SLOVENIA

www.slo-mag.si INVITES
YOU!

Dr Uroš Merc, Chairman of the Board of the BISOL Group

“Eachsunny day
means money
in the bank account.”
12-16
10
YEAR ADRIA
WATER INGRESS
warranty
 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

40.26 4.4% 1,453

billion pounds – gross – GDP growth in pounds – average
gross salary in August
Republic of domestic product in
Slovenia in 2018*
2018*
2018
Slovenia
Capital:
Ljubljana 8.2% 943
Population: 19,517 – exports growth in
2018*
– average net salary in
August 2018
2 million pounds – gross domes-
tic product per capita
Land area: in 2018*
20,273 km2
Coastline length:
8.0% 1.8%
– imports growth – average inflation in
46 kilometres in 2018* 2018*
Currency:
EURO
A member of:
* – latest forecast of
economic trends by the
8.2
Institute of Macroeconomic – registered unem-
EU, NATO, OECD Analysis and Development ployment rate in
of the Republic of Slovenia, 2018*
September 2018

A billion worth
of opportunities
A
t the end of this year or at the beginning of next,
construction machines are expected to start
rumbling in Gomilsko, only an hour’s drive from
the Slovenian capital. BSW Timber, a Scottish family
company with an almost 170-year tradition, chose Slovenia for
its large new investment and if everything goes according to
plan, the Scottish saw will be heard in Gomilsko in two years.
The arrival of BSW Timber in Slovenia is a positive example
that the third most forested country in Europe is open to the
internationalisation of its economy even when it comes to
the management of such crucial strategic assets as wood or
strategic industries such as the forestry and wood industry.
Ten years ago, Slovenia with its two million residents was
deemed a country that was rather closed to foreign invest-
ments. This, however, has been changing and today, Slovenia
attracts companies from countries for which it initially was not
the first and obvious choice. Magna Steyr, Yaskawa and Sumi-
tomo Rubber Industries are only a few of the important global
players that have recognised the advantages of Slovenia in
recent years for their greenfield investments. In addition to the
country’s geostrategic position between Western Europe and
South-Eastern Europe and its well-developed infrastructure,
respectable economists include among such advantages the
fact that Slovenia is no longer as expensive for foreign inves-
Trade in goods between Slovenia and the United
Kingdom has been increasing in recent years and is
approaching the magic boundary of one billion euros.
tors as it was perhaps a decade ago. Therefore, Slovenia has become a more
attractive destination for foreign investments than it was a few years ago,
particularly in comparison with its traditional competitors, namely the states
of the Visegrad Group, asserts the respectable Slovenian economist Mojmir
Mrak.
Although the trade in goods between Slovenia and the United Kingdom
may not (yet) be described as highly substantial, the realisation that, in the
modern world, distance is no longer a strategic category is far more important
than actual numbers. Slovenian companies are known for their innovative-
ness and a well-educated workforce, and the best markets for innovative
companies are those that are the most competitive, of which the companies
described in our magazine are well aware. Stronger cooperation with Britain is
an opportunity not only for a better global recognition of Slovenian com-
panies but also for Slovenia to make a global breakthrough in business and
technology. The more Slovenian and British companies nurture their relation-
ships and get to know each other the more opportunities there will be to take
advantage of numerous undiscovered economic and commercial opportuni-
ties between the two countries. Vanja Tekavec

SLOVENIA
www.slo-mag.si
Editor: Project Manager: Publisher:
INVITES
YOU!
Vanja Tekavec Monika Klinar Časnik Finance, d. o. o.,
Telephone: +386 1 30 91 480 Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
November 2018 Technical Editor: E-Mail: monika.klinar@finance.si www.finance.si
On the cover: Maja Volk Advertisement Marketing: Director and Editor in Chief:
Telephone: +386 1 30 91 590 Peter Frankl
Dr Uroš Merc,
Translation: E-Mail: oglasi@finance.si
Chairman of the Board of the BISOL Group
PSD, d. o. o.
Photography:
Jure Makovec
(www.psdtranslation.com/en)
Circulation: 45.300 Izv zniki.si
www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 3
 Partners of this edition WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS IS DONE BY
of the magazine SLOVENIAN AND BRITISH COMPANIES?
2 ADRIA MOBIL, D.O.O.
sl.adria-mobil.com

These are
M: +386 7 393 71 00
E: info@adria-mobil.si

exporters
5 OIKOS HOUSING, MONIKA JANKOVIĆ S.P.
oikoshousing.com
M: +386 40 894 144

that boost
E: nebojsa@oikoshousing.com

exports
7 SATLER OKNA IN VRATA d.o.o.
www.okna-satler.si
M: +386 2 29 27 458

to Britain
E: info@lip-satler.si

9 HETA ASSET RESOLUTION d.o.o.

www.nepremicnine-har.si
M: +386 1 580 45 86

C
E: prodajne.storitve@har.si
an you guess how many Britons come to Slove-
nia on holidays with a Slovenian motor home?
21 OBČINA AJDOVŠČINA Or who made the glass in which a famous Brit-
www.ajdovscina.si ish producer of non-alcoholic drinks presented
its new cocktail at Wimbledon, or what the odds are
M: +386 51 601 267
that a marker pen from a British producer was made in
E: igor.zibrik@ajdovscina.si
Slovenia?
These are only a few products used by Slovenian com-
15 panies to pave their way to the British market. We asked
KOLDING d.o.o.
them how their businesses fared this year and what
www.kolding.si novelties they have in store for their customers in Britain.
M: +386 2 82 34 340
E: kolding@kolding.si How many British come to Slovenia with a
Slovenian motor home?
The leisure vehicle producer Adria Mobil has been loyal
15 KELE & KELE, d.o.o. to the British market since 1969. This loyalty has paid off,
www.mlekarna-krepko.si as Great Britain is now its fourth-largest market, and the
M: + 386 1 759 01 60
E: info@krepko.siM: + 386 1 759 01 60
E: info@krepko.si
Income, an ice cream producer, among London
Stock Exchange winners
The London Stock Exchange put Incom, an ice cream and frozen
27 SPIRIT Slovenija, javna agencija dessert producer, on the list of 1000 Companies to Inspire. The largest
Slovenian ice cream producer exports products to 46 countries from
www.spiritslovenia.si Australia to the USA. The company has been growing fast, enabled by
M: +386 1 589 18 70 its significant investments. It produces over two million ice creams and
E: info@spiritslovenia.si
frozen desserts every day, and strengthens its own brands of ice cream,
namely Leone and Leone AL!VE. »We are proud that we are among
the fastest-growing European companies and among those with the
Follow us on greatest number of employees. I believe that our development will not
stop here, and that together we will create many innovations which
will strengthen our position in the global ice cream market. Our sales
this year will increase by more than a quarter,« said Boštjan Jerončič,
Director of Incom, when receiving the London Stock Exchange award.

