The World Bee Day is celebrated for the third time. There are 11,350 beekeepers in Slovenia taking care of 205,000 beehives. They produced 1,746 tons of honey in 2018.

Slovenia enjoys more aesthetically pleasing hives than much of the world. (photo: Jost Gantar)

May 20th is the birthday of Anton Jansa (1734–1773), the pioneer of modern beekeeping in Slovenia and one of the greatest experts on bees. After three years of international efforts, on December 20th, 2017 the United Nations member states unanimously confirmed Slovenia’s proposal to mark May 20th as the World Bee Day. The main purpose of the day is to spread awareness of the significance of bees and other pollinators for our survival.

The number of beekeepers and the number of beehives in Slovenia are increasing. According to the latest data, there are 11,350 beekeepers in the country taking care for 205,000 beehives. In the European Union there are about 650,000 beekeepers and about 17.5 million beehives. This makes the EU the second largest honey producer (only behind China).

Honey production varies significantly between the years. Beekeeping is extremely dependent on weather conditions. In 2018 Slovenia produced 1,746 tons of honey. In the past five years the average price of a kilogram of honey sold by producers in agricultural markets did not change much. In 2019 it was about €10 per kilogram.

In 2019, Slovenia exported at least a ton of honey to ten countries. In the past ten years Slovenia’s honey export increased by eight times and in 2019 amounted to almost 322 tons.

Some interesting facts about honey:
– 1.1 kilogram of honey was consumed on average by a resident of Slovenia.
– 80% was the self-sufficiency rate for honey in Slovenia.
– 60% was the self-sufficiency rate for honey in the EU.
– 44 tons of honey was produced in Slovenia organically.
– €7.9 was the average retail price of a kilogram of flower honey.

The beekepers in Slovenia use several varieties of hives. There are stacked white boxes, huts with colorful “drawers”, and brown barrel-like hives with lids. (photo: Jost Gantar)

A mobile beehive apiary on the back of a vintage truck in Zirovnica, the cradle of beekeeping in Slovenia. Some of the hives are designed to be mobile, loaded on the back of old trucks, so that beekeepers can easily move their bee families from the valley to the mountains and back again. The means a wider variety of honey flavors for individual producers – flavors like chestnut, flower, sage, and honeydew. (photo: Jure Kravanja)

Beekeeping in Slovenia was first mentioned in writing in The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, an encyclopaedia written by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor and published in 1689. The encyclopaedia contains the first longer presentation of beekeeping in Carniola, the territory of present-day central part of Slovenia. Valvasor writes that ‘one can see special little houses for bees in this land‘. (photo: Jost Gantar)

With 5 beekeepers per 1,000 population, Slovenia boasts the highest percentage of beekeepers to the general population of any nation in Europe by far and it is one of the highest percentage of beekeeping nations in the world! (photo: Ales Fevzer)

Slovenian beehives are well-known for their bright colors and their artfully painted front slats which are unique to Slovenia. (photo: Domen Grogl)

Slovenia is the only country in the EU that has protected its indigenous bee, the Carniolan bee. The Carniolan honey bee is native to Slovenia and is one of the most common bee species in the world. (photo: Marko Sinkovec)

For each kilogram of honey collected, a bee family must visit over 4 million flowers and fly almost 200,000 kilometres (five times around the world). (photo: Jost Gantar)

Every year, Slovenian beekeepers produce between 1,300 and 2,500 tons of honey. That’s a lot of sticky, sweet goodness for such a small nation. (photo: Nea Culpa)

Most of Slovenia’s 11,350 beekeepers operate small, local farms. Slovenia was one of the first nations to fight the use of harmful chemicals and it keeps some of the strictest standards of ecological beekeeping in the world. (photo: Boris Pretnar)

In recent years over 1.5 million tons of honey has been produced annually around the world. Production has been increasing the most in Asia, while in Europe it has been falling slightly. (photo: Jost Gantar)

The Idrija Municipal Apiary is an exceptional example of a skilfully crafted and executed and painted apiary and is one of the highlights of the 20th century Slovene apiculture. (photo: Marko Sinkovec)

The apiary intended for aromatherapy in the Goriska Brda region. (photo: Jost Gantar)

Slovenia was one of the first nations to fight the use of harmful chemicals and it keeps some of the strictest standards of ecological beekeeping in the world. (photo: Marko Sinkovec)

All the photos above are from the Media library of I Feel Slovenia!

