VALVASOR'S GLORY
Length
82.8
Length 82.8 km ​
Time needed
04:00
Time needed 04:00 ​
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
6
Greatest slope of the ascent: 6 %
Greatest slope of the descent: 8 %
Average slope of the ascent: 4 %
Length of ascents above 5%: 9.10 km
The lowest point of the route: 246 m
The highest point of the route: 573 m
Difference in altitude: 1313 m
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Poraba kalorij
8139
Consumption of energy for men: 8139 kJ (1944 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 6632 kJ (1584 kcal)
​
Difficulty
Difficulty: Medium demanding ​
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Asphalt
Type of bike: Road bike
​
Short description

We aren't sure whether the famous Valvasor had ever travelled the route we've chosen this time, but this route really is one of the most wonderful in the vicinity. Nature has been generous and diligent people have known how to take advantage of this. Valvasor certainly didn't travel by bike. This route is most appropriate for a special road bike.

Course

Sostro – Sadinja vas – Pance – Mali Lipoglav – Zgornja Slivnica – Grosuplje – Spodnje Blato – Višnja Gora – Ivančna Gorica – Radohova vas – Praproče – Bogenšperk – Šmartno – Zavrstnik – Štangarske Poljane – Veliko Trebeljevo – Besnica – Pečar – Sostro

Start off in Sostro
Start off towards Sadinja vas at the stop of the city bus no. 13, between the Pri Kovaču Inn and the Church of St. Leonard , . Your first goal is Lipoglav, so turn left in Podlipoglav. This is a very popular cycling route in all seasons. In summer, in sweltering heat, it's pleasantly cool near the stream running through the shady valley, the road is ideal and traffic not too heavy. You'll be greeted by a mill called Dolenčev mlin on your right . Not quite warmed up yet, you'll find yourself in Selo pri Pancah, where you'll turn slightly right towards Lipoglav (signpost) into the valley, which narrows down to the width of the road and stream.

Let's fill our lungs
The road gradually ascends; there are a few short hairpin bends, just enough for you to fill your lungs with some fresh air from the surrounding forest, before you reach the top of the hill at a crossroads with signposts. On your left, there's a renowned cycling snack bar in Pance ; along the road going straight ahead, you'd get to Dole, but instead turn right towards Mali Lipoglav. One and a half kilometres of slightly ascending meandering through the forest and you're there. Stick to the main road and drive past the fire station on your left. After some 100 metres, the road starts descending. At the Šmarje - Sap signpost, turn perpendicularly left and then stop in the centre of Mali Lipoglav to prepare for a descent. This time, Šmarje - Sap isn't your goal, so turn left at the first intersection (at a transformer) towards Zgornja Slivnica. A beautifully renovated homestead in the centre of the village is the most eye-catching, and well worth stopping and taking a look.

Brakes screeching
After the village, a beautiful landscape and road as if created for cyclists appear. Keep descending towards the village of Perovo through the forest and if you aren't one of the most courageous, brave and fast cyclists, your brakes will be very warm by the time you reach the village. At the end of Perovo, turn left onto a wider road and then right onto an overpass above the Dolenjska motorway; you're at the beginning of the industrial area in Grosuplje.

As quickly from Grosuplje as possible
At the first crossroads , turn left towards Jerova vas; this is the shortest path through Grosuplje from this direction, but it's quite busy and thus not very cyclist-friendly, so you probably wish to get out of the town as quickly as possible. You're at the crossroads, where it may take a while before you can turn left towards Ivančna Gorica. At the roundabout which you'll reach after 100 metres, go straight ahead (direction Trebnje, Višnja Gora). The town is behind you now and you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the town, although you're not exactly alone on the road towards Višnja Gora either.

Towards Dolenjska
The road towards Spodnje Blato is quite busy. In the village, an ascent starts. In some places, asphalt gets worse. You need to avoid a hole or two, but not too many, if you don't want to turn into Spodnje Brezovo. Drive straight on through the forest. In Peščenik, turn left towards Višnja Gora since you don't intend to compete with snails in Polževo (Snail's place), do you? Before reaching Višnja Gora, you're in for a well deserved descent. In Višnja Gora, go past the Auersperg Mansion to the Main Square (Glavni trg) . Once past the Main Square, you'll begin descending towards Ivančna Gorica.

A little boring
Cycling through urban places along the motorway isn't really enjoyable for some of you. To spice it up a bit, the Podsmerka Manor is on your left on the other side of the motorway before a big quarry which has eaten up almost the entire hill. Such a sad sight! Because of the quarry, the manor built in the 16th century has lost its hill, its hinterland so to speak. No wonder it's becoming more and more neglected.