4 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si

 The buyers of
Adria Mobil’s
leisure vehicles
in the British
market are
mostly families
and the so-called
empty nesters,
who gladly
take their
grandchildren on
vacation.

company can pride itself on a number of recognitions
and awards, including the most prestigious one - the
Customer Satisfaction Award, presented by buyers of lei-
sure vehicles in Great Britain. This year, Adria Mobil won
this trophy for the fifth year in a row and their brand was
also recognized as the Overall Winner with the highest
possible score.
Great Britain has always been at the forefront in terms
of the number of newly registered motor homes, right
after Germany and France; however, success does not
come by itself. When asked what is important to succeed
on the British market, Adria Mobil replied that it is neces-
sary to recognize which are the special features relevant
to British customers. “Compared to the continental
countries, the weather in Great Britain permits the buy-
ers of leisure vehicles to enjoy their leisure time outside
their motor home or caravan less frequently and thus
they spend much more time inside their vehicles. This is
why the comfort, homeliness, warmth and spaciousness
of the interior are much more important to them than to
the customers in the continental countries,” the company
has noticed. In Great Britain, customers increasingly pre-
fer buying camper vans – leisure vehicles similar to vans.
Following this trend, Adria Mobil has presented a new
series of products with a large panoramic sunroof for
the 2019 season. “This season, we also presented a new

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Adria Mobil: »British
customers
do not compromise«
That many steps need to be taken for a company
to win the Gold Customer Satisfaction Award in
such a demanding market as that of Britain is
pointed out by Adria Mobil, which received this
award given by British customers for the fifth year
in a row. Adria Mobil’s answer to the question of
whether they adapted their sales strategy to the
British market was that first they had to recognise
the needs of British customers and adapt their
products to them. “Development costs were
high, but we have learned in time that we will
not conquer the British market by compromising.
British customers do not compromise and want
products tailored to their needs,” stresses the
Slovenian company whose brand Adria marked
its 50th anniversary of existence and operation
in the market in 2015. An important step in
expansion to the British market, which is the
largest European market for caravans and one of
the larger markets for mobile homes, was also the
establishment of the independent company Adria
Concessionaires Ltd., which encompasses over 30
points of sale in Britain and is in regular contact
with British traders and customers. “With market
growth, we increased the number of products
developed specifically for the British market, and
our sales and service network has grown, too.
The United Kingdom is a large country to which
we adapted by setting up points of sales across
all regions to be closer to customers. The sales of
Adria Concessionaires are currently most boosted
by our points of sales in the central British region
(the Midlands),” adds Adria Mobil, which is known
in the British market as a premium leisure vehicle
brand. Adria Mobil has increased its market share
in the British market in recent years, and for the
past five years, the company has been growing
by more than the average level of growth in the
British market.
6 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
product to our British customers – a motor home with
a spacious seating unit, which is ideal for their needs. In
the segment of caravans for families, we have launched a
new caravan, Adora Sava, which is named after a river in
Slovenia, because such names of individual products also
ensure Slovenia’s visibility.”
Adria Mobil’s customers on the British market are
mostly families and the so-called empty nesters, who
gladly take their grandchildren on vacation. “Unlike
the buyers of caravans, the buyers of motor homes do
not stay only in Great Britain; they also travel a lot to
the continent, and in recent years, they have also been
discovering Slovenia. Organized in various caravan-
ning clubs, they also visit the seat of Adria Mobil in
Novo Mesto,” the company representatives add proudly.
Adria Mobil’s subsidiary in Great Britain, Adria Conces-
sionaires Ltd, is in face-to-face contact with customers,
Lovro Rozina
which enables a specific and necessary input to the de-
velopment department of the parent company. This is
also the reason why the Adria brand is now recognized
in the British market as a leading non-British provider in
Steklarna the leisure industry. Last year, the company generated
Hrastnik wishes 8 percent of its total sales in Britain, and it is also doing
to find its way
to the owners
well this year.
of spirits
Steklarna Hrastnik place their bets on
brands who
have distilleries producers of gin and whisky
in Great The British market is also a strategic market for Steklarna
Britain. In the Hrastnik, one of the largest glass manufacturers of the
photo: A new
former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nowadays, this compa-
bottle called
Alaska from ny with over 150 years of tradition is present in the British
the HighGlass market with two brands - the HighGlass spirits collec-
spirits tion in the spirits segment and the HighGlass perfumes
collection. collection in the perfume segment. With its tableware
programme, the company made it to the shelves of five
retail chains, and its glassware is also used by owners of
prestigious brands for presentations of their products. “A
well-known brand used glasses from our new Freya col-
lection for a presentation of its new cocktail in Wimble-
don,” said the glass maker from Hrastnik.
It sees new opportunities in the British market, par-
ticularly in the spirits segment, where it wants to find
its way to the owners of brands with distilleries in Great
Britain. With this in mind, the company presented itself
last year to producers of spirits in Glasgow and this year
they repeated the presentation in Edinburgh. “This is
how we gradually, but carefully, build on our visibility
in the British market, in particular in the craft distillery
segment. Namely, Scotland and Ireland are becoming
major producers in this segment, in particular of gin and
whiskey. Based on our experience, we can say that the
bottles from our own HighGlass spirits collection are
the most interesting for this segment,” underlined the
representatives of the glass manufacturer, which is also
traditionally featured at the World Drinks Award confer-
ence in London.
A majority of the glass manufacturer’s projects is
carried out through their own distributors in accord-
ance with their clients’ designs, which is precisely what
enables them to be flexible in terms of produced quanti-
 ties. “We can produce both large and small quantities of
products for our clients, including orders for very small,
boutique series,” they added.

Vivapen: our British customers love to

visit Slovenia
If you buy a marker pen or an ink cartridge from a British
producer, there is a possibility that they were made in
Slovenia. More precisely, they were likely produced at
Vivapen, a family business which is present in the niche
market for the dynamic producers of limited-edition
pens, enriched with decorative print. In Britain, it has
been present since 1992. At first, the company only sold
inks, ink cartridges and a small share of ink erasers there,

Andraz Purgandraz.purg@gmail.co
but in recent years it has also sold various marker pens,
creative sets and its latest product - the MOON art pen,
a pen with ink cartridges for which it received a golden
award for innovation in Slovenia.
In recent years, Vivapen has been growing on the
British market both in terms of revenue and the share of
exports. While the company generated 1.85 percent of
its total exports on that market in 2016, this increased
to 3.89 percent last year and by the end of this Septem-
According to Vivapen, a family business that has ber it had increased to 4.85 percent, emphasized Petra
pursued the development and production of pens for Melanšek, who has taken over the management of
two generations already, British customers love to visit Vivapen from her father, Jože. “When my father engaged
Slovenia, both for business and private affairs. In the in the sales of our products, we were mostly present on
photograph: Petra Melanšek with her father Jože and the German-speaking market and this changed after
her son Luka.