The very unique Govc Beehive in the Robanov Kot valley was built in 1929 in the Vienna Secession style. (photo: Bojan Kolman)

A close-up of brightly colored, square beehives in Slovenia. They are painted green, blue, purple, red, yellow, white and orange. The different colors are so that the bees can identify their hive. (photo: Luka Esenko)

The Cook Eat Slovenia cookbook has won two awards at one of the world’s most prestigious cookbook competitions known as the ‘Oscars’ of gastronomic literature.

Cookbook Cook Eat Slovenia will lead to wider recognition of traditional Slovenian dishes around the world and entice travellers to visit Slovenia. You can order your copy HERE!

This cookbook on traditional Slovenian recipes was written by Spela Vodovc and published in English. The selection of recipes presented in the book has been used in her family for many generations and honors her family heritage and traditional Slovenian cuisine. Her dream was to help the world discover Slovenian foods. The dream of sharing these recipes with the world and allowing people to explore Slovenian culture through food was the driving force behind the project.

Cook Eat Slovenia was published at the end of 2019, following a successful campaign on Kickstarter. The author then entered the world’s biggest cookbook event, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and made the finals in three categories: best cookbook in translation, best self-published cookbook and best cookbook focused on food tourism (countries & regions), which made it the winner for Slovenia in all three categories.

The award announcement ceremony was meant to take place in early June in Paris at the world cookbook fair but was rescheduled due to current circumstances. For the first time since 1995, when the culinary Oscars first took place, the organizers announced the winners prior to the main ceremony. Out of books from 225 countries and regions, Spela Vodovc’s debut, titled Cook Eat Slovenia, ranked among the top three in the world, with 2nd place in the category of “food tourism (countries & regions)” and 3rd place in the category of “self-published.”

The cookbook will lead to wider recognition of traditional Slovenian dishes around the world and entice travellers to visit Slovenia.

Prosciutto toc with polenta.

Buckwheat Kasha with Porcini Mushrooms.

Marinated Sardines.

Spela Vodovc, the author of Cook Eat Slovenia, posing with a classic Slovenian walnut potica.

Traditional Slovenian Recipes
Contributed by Spela Vodovc!
BUCKWHEAT PORRIDGE WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND CHICKEN – a real masterpiece of Slovenian cuisine Buckwheat porridge with porcini mushrooms is one of the most iconic dishes of the Gorenjska region of Slovenia and it is sure to impress you through its harmony of flavors.
GRENADIRMARS – a comforting and very simple potato-and-pasta dish that dates back to the First World War Grenadirmars is a comforting and very simple potato-and-pasta dish that dates back to the First World War, when soldiers in Kobarid fought on the Soca Front. It is a very handy dish because the ingredients are almost always in the pantry.
MARINATED SARDINES – a very healthy and tasty dish from the Slovenian Coast Marinated sardines are one of the secrets from the Slovenian Coast. They can sit in the refrigerator for up to a week. This is an ideal dish for those who are always on the run and have no time to prepare and cook food daily but want to eat healthily and feel full. Prepare sardines like in this recipe and you’re good for a week!
GORENJSKA PRATA a.k.a. BUDL – a typical festive dish popular throughout the Gorenjska region of Slovenia Gorenjska Prata or Budl, as it is also called, is a typical festive dish popular throughout the Gorenjska region of Slovenia. Usually served at Easter. A deliciously seasoned mixture of bread and meat is wrapped into pork caul, boiled and served hot or cold with salad, sauerkraut or horseradish. The dish has several local varieties.
SLOVENIAN EASTER BREAKFAST – the most abundant breakfast and the culinary highlight of the year for most families Everybody knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and even more so when you’re allowed to eat all sorts of things, 100% guilt-free! The best thing about Slovenian Easter breakfast is that it caters to everyone: the 'salty' people, the 'sweet tooths', and the lucky ones that sit on the fence and just eat everything!
WALNUT POTICA – a typical Slovenian festive cake known all around the world Potica is a typical Slovenian festive cake known all around the world. Potica's name derives from a Slovenian word meaning 'to wrap up' or 'to roll up'. It's made with a very thin yeast dough, and filled with a sweet walnut filling (or any other filling of your liking).
TARRAGON POTICA – a very unique Slovenian rolled dough cake often served at celebrations and holidays Potica, translated loosely to mean 'wrap-up' or 'roll-up,' is a traditional Slovenian cake often served at celebrations and holidays. While most commonly known as a nut bread roll, the Potica has more than 80 possible fillings. One filling unique to Slovenia, and common in spring, is tarragon.

