Kranjska Gora has long been the most famous ski resort in Slovenia. But it was a sporting event that made this charming Alpine village famous across Europe.

This weekend Kranjska Gora hosted the 58th Vitranc Cup in alpine skiing, featuring the giant slalom and slalom for the World Cup. (photo: Urban Urbanc, slovenia.info)

Today, the Vitranc Cup brings the world’s top skiers to Kranjska Gora. A part of the prestigious World Cup circuit, the annual slalom and giant slalom races are seen by several million viewers around the world and have made the tiny village famous well beyond the borders of Slovenia.

In the years after the Second World War, however, very few people outside Slovenia had ever heard of Kranjska Gora. It was then that a group of locals decided to organise annual ski races on the surrounding ski slopes. The event turned out to be a huge success and it soon began to attract foreign competitors.

In the early 1960s, the International Ski Federation decided to award Kranjska Gora a place on the world’s most prestigious competitive skiing circuit – an event ultimately became the FIS World Cup. In early March of 1961, men’s slalom and a giant slalom races were organised in Kranjska Gora. The Vitranc Cup, named after a nearby mountain, has been held every year since.

Nowadays, the Slovenian male skiers are again near the top of the world’s rankings and each year, several thousands of spectators come to watch the event that put a once unknown Alpine village in Slovenia on the international map.

Each year, thousands of spectators come to support the world’s best skiers. (photo: Urban Urbanc, slovenia.info)