CHILDREN ROOM

HARMONY
FA I RY TA L E C O L O U R S …
Gentle and traditional collection of furniture combined with a wide range Th e f i n e s t B e au t y.
of fabulous colours will fill your room with vital energy — this necessary
and wonderful ingredient of life. Choosing the right shade of colour has a
favorable effect on the well-being of the child.
s at l e r o k na i n v r ata , d. o. o.
1 S B i s t r i š k a c e s t a 2 | 2 3 1 9 Po l j č a n e | S l o v e n i a
t : + 3 8 6 ( 0 ) 2 2 2 9 2 7 4 5 1 | e : i n f o @ l i p - s a t l e r. s i
1 Year Easy Slovenian
Warranty Assembly Wood WWW.LIP-SATLER.SI

1992. I have always been very fond of Great Britain and
I also like their culture, which is why it was quite ‘easy to
launch’ sales there. We met our customers at a fair and
made friendly contacts. We have never traded in British
pounds, but always in the current currency: first the Ger-
man mark, and later the Euro. They love to visit Slovenia,
both for business affairs and with their families,” says Mrs.
Melanšek.
The main customer of Vivapen in the British market is
Manuscript, the company which specializes in callig-
raphy and products and pens for creative writing and
drawing. “Most of Manuscript’s exports go to North
America. In order to obtain certificates to sell products
in the American market, the right materials must be
chosen, and as a producer, we enable this,” underlined
Mrs. Melanšek. Vivapen’s own brand is not present in the
British market, but they produce for recognised custom-
ers and they enjoy the advantage of largely automated
and robotized production. “Automation and robotization
allow us to optimize costs, which is a win-win situation
for us and for our customers. They take over the market-
ing, so that we can focus on where we are needed the
most– the development of processes, products and ma-
terials,” further observed Mrs. Melanšek. Vivapen, which
generates more than 98 percent of its sales abroad, is
projected to make EUR 7.5 million in sales revenues this
year.
The British market brings Plastika Skaza a
fifth of its revenue
The company Plastika Skaza is predominantly an
exporter. Last years, its sales on foreign markets repre-
sented 89 percent of its total revenue, amounting to EUR
It was cooperation with the EPCC supercomputing
centre at the University of Edinburgh which paved
the way for the Arctur company, a leading provider
of services in high performance computing, to enter
the British market. Professor Mark Parsons (left), the
director of the EPCC and Tomi Ilijaš, the director of
Arctur.
8 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
34 million. The data on this year’s operation imply that
the company will reach the set goals, which means that
the annual revenue is projected to increase by 5 percent
and thus exceed EUR 40 million for the first time in the
company’s history.
Plastika Skaza has been working for decades on
the British market with partners in the furniture and
electronics industries, which supply the British market
with finished products containing Skaza products. It was
through international corporations that the company
managed to enter the British market, which brings
seven million euros per year, i.e. 18 percent of the total
revenue.
They also have a distributor in Great Britain to dis-
tribute their own brand Skaza (specialized shops for
camping and caravanning) and for active online sales. In
Great Britain, end customers mostly opt to buy coloured
reusable cups.
The British market is important to the company be-
cause of its size, the inhabitants’ attitude to sustainable
development and its purchasing power, as well as for be-
ing a reference for entry to other international markets.
The company Despite the uncertain circumstances as a consequence
Plastika Skaza of Brexit, the company wants to maintain a continuous
has been
and steady growth in Great Britain and they will focus
working for
decades with their efforts on further promotion of their own-brand
partners in the products. In particular, they will focus on two sustainable
furniture and solutions – the Bokashi Organko 2 kitchen composter
electronics and the Pick&Go picnic set.
industries on the
British market
and they are Arctur: “Brexit will not change our plans
also present in the British market”
with their own With mathematical models and numeric simulations,
Skaza brand small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can sig-
products. In the nificantly improve the features of their products and
photo: Skaza
develop new ones. This is the niche market of the Arctur
also produces
plastic chairs for company, a leading provider of high-performance com-
Ikea. puting services, which is already generating one-fifth of
Valentin Casarsa

Irena Herak
its exports in the British market. Buyers of Arctur’s ser-
vices in Britain include high-tech companies operating
in niche markets, such as Zyba Ltd, which develops wave
energy power plants; Icon Ltd, which produces software
for aerodynamics simulations for the automotive indus-
try; and PowerKut Ltd, which is active in Industry 4.0, to
name just a few.
According to Tomi Ilijaš, the director of Arctur, the
company paved its way to the British market in 2011,
when they met Professor Mark Parsons, the director of
the EPCC supercomputing centre at the University of
Edinburgh, which resulted in a very fruitful cooperation.
“We operate in two fields: research and development,
where we are working together with the EPCC on three
large European projects, and we have also been co-mar-
keting high-performance computing services to various
British hi-tech companies. We also cooperate with some
other universities in Great Britain and these were the
references that opened the door to other international
markets for us,” he underlined. This year, the company
broke new ground in Slovenia, namely, in tourism, where
they started developing the platform Tourism 4.0 to
connect tourism providers and tourists. This is currently
the largest research and development project in tourism
in the history of Slovenia and Mr. Ilijaš added that it is
interesting that a similar project is now being conducted
by the partner EPCC in Scotland. “Although investments
in the development of the tourism platform will pay off
only in the coming years, we have already significantly
expanded our team this year and employed top experts
from various fields, not only computing,” he said. And
what’s next? Mr. Ilijaš answered that they do not intend
to change their strategy in the British market because
10 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
Since last year,
the abrasives
producer Weiler
Abrasives
has been
conquering
the British
market with the
Metalynx brand.
Matjaž Merkan,
CEO of Weiler
Abrasives d. o. o.
of Brexit. “Perhaps there will be fewer joint research
and development projects after Brexit, but economic
cooperation, which is at least equally if not even more
important for us, will probably even expand,” he further
emphasised.
Weiler Abrasives penetrating the British
market, collecting awards at home
Entering new markets is also the main strategy of the
company Weiler Abrasives d. o. o., one of the leading
manufactures of artificial abrasives and technical fabrics
in Europe, which is a member of the global Weiler
Abrasives Group. They have been present on the British
market for 35 years, and last year, they launched their
new brand there, the Metalynx, and the company is very
ambitious regarding it. “The Metalynx product line is
available in two quality levels - PRO and MAX - and it ena-
bles customers to reduce operational costs by increasing
productivity,” emphasised the Slovenian company, which
annually generates more than EUR 3 million of revenue
on the British market.
For the purpose of expanding into the British market,
Weiler Abrasives d. o. o. has joined forces with a local
partner, International Abrasives of Leicester, a fast-growing
company which specializes in abrasives and has excellent
knowledge of the British market. The company is commit-
ted to constant innovation, and it is their innovative prod-
ucts that open doors to the most important customers on
global markets. Some of their innovations received awards;
among others, the company received a golden award of
the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce for the development
of new production technology for UltraCut thin cutting
wheels, the key part of their new Metalynx brand.
 AJDOVŠČINA, SLOVENIA
RIFE WITH OPPORTUNITY
NEW RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS
The Municipality of Ajdovščina is set
to undertake the construction of a new
residential neighbourhood with market rent
apartments and sheltered housing.
The municipal detailed management plan
(OPPN) of the Municipality of Ajdovščina
- Ribnik SB II from 2017 envisages the
construction of nine multi-dwelling
buildings. The green setting with the
appurtenant infrastructure and facilities is
supposed to house a total of 273 dwellings
accommodating 811 people.