Author: Spela Vodovc
Cooking and styling: Branka Vodovc and Spela Vodovc
Food photography: Mateja Jordovic Potocnik
Design: Gregor Zakelj
Translation: Urska Charney
Proofreading: Noah Charney

Slovenia has become the first country in the European Union that has declared an end to its coronavirus epidemic, opening its borders to the EU citizens and scrapping a requirement for a 7-day quarantine for arrivals.

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. (photo: Andrej Tarfila, slovenia.info)

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa explained that ‘Slovenia has the best epidemiological picture in Europe today, which enables us to declare the end of the epidemic.’ While some restrictions will remain in place, including a ban on gatherings of more than five people and 14-day quarantine for some foreigners, all stores, and most services will fully open on May 18. Kindergartens and schools will open partially.

Slovenia has found only 31 new infections in the last 14 days, all of which were linked to known cases or outbreaks. The country has confirmed 1,465 cases of coronavirus and 103 deaths, with a vast majority of deaths connected with the significant clusters at aged-care facilities, in Ljutomer, Smarje Pri Jelsah and Metlika.

Slovenia has found only 31 new infections in the last 14 days. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

The number of active/hospitalized coronavirus cases in Slovenia keeps falling. (Source: COVID-19 sledilnik)

One of Slovenia’s most beautiful and impressive natural sights, Vintgar Gorge near Bled, is open to public again today!

Vintgar Gorge is a 1.6km gorge located inside Triglav National Park. (photo: Bojan Kolman)

There’s no denying Vintgar Gorge, also known as Bled Gorge, is one the most beautiful places in Slovenia. It was only discovered in 1891, but within a couple of years it was opened up to public, with a network of wooden bridges and pathways had been built so visitors could get in and explore this impressive natural wonder. The paths are still there today, though they’ve been rebuilt a few times since the 1890s, the last time in 2018.

The path is a fairly easy walk though it can get quite busy on a nice summer day. Because it winds along the cliff you never know what you’re going to come across around the next corner, from deep pools with swirling shoals of fish to patches of delicate wildflowers.

Distance: 1.6 km one-way
Price: Adults 10€; Students and Seniors 7€, Children 6-15 years 2€, Children 0-5 years 1€, parking is 5€!
Location: 10 minutes by car from Lake Bled
Hours of Operation: 7 am to 8 pm during the summer months; shorter hours for other seasons.

More photos and details about Vintgar Gorge: All You Need To Know To Visit The Vintgar Gorge, Slovenia

The man-made boardwalks criss cross their way through Vintgar Gorge for a magnificent 1.6km and make this a photographer’s dream. (photo: Bojan Kolman)

At the end of the path you reach 16m-high Sum Waterfall. (photo: Bojan Kolman)

With the Coronavirus epidemic well under control in Slovenia, the Slovenian government continuous to lift the restrictions, which were in place since mid-March. While restaurants, bars, hair and beauty salons, non-grocery stores, museums and churches were allowed to reopen from the beginning of May, Slovenian mountain huts have received permission to reopen this week.

