Dwarves, a witch, or thunder?

More than 150 years ago, when the natural mineral water in Radenci still sprung out from the deep without human intervention, it made loud hissing, rumbling, bubbling noises at the source. The strange sounds emanating from the depths of the earth excited people’s imaginations and prompted unusual explanations. There were no fewer than three legends being passed around at the time, namely that the noise was being made by hard-working dwarves digging tunnels to clear a path for the beneficial waters, that there was a giant cauldron used by witches to cook dumplings, and that the rumbling noise was a sign of coming thunder and hail. Which one do you believe?

The tale of the Prekmurje Water Man

There once was a boy who really loved bathing in the Mura. One day, even though there was a big storm, he couldn't resist going to the river, but the water was too deep and the current carried him away. He was saved by the Mura Water Man, who carried him to the bottom of the river. He desperately wanted some company, so he offered the boy everything, even golden toys, just to make him happy. But the boy missed his parents, brother, and sister too much. And so the Water Man realised that no riches can make up for family. He waited for the boy to fall asleep, then filled his pockets with precious gems from the bottom of the Mura river and brought him to shore. When the boy awoke, he ran back to his family and they lived happily ever after.

The dragon Kač and the golden crown

In a cave at Grad castle (Goričko Castle) there once lived a dragon named Kač, who wore a beautiful golden crown on his head. Each morning, he went to bathe in the castle pond. So that the crown did not get wet, he would set it on top of the grass next to the pond. The count and countess spotted the crown in the grass while taking a walk, and the count immediately wanted to have it. He proclaimed that whoever could bring him the dragon's crown would receive his daughter's hand in marriage. A strong young man that lived near the castle took up the courage to volunteer, and one day, when the dragon was bathing in the pond, he snatched the crown, jumped on a swift steed, and rode off towards the castle. The dragon Kač quickly made after him, but it was too late. Once the boy made it to the castle courtyard, the mighty iron castle gate was closed. The dragon came after the boy with such speed that he could not stop in time and crashed into the closed iron gate. The blow was fatal and the dragon collapsed dead in front of the castle gate. And so the count got the dragon's crown, which he hid so well inside the castle, that no man ever laid eyes on it again. It has now been more than a hundred years since that day and the dragon's crown still protects the castle.

The story of how Lake Bled came to be

Where Lake Bled is now, there used to be a valley with a hill in the middle that had a giant rock on top of it. On moonlit nights, mountain fairies would gather and dance around the rock. In the valley and on the slopes of the hill, shepherds would herd their sheep. And since the sheep would also eat the grass around the fairy rock, the fairies told the shepherds that they had better fence off the rock at the top of the hill, or else they would take care of protecting it themselves. Since the shepherds did not heed the fairies' warning, one night, the youngest and most beautiful of the fairies broke one of her legs on the hard, mowed-down ground. So the fairies called down water from the mountains, which flooded the valley leaving only the top of the hill with the rock above water. They have been dancing carefree there ever since, and the valley became Lake Bled with its island.

^{Photo: Rok Mučič}

The legend of the sunken bell

At the bottom of Lake Bled is a sunken bell, which was cast at the behest of a young widow in remembrance of her late loving husband. She had spent all that she had on the bell and church on the island. But the bell never made it to the island. ecause of a storm, it ended up on the bottom of the lake. The widow lived out the rest of her days in a monastery, but after her death, the Bled Island church got a new bell, consecrated by the pope himself. And so the wish was granted, with the bell in the Bled Island church granting wishes to this day – all you have to do is sound it.

The legend of the Goldhorn

The Jezerska Dolina valley and the vast mountain plateaus of Komna were once a mountain paradise, home to the white wives – gentle, kind-hearted beings that would help poor people in need. They never wanted to be thanked for their kind deeds, and if anyone got too close to them, they would trigger avalanches, storms, and hailstorms to make them return to the valley. In the mountains, their herds would graze, led by a great white ibex with golden horns – the Goldhorn, whose horns were the key to an immeasurable hidden treasure. These horns attracted a young hunter from the Trenta valley. He was in love with a beautiful valley girl, who expected him to prove his love for her by bringing her the golden horns. He shot the Goldhorn, but forgot about the beast’s magical power. From the Goldhorn's blood bloomed forth miraculous Triglav flowers – edelweiss. The dying Goldhorn ate one of the flowers and immediately sprung back to life. He dashed towards the hunter, who fell into the gorge of the Soča river. The raging river carried his body deep into the valley where he came from, with a bouquet of Triglav flowers in his hands. The Golhorn, filled with rage, devastated the mountain paradise and disappeared forever, the white wives leaving along with him too. And his treasure remains hidden in the mountains beneath Triglav to this day.