UNIQUE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY

Investors and developers can submit their
expressions of interest and contact details to
igor.zibrik@ajdovscina.si. Detailed information
will be sent subsequently by the staff of the
Municipality of Ajdovščina.

CONTACT AND INFORMATION:

→ M: +386 (0)51 601 267
→ E: igor.zibrik@ajdovscina.si

NEW CITY HOTEL

The construction of a hotel with at least

100 beds is among the top priority projects
outlined in the essential strategic document
for the development of the Municipality of
Ajdovščina. In this context it sees the derelict
facility of the first industrial flour mill in
Slovenia, which is located on the outskirts
of the old town centre of Ajdovščina, as a
unique opportunity for building an exclusive
commercial and tourist hotel complex.
 DR UROŠ MERC, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE BISOL GROUP
“Each sunny day
means money
in the bank
account.”
S
lovenian export companies that bravely ven-
tured into the British market include the manu-
facturer of solar panels, BISOL. This company has
been present in the British market since 2011,
when they established BISOL Solar Limited. After some
beginner’s ups and downs, BISOL managed to establish
solid partnerships and a wide distribution network, par-
ticularly in the central and northern parts of Britain.
BISOL is embodied by its director Uroš Merc, a doctor
of electrical engineering, who wholeheartedly believes
in the future of renewable energy sources and highlights
that “one does not have to live in the South of France
to be able to use the sun to produce energy.” We spoke
to Merc, who is rather difficult to track down between
numerous trips around the world, about how they built
business in the British market, what is the future of pho-
tovoltaics in the world markets after state subsidies were
cut back, and also about how the company will grow in
the future and where he sees the main challenges of the
photovoltaic industry.
Great Britain is more famous for its
gloomy and often rainy weather than for
being sunny, but you use the sun to do
business. Why are you interesting for the
British? How much do the British use the sun
to produce energy?
There might be slightly less sun in Britain than in Slo-
venia, but to calculate the economics of the erection of
a solar power plant, the price of electricity and the po-
tential of a market are more important than how many
hours a day the sun shines. The photovoltaic market in
Britain awoke a little later than in Germany, Italy and
France, but it soon became a very strong market. It has
even been the strongest market in Europe in the last few
12 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
consecutive years. At the beginning, support schemes
were employed by Britain to promote particularly the
construction of large solar power plants and projects.
Today, Britain, like most other markets, is focused on the
segment of small solar power plants on residential struc-
tures, increasingly emphasising the private use of energy
produced in such a manner.
What is the correlation between the
number of sunny days and the efficiency of a
solar panel?
Clearly, we do not need to make a strong argument in
favour of sunny days; the more sunny days there are the
more solar energy is produced by solar power plants,
and of course, each sunny day means more money in
consumers’ bank accounts. The differences in the num-
ber of sunny days in Europe are not dramatic, but we
need to know that solar power plants are not powered
merely by the sun but also by the light, and Britain has
a lot of diffused light just like Slovenia does today. The
number of sunny days is also not the key to the calcula-
tion of economics if we intend to erect a solar power
plant. The fact is that Spain has more sunny days than
other European countries and, in principle, this should
mean that electricity is Spain is cheaper than in, for
example, Britain. On the other hand, the price of electric-
ity in Spain is much more government regulated than in
Britain, which means that it might be more profitable to
erect a solar power plant in Britain than in Spain.
An important business strategy of the
group is also local presence in the most
important export markets. You have been
present in the British market since 2011 and
we could say that your entry more or less

coincided with the introduction of subsidies
for the exploitation of solar energy, which
were introduced by the British government
in April 2011. How have you been growing in
the British market?
BISOL has three pillars. The first and the most important
is our manufacture of photovoltaic modules in Slovenia,
in a town called Prebold, where over 200 employees
work. The second pillar is turnkey construction of power
plants, and the third pillar comprises solar power plants,
where we produce electricity and sell it to earn money.
The first few years in Britain went very well, then there
were a few downs, but I can say that our results have
always been positive, and our long-term presence in the
British market has also been paying off. Our employees
say that our market share in Britain is approximately
1.5 per cent, which is relatively high. However, it is even
more important that we have established stable partner-
ships in Britain, which is a demanding market for all ac-
tors. In the British market, we are currently most involved
with residential and commercial projects, but we also run
large projects. The largest individual supply in the history
of our group was a 58 MW solar power plant we built for
the Belarusian state oil company.
BISOL has never had any interest in being the larg-
est and the cheapest in the world, nor do we want to
compete with huge Asian countries, which generously
stimulate their manufacturers of solar panels with subsi-
dies and support schemes. Our strategy is to be as close
Jure Makovec
to end clients as possible in order to understand what is
happening in a market and to closely collaborate with “To be
local partners, particularly with distributors or installers. able to use
We have also been collaborating in Britain with a large the sun to
company that builds approximately 10,000 houses annu- produce
ally and endeavours to equip them all with solar panels.
On the basis of our British partner’s solution called SolFiT,
energy, one
we have been manufacturing integrated solar panels, does not
which may replace roofing. Together, we have also really have
developed an innovative way to install these panels. This to live in
segment, which is called BIPV (Building Integrated PV), in the South
which solar panels take over the role of primary roofing, of France,”
is expected to experience the highest growth and the
British market is one of the leading markets in this field. emphasises
In this context, we also see a broader picture of a market Dr Uroš Merc.
for testing and development, which can then be used for
our operation elsewhere across the world. The solution
of integrated installation of panels has won many awards
in Britain and is very important for us, as it has opened
the door to certain other important clients. All panels
look alike at first sight, but this is not the case. Only in
Prebold are over 800 different products manufactured.
In 2016, the British government drastically
cut financial aid for the use of solar energy.
How have you been adapting your operation
to this fact?
With constantly decreasing prices of solar power plants
and relatively high electricity prices in Britain, there is
www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 13
 40
Jure Makovec