Slovenia has 181 mountain lodges and shelters of various sizes. (photo: Jost Gantar, Slovenia.info)

However, there are many safety measures in place despite the reopening. The food and drinks are served only outside and the tables have to be arranged in a way to allow hikers to keep a one-metre distance. Hikers will also have to wear masks or other protection to go to the toilet. Overnight stays in the mountain huts are not allowed.

When hiking the Slovenian Alps, it’s always good to rest and recuperate at one of Slovenia’s 181 or so mountain huts. (photo: Boris Pretnar, Slovenia.info)

New York-based media company Vox named Slovenia among the overlooked success stories in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Together with four other countries, Iceland, Greece, Vietnam and Jordan.

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana has 250 confirmed Coronavirus cases, that’s less than 1 case per thousand people. (photo: Miran Kambic, slovenia.info)

‘From Slovenia to Jordan to Iceland, governments took early action to impose lockdowns, test and trace thousands of people, isolate the sick, encourage social distancing and preventive measures like mask wearing, and communicate honestly with the public. Those interventions curbed the number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths, allowing leaders to reopen schools and businesses and reintroduce a sense of normalcy into everyday life. Some are now reporting no new confirmed cases or deaths.’ Vox wrote in its report.

The achievements of these countries are even more impressive considering how different they are from one another. Greece has avoided the worst despite being a tourist country in the EU, which is a global hotspot. Vietnam borders on China and has limited financial resources, but also managed to avoid a major outbreak. Slovenia’s relatively small epidemic is particularly impressive given that Slovenia is a growing tourist destination bordering Italy, one of the European epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slovenia isn’t just flattening the curve. It’s squashing it. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

Vox summed up their decision with the following words: ‘Slovenia’s success mainly stems from an aggressive early lockdown, quarantines of sick people, and generous government spending. The country’s first case was confirmed on March 4, and it only took Slovenian officials about two weeks to close schools and businesses and freeze public transportation. The government also gave 3 billion euros — 6 percent of Slovenia’s GDP — to citizens and businesses to survive the shutdown.’

The article is available here!

Slovenia continues decrease in active coronavirus cases. (Source: COVID-19 sledilnik)

Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic Sea, the charming coastal town of Piran is undoubtedly one of the most popular vacation destinations in Slovenia. It has four confirmed Coronavirus cases. (photo: Drazen Stader, Produkcija Studio, slovenia.info)

Bled is one of the most popular tourist destination in Slovenia and the whole Municipality of Bled has only two confirmed Coronavirus cases. (photo: Jure Korber and Tjasa Borsnak)

Bohinj is part of the Triglav National Park, the only natural park in Slovenia and one of the oldest in Europe. It still doesn’t have a confirmed case of Coronavirus. (photo: Luka Esenko)

In case you feel the symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection (coughing, fever, shortness of breath), call 112 for further instructions.

Coronavirus call center with up-to-date information is available at the free of charge phone number: 080 1404, operating daily between 8:00 and 20:00. It’s accessible only if you are calling from one of the Slovenian phone networks.

Contact phone number by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH): +386 31 646 617, operating daily between 9:00 and 17:00. It’s accessible from any phone network.

For the first time since the first coronavirus case was confirmed on March 3rd, Slovenia has reported no new cases, a major milestone in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

Coronavirus in Slovenia in numbers. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

Slovenia currently has 1439 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the same number as yesterday, according to the National Institute of Public Health website — marking the first day without any new reported cases since March 3rd.

Slovenia’s number of new cases each day has been on a decline for several weeks. The number of active cases fell below 250 for the first time since March 15th. The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients has fell under 60 again and the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units remains quite low at 20. To date, the virus has killed 96 in Slovenia, with a vast majority of deaths connected with the significant clusters at aged-care facilities, in Ljutomer, Smarje Pri Jelsah and Metlika.

A map showing confirmed Coronavirus COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in Slovenia by region. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

Slovenia is one of the cleanest countries in the world, according to Drew Binsky, a well-known global traveller and vlogger who has travelled to almost every country on the planet.

