mentioned. Bled Castle was given to the diocese in 1011. Then the feudalization of the local population began. Bled with the castle was owned by the bishop until 1803, when it was nationalized. Until then, the bishops rented the castle to powerful and rich people, mostly nobles.
From 1803 to 1812, Bled was part of the Illyrian provinces, part of the First French Empire. After the fall of Napoleon, Bled was again in the hands of the Habsburgs. In 1838, they handed Bled back into the hands of the church, the diocese of Brixen. Ten years later, feudalism was abolished and the economic value of this area declined significantly.
Later, the surrounding villages were united and a place was created on the surface of today's Bled. The bishops sold Bled in 1858 to the owner of the Jasenica ironworks. By 1937, there were several changes of ownership. That year, Bled came into state hands, that is. the owner becomes the Drava banovina. During the Second World War, Bled was the seat of the military and civilian administration of the Third Reich. What is known today as Bled was created when the villages of Grad, Mlino, Recica, Zagorice and Zeleče were drowned in the town due to the economy and tourism. Bled officially gained the status of a city in 1960.
The lake is of glacial-tectonic origin and is flowing, the water flows out of the lake into the Sava Bohinjka by the river Jezernica, and it, together with the Sava Dolinjka, becomes "our" Sava. The story of this area is far more poetic when elements of myths and legends are introduced into it, as the hosts do. According to one of them, the lake is the creation of the Old Slavic goddess Živa, who inhabited fairies and elves on its shores. The roots of this legend lead us to the island where graves and skeletons from the period of settlement of the island between the 7th and 9th centuries were discovered, when its Old Slavic inhabitants had a sanctuary here. Another legend is related to the island, more precisely to the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the "bell of desire". In grief for her husband who was killed by robbers, his widow invested all her treasures in casting bells for a small chapel on the island. After the bell and the boat sank in the lake, the legend says that the widow became a monk in Rome. After her death, the pope had another name made and sent to Bled. It is believed that whoever rings that bell in the part of the Virgin Mary, the wish he wishes at that moment will be fulfilled. It is also believed that happiness will follow a married couple if the groom with the bride in his arms crosses the 99th step from the foot of the island to the church located on the plateau at the top of the island.
Bled Fortress is one of the oldest fortresses in Slovenia. It was first mentioned in written sources on May 22, 1011, when German King Henry II presented it to Bishop Adelberon of Brixen. The view of the fortress above the lake with a romantic island and a church is a characteristic of Bled that has become recognizable in the country and abroad over the centuries. The balcony of the fortress offers an exceptional view of the Gorenjska region, located between the Karavanke and Julian Alps. The buildings in the fortress are arranged around the courtyard in two levels. At the bottom of the building there is a printing house of the fortress, a memorial room of Primož Trubar, a gallery Toranj and a restaurant, while on the mezzanine there is a wine cellar and a plant gallery. In the upper courtyard are the most important parts of the building, a chapel from the 16th century and a museum, in which the exhibits speak about the historical development of the region on Lake Bled from the Bronze Age to the present day. Besides them, there is also a fortress restaurant with a terrace and a smithy. Both levels are protected by high Romanesque walls with a defensive corridor, an entrance tower and a powerful Gothic defensive tower.
Franz Prechern on Bled
The inhabitants of Bled say that they have been enjoying the most beautiful view for more than 1,000 years, which they describe as paradise, referring to the verse of the greatest Slovenian poet France Prešeren:
Bled delicacy
Bled is also known for the Slovenian type of crempita called sloven. cream slice or sloven. keremšnita. Bled crempita is a famous dessert that they are very proud of, and since 1953, 12 million crempita have been produced here. Today, these crepes are a well-known brand and everyone who comes to Bled must try them. The production of this dessert is the responsibility of a team in a small and efficient production plant that deals only with crempitas.
Tourism
Bled is known for its lake, and for its castle.
| One way | Round trip | |
|---|---|---|
Van transport Belgrade - Bled | 60 EUR | 115 EUR |