million of
increasingly less need for subsidising of the produc- income very important for us that we are financially very stable,
tion of solar energy, which makes the British market and we finance everything with our own funds. Our
especially interesting and promises future growth. As far production is increasingly automated, which enables us
as support scheme cuts go, Britain is not the only one. to optimise our costs.
At the beginning, all states generously subsidised the The BISOL
Group, a
erection of solar power plants but have now dropped manufacturer How have you set up your distribution
this. Nevertheless, the erection of solar power plants of photovoltaic network in Britain? Where are you present?
has been continuing worldwide. There have been no modules, is Our distribution network is spread across Britain, but
support schemes in Italy for years, but still, the market expected to most supplies are made to the central and northern part,
functions perfectly. The same is true for the Benelux generate EUR also thanks to our partnership with the company SolFit,
40 million
countries, where we have been present for a number of of income, for which we have been manufacturing the namesake
years. Ten years ago, the prices of photovoltaic models of which solution. We have also had a warehouse in Britain from
were higher, while today, the photovoltaic industry can appropriately a the outset, which enables us to swiftly respond to our
perfectly compete with conventional energy sources. quarter will be clients’ needs.
Many people who purchase electricity coming from the in the Benelux
grid pay more than if they had produced the energy countries, which How do you see the dynamics of the British
are deemed
themselves. It suffices to say that the French energy the strongest market in the next five or ten years? Will the
giant EDF makes the construction of new nuclear power market. BISOL solar energy market continue to grow, and if
plants in Britain conditional on the guarantee of the has three pillars, yes, why?
British government to purchase electricity produced with the most The answer is simple. The market will continue to grow,
by nuclear power plants at a fixed price for the next 40 important being since the prices of electricity from solar panels are lower
the manufacture
years. than the prices of electricity coming from the grid. I firmly
of photovoltaic
modules in believe that the main development for the manufacturers
You say that the photovoltaic industry Prebold, which of photovoltaic modules has yet to come.
is currently running more or less is only an hour’s
without government support. How have drive from the In your peak period, your market share in
manufacturers been adapting to this fact? capital Ljubljana Belgium reached almost 40 per cent. How did
and where over
We have been working in four shifts for the past two and 200 employees you manage that and how is your business
a half years, and each year, we produce more. It is also work. there today?

14 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si

 We managed particularly well thanks to our main sales-
man, who is from Belgium and put together a very strong
team. Our presence in Belgium is still significant and
the Belgian market is the most mature for us. BISOL’s
products are present in 80 markets and it is interesting to
compare the stages of development of the photovoltaic
market in individual countries. For example, if I want to
come up with an answer for workers in Britain, I think
about the solutions we employed in Belgium. Today, we
only do business with three distributors in Belgium, who
are very well located, and two installers who facilitate
our contacts with end clients. We remain faithful to the
distributors with whom we do good business.
How important is Belgium today in BISOL’s
operation?
Belgium and the Netherlands remain our most impor-
tant markets, and a quarter of our sales are expected to
be generated in these two countries this year. Italy and
France are also among our more important markets,
and we have been gaining momentum in Switzerland.
The Baltic States and Hungary have been opening up
in recent years. We make our living in these markets, all
other markets are just cherries on top. These include,
for example, Ukraine and Vietnam. Every now and then
we have projects in Kazakhstan, and we are relying on
doing business in Saudi Arabia and Oman, which are still
opening up. We also have a multi-million project coming
up in Mexico.
The EU has not prolonged the trade barrier
it imposed on the imports of Chinese solar
panels in 2013. How will this affect the
photovoltaic market in the EU if we know
that China has defined photovoltaics as one
of its key industries?
There had been no import duty on Chinese modules
until 2013, and the European Commission is wrong if
it believes it protected us. The Chinese swiftly moved
their production to Vietnam and have been sending
modules to Europe from there. Today, Chinese manu-
facturers not only receive production facilities from
the state but have an important advantage in terms of
costs. They only pay a 6.5-per cent value added tax on
raw material input and get a 17.5-per cent tax refund
on everything they export. If we purchase glass for
solar panels in China, where the price is half of that in
Europe, we must pay a 60-per cent customs duty, which
puts us in a very subordinate position. Let me put it this
way: this is as if two people ran a hundred metres, the
first one had their arm and leg tied, and the other one
takes performance-enhancing drugs. Even after the
elimination of the import duty on Chinese products, I
do not expect many changes, since today the Chinese
are strongly present in the photovoltaic market. How-
ever, this will not stop us. We know that a certain share
of clients will always want to purchase European high-
quality products and products in relation to which they
may rely on warranty. We have been collaborating with

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Jure Makovec
Brexit will not negatively impact photovoltaics.
“We do not feel any major consequences, and the
demand for solar panels has not decreased due to
Brexit. However, we will be delighted when the
conditions stabilise,”
emphasises Dr Uroš Merc, Chairman of the Board of BISOL.
16 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
some distributors for over ten years, and we believe
that we will continue to do so.
How turbulent will Brexit be for the
photovoltaic market?
I believe that Brexit will not negatively impact our
industry. We do not feel any major consequences, and
the demand for solar panels has not decreased. The only
change for us is that today all prices in Britain are pegged
to the euro exchange rate. However, we will be delighted
when the conditions stabilise, since this is always impor-
tant for business.
In addition to photovoltaic modules,
the BISOL Group is increasingly gaining
ground as a manufacturer of load-bearing
constructions for solar power plants, hybrid
and off-grid solar systems. How important
can this section of business become?
The sub-constructions to which modules are mounted
still have a lot of room for improvement, and the margins
of these products may also be higher. At BISOL, we have
our fair share of experience with the development of
products and the optimisation of solutions, which prob-
ably stems from our past. We used to have 70 employees
who worked on the design and installation of power
plants.
Solar power plants today are much better
than they used to be. Do the modules that
are used today differ much from the modules
used ten years ago?
The competition in the market and progressively lower
prices of modules force manufacturers to keep monitor-
ing new developments in the market and introduce new
materials. At the same time, we are very conservative
when it comes to the choice of raw materials, as we give
our clients 25-year warranties. I would like to point out
that the modules we manufactured twenty years ago still
function perfectly well. At BISOL, we have an environ-
mental chamber, in which products undergo accelerated
ageing. In this way, we test how individual materials
work out in the long term. Tests of more advanced
materials show that they continue to function for up to
100 years.
Can you say how successful your business
will be this year and how much revenue you
expect?
Business is excellent, the only problem is that the prices
of solar panels dropped this year by 25 per cent and we
have to put all our efforts into maintaining our turnover.
After an exceptional 2016, when we generated a turno-
ver of EUR 80 million at the group level, we expect a EUR
40 million turnover this year. The difference, of course,
is due to large projects, which happen one year but not
the other or they are delayed. This year or at the begin-
ning of next year, we will install a new production line in
Prebold, which will be fully automated and will enable us
to be even more flexible in our operation.
 A family dairy. SI-EKO-001
Slovensko kmetijstvo

THE O
NLY
IN EU DAIRY
S P E C RO P E
IN TH IALISIN
E P RO G
DUC T
OF ION
by th KEFIR
e trad
meth itional
od.

The Krepko Dairy is the only dairy in the EU that specialises in

the mass production of traditional kefir from real kefir grains. For
more than 20 years, Mlekarna Krepko has been taking care of
kefir grains originating from Caucasus, the homeland of kefir. The
grains had been protected like a sacred thing for centuries by the
locals, who passed the legend about the healing effects of the
traditional drink from one generation to another - as an elixir of
health, youth and long life.
The second generation of the family-run Dairy Krepko is
successfully entering the global market and developing
numerous innovative projects based on kefir and the rich
microflora of kefir grains. Scientists have found that a single kefir
grain can contain more than 100 species of various beneficial
microorganisms, which live in symbiosis with kefiran, the
probiotic specific to kefir. These characteristics of kefir grains turn
ordinary milk into a “symbiotic” – traditional kefir.
Various products commercially named kefir are actually made
from instant milk cultures; they are only imitations and have
nothing to do with the traditional kefir described above! This
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A kefir grain
www.mlekarna-krepko.si Sister and brother: Sandra Turnšek, managing director and Daniel Kelečević, technical director
 WHAT HAS BEEN ATTRACTING FOREIGN INVESTORS TO SLOVENIA?