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana is one of the cleanest capitals in Europe. (photo: Andrej Tarfila, slovenia.info)

Binsky visited Slovenia twice and he was really pleasantly surprised at how clean the country is: “I’ve been to Slovenia twice, most recently last summer where I had the chance to drive around the entire country and, oh my God, it is one of the greenest places in the world. Slovenia is a third most forested country in Europe and in 2016, it was named the very first certified green destination in the world. I went to a lot of small cities and towns but I think the capital of Ljubljana is a perfect representation of how clean the whole country is. Everything is perfectly maintained, well-kept, people are very respectful, it’s charming, it’s quiet, it’s so green and so enjoyable and speaking about it right now just makes me want to go back there and if you do go to Slovenia, you have to promise me to go up north to Lake Bled.”

Drew Binsky is an American travel blogger and vlogger. He documents his travels on his YouTube channel and other social media sites. As of now, he has visited 191 countries and planned to visit every country in the world by June 2020 until the coronavirus pandemic put the last few countries on hold.

Beside Slovenia, Binsky also included New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore and Rwanda to his list of the world’s cleanest nations. His video is available below:

Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia. (photo: Luka Karlin, slovenia.info)

Piran, the prettiest town on the tiny Slovenian coast. (photo: Miran Kambic, slovenia.info)

Ptuj, one of the oldest towns in Slovenia. (photo: Andrej Tarfila, slovenia.info)

Celje, a modern city with rich history and charm. (photo: Jost Gantar slovenia.info)

Skofja Loka, a beautifully preserved medieval town in Slovenia that is Small enough to Wander around on foot. (photo: Jost Gantar, slovenia.info)

Radovljica, a likeable little medieval town in northwestern Slovenia. (photo: Jost Gantar, slovenia.info)

Slovenia is continuing to show very promising signs it is winning the fight against COVID-19. Just five new cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in Slovenia today, the lowest number since March 8th, bringing the country’s total to 1335.

Coronavirus in Slovenia in numbers. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

It continues a steady trend of falling cases in Slovenia. There were 13 new cases yesterday and on Saturday. The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients fell under 90 for the first time since March 25th. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units remains quite low at less than 30. To date, the virus has killed 77 in Slovenia, with a vast majority of deaths connected with the significant clusters at aged-care facilities, in Ljutomer, Smarje Pri Jelsah and Metlika.

A graph showing number of deceased COVID-19 patients in Slovenia by age group. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

Also, at more than 20 thousand tests per million, Slovenia is testing A LOT. One of the best rates in Europe, might be even the best out of countries with minor outbreaks. So Slovenia is bound to catch cases, which makes all this so much more impressive!

A map showing confirmed Coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Slovenia by region. (Source: National institute of Public Health Slovenia)

May is getting closer and closer, but yesterday lots of parts of Slovenia have been surprised by flurries of snow and wintry weather. Some have been enjoying the snow, especially in areas where it has been thick enough for sledging, but for others it’s caused disruption.

But Slovenia meteorologists, who monitor the weather around the county, say that snow isn’t actually that unusual at this time of year. More than just a few times snow had fallen even in early May in Slovenia, with Bohinj holding the record, where snowflakes were observed on June 10, 1974. The earliest snowfall in Slovenia was recorded in the village of Kotlje on September 11th, 1972.

The mid-April snowfall presented a rare spectacle of spring foliage covered by a blanket of snow. Some scenes from Slovenia are below:

We’ve reached an interesting point in the calendar, a time of year when winter blends with spring. (photo: Iztok Janc)

The weather in April in Slovenia is unpredictable and can change at the drop of a dime. (photo: Iztok Janc)

April is Slovenia’s first true month of spring. It brings warming temperatures, melting snow, and budding blossoms. (photo: Matej Stegar photography)

Measurable snow in April is not uncommon in Slovenia. (photo: Matej Stegar photography)

Bohinj holds the record for late snow-fall in Slovenia, where snowflakes were observed on June 10, 1974. (photo: Gregor Skoberne)