Kurent and the Flood

There was once a great flood covering nearly the whole world in water, and only four people managed to survive. How the first three managed to escape is unknown, but the fourth saved himself by holding onto a grapevine that was growing on a tall hill and touching the sky with its leaves. He held on and started climbing it. This was seen by Kurent, a well-respected god of the ancient Slavic people. It made him happy that a human was seeking help holding onto a grape vine - a plant dedicated to the ancient god - so he showed mercy to the desperate human. The water began receding and the earth became dry again. In exchange, the rescued human had to promise Kurent that he would always respect the two plants dedicated to him – the grapevine and buckwheat. The rescued human took a grapevine sapling and a buckwheat plant into the world, looking for his homeland. And to this day, these two plants hold a place of significant importance in the region around Ptuj.

Dravus – the river deity

The Drava river, flowing not far from Terme Ptuj, is the river with the highest water flow in Slovenia. Humans have always loved going to the water, simply because it makes us feel good. And our ancient ancestors also sought solace and a source of strength in the Drava river. They named the mysterious energy of the river Dravus, and worshipped it so that it would flush away everything negative, wash away the unclean, give water to the thirsty, and feed all things yearning for life. When you are walking by Lake Ptuj, listen to the river and you may even feel the essence of this river deity yourself.

Marcus Antonius Primus – Warrior, orator, or poet?

Right here, on the right bank of the Drava river, where Grand Hotel Primus stands next to Terme Ptuj today, a military consultation was held in the year 69 AD to choose the new emperor of the Roman Empire: would it be Vitellius or Vespasian? The decision was made when the determined Primus stepped forth in front of his military comrades and – not using force, but words – convinced them to support Vespasian. They should have waited for reinforcements from other armies so they could march on Rome together, but Primus knew that hesitation could be fatal to the new emperor's claim to power. He did not hesitate, and headed for the holy city himself, defeating his enemies and holding onto Rome until the arrival of Vespasian. Marcus Antonius Primus later retreated from political life out of disappointment. Historians say he returned to his birthplace of Tolouse, where he dedicated his life to nature and poetry, while the citizens of Ptuj believe he sought inner peace in the city where his warrior spirit was most respected: in Petoviona, in Ptuj.

Stories of the white dove: the miracle of Izola

Did you know that Izola wouldn't have existed if the miracle of Izola didn't happen in 1380? During the time of the wars between cities, Izola was threatened by Genova, while the local citizens would constantly pray for God to grant them aid defending the city. The city's prayers were heard by St. Maurus, who sent a cloud upon the Genoese ships, making them unable to see the coast, while a white dove flew up from the church. Thinking doves don't fly far from shore, the Genoese ships followed it far into the open sea. And so Izola was saved and the dove returned to the church bell tower, bringing with it an olive branch – a symbol of peace and security. In remembrance of the event, the white dove is featured on Izola's city emblem.

Guiseppe Tartini and his Devil's Trill

Long ago, in April of 1692, Guiseppe Tartini was born in the lively fishing town of Piran. He was supremely musically talented from a very young age. One day in 1713, when he was travelling around Europe, he experienced a moment of great inspiration at the monastery of Assisi. He had a dream in which he sold his soul to the devil and taunted him to play something on his violin. He was sure that the devil wouldn't know how. But the devil played the violin so masterfully that his performance surpassed anything Tartini had heard before. The melody stuck in Tartini's head even after he awoke, so he wrote it down as a piece of music and named it The Devil's Trill. It remains to this day one of the most difficult pieces to play on the violin.

The Guardian Angel of Piran

Atop the mighty 1609 venetian bell tower in Piran stands a grand bronze sculpture of an Angel named Michael. It's a special rotating sculpture that can forecast the weather. When he points his finger warningly towards Piran and protects the city with his wings, a southern wind will blow, bringing rainy weather. When he shows the people of Piran his wings and looks towards Trieste, the Burja wind blows, bringing fair weather. The 3.7 metre tall angel was placed on an iron axle in 1614, making it able to turn with the wind. The angel is also next to a lightning rod, so he absorbs many lightning strikes year round. This guardian angel has now been diligently keeping Piran safe for centuries.

Trips around Terme 3000 - Moravske Toplice

Trips around Health Resort Zdravilišče Radenci

Trips around Terme Ptuj

Trips in and around Bled

Trips on and around the Slovenian coast