Scottish saw
about to be heard in
Slovenia
A
t the end of this year or at the beginning a new paint shop in Hoče near the Slovenian–Austrian
of next year, construction machines are ex- border, which is expected to employ 400 people. But this
pected to start rumbling in Gomilsko, only an is not the end of its ambitions, as it has been preparing
hour’s drive from the Slovenian capital. BSW the ground for the second stage of its investment, after
Timber, a Scottish family company with an almost 170- which car production would be established in Slovenia.
year tradition, chose Slovenia for its large new invest- The Japanese Yaskawa, one of the leading multinational
ment. If everything goes according to plan, the Scottish companies in the field of propulsion technology, robots,
saw will be heard in Gomilsko in two years. systemic engineering and industrial automation in the
The arrival of BSW Timber in Slovenia is a positive world, also picked Slovenia for its new factory in Europe.
example that the third most forested country in Europe The Japanese corporation will not only produce robots in
is open to the internationalisation of its economy even
when it comes to the management of such crucial
strategic assets as wood or strategic industries such as
the forestry and wood industry. The Scottish company is,
no doubt, aware of Slovenia’s extraordinary potential. In
search of growth outside the United Kingdom, the com-
pany first resorted to Latvia a few years ago. As much
as 60 per cent of Slovenia is covered in forests, making
it the ideal location due to the accessibility of this raw
material.
In Slovenia, BSW Timber does not only intend to build
a high-tech wood processing centre with the largest
sawmill in the country, but three production centres
which are expected to employ 170 people. In addition
to the sawmill with the capacity to cut 300,000 cubic
metres of wood annually, the Scots’ plans include a pellet
production plant and wood biomass cogeneration, the
production of palettes and wood packaging. They will
also produce wood products for various industries, from
shops to construction and the wood industry, for exam-
ple structures, fences, terraces, etc.

A small market is no barrier to foreign

investments
Ten years ago, Slovenia with its two million residents
was deemed a country that was rather closed to foreign
“Slovenia has a lot of hidden potential in
investments. In recent years, this has changed. Slovenia the wood processing industry, and togeth-
has become more open to foreign capital, and foreign er, we can utilise this potential for the
investors have been showing more interest in invest- benefit of Slovenia and BSW Timber,”
ments in this Central European country nestled between
the Alps and the Mediterranean. Next spring, the Cana- points out Alex Brownlie, Commercial Director of the BSW
Timber Group, which intends to invest EUR 40 million in its
dian–Austrian automotive giant Magna Steyr will open
new sawmill in Slovenia.

18 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si


Slovenia, but it will also have its distribution centre here.
By planting a Japanese cherry and a Slovenian linden
tree, the Swiss company Lonstroff, which is owned by the
Japanese concern Sumitomo Rubbers Industries, marked
the beginning of the construction of its new facility for
the production of elastomers for medical applications
in Slovenia. If everything goes according to plan, the
fifth largest producer of rubber in the world, which also
produces rubber products for medical applications, will
open its new facility, which is expected to employ 180
people, in April next year.
Slovenians are full of enthusiasm and will
to work
“There are many reasons why Slovenia is a good country
for investments,” stresses Alex Brownlie, Commercial Di-
rector of BSW Timber. In addition to high-quality natural
resources (of wood) and its eurozone membership, the
Scottish investor particularly points out, as important
advantages, Slovenia’s geostrategic position between
Western Europe and South-Eastern Europe, its strong
in-country logistics and well-developed infrastructure.
An important role is assumed also by the Port of Koper
near the Slovenian–Italian border as a logistics and
distribution centre for Central and South-Eastern Europe.
“Slovenia’s geographic location facilitates good access to
Central European markets, North Africa, Middle East as
well as global markets,” stresses Brownlie. Slovenia is also
at the intersection of two important transport corridors,
namely of the fifth transport corridor that connects
Lisbon to Kiev and the tenth transport corridor that con-
Aleš Zdešar/sto
nects Munich to the Greek port of Thessaloniki.
According to Brownlie, the advantages that attract
foreign capital to Slovenia also include the country’s Slovenia is
positive business climate, Slovenians’ good technical and the third
commercial knowledge as well as their enthusiasm and most forested
will to work and achieve strong positive results. “This can country in
be further enhanced and directed with the higher tech- Europe.
nological level that BSW brings with our investment and
our presence on the global market. We also expect that
our presence in the Slovenian market will result in an
increasing number of companies being involved within
the wood processing chain and increasing the amount of
timber processing at higher levels of difficulty with state-
of-the-art technology and innovation ensuring that the
value stays in Slovenia rather than exporting raw logs
out of the country,” he stressed.
The long tradition, knowledge and rich experience
of the Slovenian wood processing industry are also
important for the Scottish investor. “Slovenia has a lot of
hidden potential in the wood processing industry, and
together, we can utilise this potential for the benefit of
How good is the cooperation
between Slovenia and Great Britain
Trade in goods between Slovenia and the United
Kingdom has been increasing in recent years. In
2017, it amounted to slightly over EUR 921 million.
Slovenia imported slightly more than half a billion
worth of goods to Britain and exported EUR 382
million worth of goods.
www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 19
Data for Slovenia
EXTERNAL TRADE ECONOMIC GROWTH
Exports
5.1%

77%
to the EU

Share of
exports in GDP

77%
of exports

4.4%

16.20%
3.1% 3.7%
40.70%
10.10%
Structure of
Slovenian
Exports
9.90%

2.70% 5.20%
4.70%
3.20%
3.40% 3.90%
Road vehicles Industrial machines for Iron and steel
general use
Electrical machines Petroleum and
and apparatus Metal products petroleum derivatives
Medical and Various finished Coloured metals
pharmaceutical
products
products
Other
2016 2017 2018 2019
forecast
Life expectancy Tourist arrivals:

81.2
years
1.4 4.3
million tourists million tourists
in 1991 in 2017
Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development

20 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si

 “Brexit will significantly affect the
strategy of British businesspeo-
ple regarding their business with
Continental Europe, as it remains by
far the most important trading part-
ner for Britain. It would be extremely
important for Slovenia, as a very
small and open economy, to be active-
ly present in the preparation process
of this strategy as a niche player,”
emphasises respected Slovenian
economist Mojmir Mrak.
Slovenia and BSW Timber,” emphasises Brownlie. His
answer to the question of whether Slovenia can become
a hub for British companies after Brexit was that this can
happen independently of Brexit.
According to the number of employees, Titus Dekani
ranks first among companies with British capital. Titus
Dekani deals with the development, production and sales
of various parts of furniture fittings and employs 512 people
in Dekani near the Slovenian–Italian border. Since 2005, the
company from Dekani has been part of the British group
Titus International Ltd., the largest producer and the leading
brand in cabinet hardware for home assembly. The British
multinational company GKN Driveline, which produces
automotive components, has found its new home on the
other side of Slovenia in Zreče near the Slovenian–Austrian
border. GKN Driveline entered Slovenia in 1998 by purchas-
ing the factory GKN Driveline Slovenija, where prop shafts,
homokinetic joints and tripods are produced today for most
European and numerous overseas car brands.
Has Slovenia been overtaking the states
of the Visegrad Group?
Respected Slovenian economist Mojmir Mrak, who
distinguishes three groups of factors, emphasises that
Slovenia has been relatively successful in attracting
foreign investors in recent years. In addition to relatively
favourable economic trends at the global and EU levels,
the fact that Slovenia is a more attractive destination for
them today than it was a few years ago, particularly in
comparison with its traditional competitors, namely the
states of the Visegrad Group, contributed to the growth
in foreign investments.
“The states of the Visegrad Group are rather satu-
rated with foreign investments, so some of them have
problems providing the workforce required for new
investments, and salaries in these states have risen in
recent years more quickly than in Slovenia. Slovenia is
no longer relatively so much more expensive for foreign
investors than perhaps a decade ago, making it rela-
tively more interesting for them,” stresses Mrak.
The respected economist points out the better cli-
mate for foreign investors among the important factors
for attracting foreign capital to Slovenia. For that, he cred- Jure Makovec
its the last government which, unlike its predecessors,
was significantly more enthusiastic about, and successful
in, attracting foreign investors and providing conditions
which are the basis for the investors’ decisions to invest
in Slovenia. “Together with a significantly better climate
for foreign investors, our traditional characteristics, such
as a well-educated workforce, decent infrastructure, and
geographical location in combination with EU member-
ship, became more evident than they had been in the
past,” points out Mrak.
An almost five-per cent economic growth launched
Slovenia among the countries that have grown twice as
fast as the EU average, mainly thanks to successful export
companies that sold EUR 28 billion worth of goods to
other countries (or by 13.1 per cent more than in 2016)
and imported EUR 27.5 billion worth of goods (or by
14.2 per cent more than in 2016). According to the latest
forecasts, economic growth will exceed four per cent
again this year.
Bad bank: Interest of foreign
investors in bad debts is on the rise
The first contact foreign investors have with Slovenia as an investment
destination is frequently the Bank Assets Management Company
(BAMC), which manages a diverse investment portfolio worth EUR
885.8 million. The BAMC has noticed that the interest of domestic
and foreign potential investors in assets managed by it has grown,
which is also attributed to numerous presentations of Slovenia and its
investment opportunities at professional events and meetings at home
and worldwide, which are attended by the BAMC. “Abroad, Slovenia is
recognised as a country that has successfully resolved the problem of
non-performing assets, and the BAMC has become a role model and
authority in the establishment, organisation and management of bank
assets management companies in other countries,” is a point that has
been emphasised by the bad bank.
www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 21
 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Hidden GemS of Slovenia
Why you will
fall in love with the
country on the sunny side
of the Alps
H
ave you Slovenes been hiding this gem from
the world intentionally?”, I was asked in the
first days of September by a young British
couple peacefully enjoying a glass of Furmint
in Jeruzalem, one of the most beautiful Slovenian wine-
growing districts, just a stone’s throw away from the
Slovenian-Croatian border. It was such a beautiful day as
ordinary mortals could only desire: the sun was shining
lavishly on the terraces of the surrounding vineyards and
tall, dark-green poplars, the rattle song was singing in
vineyards, announcing the final ripening of the grapes,
and apart from the occasional sound of a car winding
lazily along the wine roads of the Jeruzalemske Gorice
Hills, simply nothing could disturb the peace of mind
found under a trellis – the pride of every landowner who,
in addition to their vineyard, also takes care of the house
vine.
This young British couple, with their pale yellow,
slightly worn motor home, also strayed between the
endless wine hills in Jeruzalem rather by chance. This
dreamy green landscape in the Slovenian far north-east
is still looking for a place on the world tourist map, but
it seems that it will not be long before the wine roads
of the Jeruzalemske Gorice Hills are flooded by tourists
from all over the world.
In tourism waters, Slovenia has been sailing at high
speed for four years now, and this year, too, this country
of two million people, nested between Italy, Austria,
Hungary, and Croatia, received a new and even more
important challenge – to justify its nomination as a Euro-
pean Gastronomic Region 2021, an honour which it will
share with Coimbra, Portugal.
22 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si
What wine did Napoleon’s army sip in
Jeruzalem?
If you type Jeruzalem into your web browser, the likeli-
hood of being ‘taken’ to Slovenia is, to be truthful, rather
slim. You will have more luck if you browse Furmint,
one of the oldest noble varieties of wine and a carefully
guarded secret of Slovenia, which boasts nine wine-
growing districts. What Chardonnay is to Burgundy or
Sangiovese to Tuscany, Šipon (Furmint) is to Slovenia and
its wine-growing region of Podravje. This white wine va-
riety is so characteristic of Slovenia that we could say it is
indigenous. Its name presumably originates from the Na-
poleonic period when the officers praised the wine with
the words Si bon. As legend has it, the wine is known
here only as Šipon, while in neighbouring Hungary, it is
called Furmint because of its grain-golden colour.
But let’s get back to Jeruzalem, a small village with
only 40 inhabitants, attractive not only because of its
wine varieties but also the beauty of its landscape, and
to the Jeruzalemske Gorice Hills, where almost every
house has its own wine cellar. These hills are also famous
for their authentic culinary delights, which are so good
Right next to the border with Austria,
there is a place that has often been
posted on Instagram in recent years.
These are the Svečinske Gorice Hills,
where a heart-shaped road winds
among vineyards.
www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 23
that this peaceful corner of the world is becoming
increasingly popular among gourmets because the hills
are famed for not copying European food flavours. And
when you enjoy the unique panoramic views of the
surrounding vineyard terraces or indulge in culinary deli-
cacies at tourist farms, straw-covered wine cellars and
stone vineyard cottages, and enjoy your peace of mind,
you will agree with those who say that the Jeruzalemske
Gorice Hills rightfully bear the name of a heavenly place.
Not long ago, the extreme north-eastern part of Slo-
venia along the border with Austria and Hungary, where
the Prekmurje and Prlekija landscapes are located, was
considered an overlooked tourist destination; however,
that is changing, which has a lot to do with the English,
who used to buy old houses in Prekmurje a decade ago
for their extended weekend getaways, with some even
moving there permanently. The Prekmurje plain, which
was the bottom of the Pannonian Sea millions of years
ago, is also rich in numerous water sources, and the
healing waters in this region have enabled the rapid
development of spa and wellness tourism. Little Slovenia
has as many as 87 natural thermal springs with water
temperature between 32 and 73 degrees Celsius.
From Prlekija, it is not far to the town of Ptuj, about
which the famous Daily Mail recently wrote that it is the
most difficult-to-pronounce place in the world among
British tourists, and to the Svečinske Gorice Hills, where
a heart-shaped wine road winds among the vineyards.
The survey that found that as many as 92 percent of
the British pronounce the name of the oldest town in
Jost Gantar/sto

Slovenia incorrectly, inspired the local tourism institute

to film a new promotional video in which Ptuj citizens
teach foreign tourists in a congenial way about the
correct pronunciation of the name of their city. On the
other hand, in the Svečinske Gorice Hills, promotion is
not even needed as their heart-shaped road is one of the
most photographed Slovenian attractions on Instagram.
A view worth paying for
Lake Planšarsko jezero in Jezersko is another heart-
shaped pearl, which we may allow ourselves to describe
as a pearl hidden-from-the-world by Slovenia. This
magical emerald lake in the heart of the Alps, near the
Slovenian-Austrian border, is now artificially dammed,
but a large glacial lake, after which the place was also
named, once flooded there.
The idyllic Jezersko is an incredible combination of
wild, untouched nature with a backdrop of Alpine peaks,
and it’s a magnet for those who seek solitude, and those
who want to spend their leisure time actively. Marjan
Batagelj, the Slovenian businessman who recently
bought the Planinka Hotel and undertook its thorough
renovation, calls Jezersko the Slovenian Davos, while
others say Jezersko is a healing place. This is undoubt-
edly not only because of the ‘healing’ views of the
picturesque green valley, immersed in the heart of the
mountains, but also because of the fresh mineral water
for which Jezersko is known far and wide. You can pour
yourself some mineral water. All you need to do so is find
a wooden trough along the road or a signpost show-
ing you the way to a mineral water spring. The mineral
water tastes similar to bottled mineral water; however, it
The idyllic
Jezersko is contains much less ‘added’ carbon dioxide. It is espe-
an incredible cially recommended to drink mineral water if you have
combination of cardiovascular disease, so don’t forget to take a bottle or
wild, untouched two away with you.
nature with There are no thermal spas or shopping centres in
a backdrop
of Alpine Jezersko; however, there are numerous walking and
peaks, and it’s hiking trails that allow visitors to spend their leisure time
a magnet for actively in both summer and winter. Climbing tours of
those who seek various difficulty levels, ski touring, cross-country skiing,
solitude, and as well as sledding, skating or, in the last few years, the
those who want increasingly popular snowshoeing – walking over snow
to spend their
leisure time with specially adapted footwear with a large surface
actively. so that the legs do not sink deep into the snow when
walking. There is also something for mountain bikers and
amateur cyclists who can try out numerous macadam
roads leading through the glacial valleys.
Jezersko offers over 60 km of marked trails of various
difficulty, but do not forget to stop at the Gostišče ob
Planšarskem jezeru inn, where you will be pampered
with a selection of home-made Slovenian dishes. Jez-
ersko is located only half an hour’s drive from the main
Slovenian airport at Brnik and, owing to cheap flights
from the British capital, Slovenia is now accessible to Brit-
ish guests as a cheap weekend destination.

24 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si

 The Hollywood scenery of the Slovenian
Tuscany
‘One would even pay for such scenery,’ emphasized the
two young English at their farewell in Jeruzalem before
departing for another culinary and wine indulgence – a
visit to Goriška Brda near the Slovenian-Italian border.
Probably, the vicinity of the border does not have much
to do with the fact that Goriška Brda likes to compete
with Italy’s Tuscany; however, they most certainly have
excellent wines that do not require special advertising in
Goriška Brda. It has already been mentioned that there
are as many as nine wine-growing regions in Slovenia
and the region of Goriška Brda is definitely in the leading
position, since they can boast the largest number of
medals and prizes per hectare of vineyards throughout
Slovenia. In Slovenia, you will find more than 28,000
wine cellars, where over 90 million litres of various wines
are produced each year. Translated into the language of
statistics, two-million strong Slovenia has a vineyard per
every 70 inhabitants.
It seems quite right to choose a camper to travel
across Goriška Brda, where you will soon feel that the en-
tire landscape is one large vineyard. Some people swear
that this idyllic landscape with gentle slopes is at its most
beautiful in the spring when the landscape becomes
covered in white cherry blossoms, while others prefer
early fall when the landscape changes colours and the
vines turn red and yellow. But one thing is certainly true:
Bled with the gorgeous landscape of Goriška Brda will put you
its lake and under its spell with its medieval villages and hills covered
castle on with vineyards, fruit trees or centuries-old dark-green
the cliff is
deemed one cypresses, and before you know it, you’ll be extending
of the most your visit to Goriška Brda for a day or two.
beautiful And once you feed your soul with the downright
Alpine resorts Hollywood scenery of this fairy-tale wine-growing land-
in Europe.

Jure Makovec

www.slo-mag.si Slovenia invites you! 25

 Aleš Beno

Some people swear that the Goriška Brda is at its

most beautiful in the spring when the landscape
becomes covered in white cherry blossoms, while
others prefer early fall when the landscape changes
colours and the vines turn red and yellow.

scape with castles, mansions and villas, other senses will

come into play since Goriška Brda is a place producing
exquisite wines as well as superb food. Fresh bread and
home-made olive oil. Prosciutto and pancetta. Goat’s
cheese, asparagus, corn pudding... these are just some
of the delicious dishes in which you can indulge at
Goriška Brda while being caressed by the warm Mediter-
ranean air from the sea that is only a stone’s throw away.
And if you are a fan of escaping into the unknown,
you may perhaps receive a very special bonus at Goriška
Brda – when you drive along the winding local roads,
Aleš Beno

you may well find that you are not completely sure
whether you are in Slovenia or in Italy.
A natural gem in the Slovenia-Austria-
Italy triangle
When you have imbibed the views of the Alpine moun-
tains at fairy-tale Jezersko, tried the Furmint wine in
heavenly Jeruzalem and pampered your taste buds with
excellent culinary treats and wines in the Slovenian Tus-
cany, you can round off your trip with a visit to the tourist
resorts of Bled and Bohinj or wander around and discover
the renowned ski resort of Kranjska Gora in the north-
west of Slovenia, at the foot of the Julian Alps and the
Karawanks, which is a true paradise for recreation both in
summer and winter. Kranjska Gora lies in a narrow area of
the Triglav National Park, named after Triglav, the symbol
of Slovenia and its highest mountain, with an elevation
of 2,864 m and only a crow’s flight from the triple border
between Slovenia, Italy and Austria. In its immediate vicin-
ity, there is the Planica Nordic Centre, which is best known
for world cup competitions in ski jumping.
The Triglav National Park boasts crystal clear waters,
wild waters, canyons, the remnants of primeval forests,
the largest natural lake in Slovenia (Lake Bohinj), and
most of all, an unbelievable view of the Julian Alps scen-
ery that will bring you back to Slovenia time and again.

26 Slovenia invites you! www.slo-mag.si

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