From Dolenjska towards Zasavje...
Before reaching Ivančna Gorica, you can check out the old post office called the Fedransberg Manor on your left, just by the road in Malo Hudo. It was built in the 18th century and has remained virtually unchanged. In Ivančna Gorica, you'll be greeted by the Krjavelj Inn and Pizza Restaurant, located on your left. It's true that you've only left behind one third of the route, but your mouth is probably dry. At the crossroads in the centre of the town, there's an almost 2000-year old Roman milestone . You can turn left here to make a short detour to the Stična Monastery (two kilometres) or just drive straight on and, at the end of the village, turn left onto the main road towards Radohova vas. In Radohova vas, the signpost will direct you to the left towards Litija , . Drive through the pleasant, nicely arranged villages and settlements, where nature seems sun-lit even on a cloudy day. You'll reach Selo pri Radohovi vasi with a large equestrian property . Perhaps you should stop at the old Štorovje Inn . People are friendly, too. Really beautiful – for the soul and eyes , and the body as well. Push forward in hedonistic style. The Valvasor Path is one of the most popular and beautiful. Firstly, because of its excellent carriageway and diversity of the route, and secondly, because of the indescribable beauty of the surroundings of places the route runs through. Shorter, less pleasant sections through larger towns will be quickly forgotten.

...a bit uphill and a little less downhill to Bogenšperk
The Temenica Valley follows next with numerous neat homesteads, and then, after Sobrače, the road ascends a little. Its steepness is just right for your legs to feel it and get something from it. You'll soon reach the top with a turning towards Suhi Javor and go back down the hill towards Litija. You won't stop until the Renaissance Bogenšperk Castle , , a former estate of the godfather of this route, Baron Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor.

Šmartno pri Litiji
From Bogenšperk Castle, you'll continue descending towards Šmartno pri Litiji, and probably think again about the ascents you'll have to make and when. At the first crossroads, turn towards Litija at the mighty Church of St. Martin , . If you're thirsty and hungry, there's the Pri Mačku Inn on your right, 50 metres from the church . The second crossroads is decisive, however. The priority road turns right towards Litija, but you need to turn left towards Zavrstnik in the direction of the Besnica Stream (signpost).

Another beautiful valley of the Reka Stream and settlement
Next up is Zavrstnik, and you're happily cycling on enjoying the tranquillity of natural beauty. If you haven't done this before, you can stock up here at the inn by the road, because you aren't getting another chance. Short hairpin bends announce the arrival of the bill for all descents; but first, best cycling pleasures offered by a drive along the beautiful valley with the stream await . Indeed; soon after Štangarske Poljane, the real thing starts at the intersection to Volčja Jama. As picturesquely put by our cyclist friend when he has to shift into lower gears, we shift gears to the end and push those pedals.

From Trebeljevo back to the valley
In the other section of the ascent, you'll probably want to stop and take a look around quite a few times . The views really are fabulous . You can see far and to both sides but that's just an excuse. You really only wanted to take a break. And, as we like to console ourselves, everything bad comes to an end; also this road straightens up at the crossroads where you need to turn right towards Prežganje, which means you'll carry on much easily along the main road towards Veliko Trebeljevo (the signpost pointing towards Ljubljana). First homesteads and holiday cottages are a sign that the top isn't far away . The path goes steeply down the hill again and, especially at the beginning, brakes have a lot of work, while there isn't much work for your legs. As you approach the Besnica Stream, the descent becomes more gradual. On your left, there's the renowned Marolt Inn and Fishery just below the road . From here, the path continues along the Besnica Stream to the village of Spodnja Besnica, which you'll reach like a bolt out of the blue so to speak. At the end of the village, turn right towards Zalog . The road descent is just right so you don't have to push too hard. Ahead of you is just another short stretch through Podgrad, which is slightly unpleasant because of the narrow carriageway, then you'll dash under the railway, turn left and drive along the priority road to Zalog.

From Zalog to Sostro
Traffic is indeed heavier here, but cycling along the River Ljubljanica is nonetheless pleasant. At the beginning of Zalog, cross the Ljubljanica and drive along the cycle lane to the grain elevator you can see in the distance. Just in front of the grain elevator, turn left across Zaloška Road onto the Rosna pot (Dewy Way - whoever thought of this name?) and dash to Kašeljska Road. Don't worry – if you're too fast, you'll get stopped by the speed humps. At the crossroads, pick the right road and then turn left onto Mazovčeva Way along which you'll cross the Ljubljanica again. The narrow asphalt road will bring you to Sostro. As houses become scarcer, join the main road which turns right at the next turn, while you drive straight on towards the church, where today's route finishes. After the route behind you and after having driven 82 kilometres, which you can feel in your legs, the question you're asking yourself is: should I go straight home or perhaps visit a nice innkeeper , to get something homemade, which will compensate for my burnt calories. The choice is yours!

Dolenčev mlin Mill
At the end of the settlement of Podlipoglav, there's a 200-year old mill called Dolenčev mlin near the confluence of the rivers Panska reka and Javorska reka. Next to the mill, there's also a mighty double hayrack to offer you some shade. By prior arrangement, you can grind cereals, knead bread dough and bake it in a wood-fired oven at the mill. At the homestead, other workshops and literary evenings are also organised, and larger announced groups can be catered for.

Mali Lipoglav (50 m)
In the centre of the nucleated village, there's a parish Church of St. Nicholas from the 15th century, which was renovated in Baroque style in the mid-18th century. Next to it, there's the Pri Jakopcu Tourist Farm, a village shop, hayrack and a fruit drying house , which is on the left just after the crossroads in the direction of Šmarje - Sap.

Višnja Gora
This picturesque settlement was clumped about by the Illyrians and Celts, and the Romans were driving through it as well. In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of current Old Square (Stari trg) (the bottom part of the settlement) retracted from the Turks up to the near hill, which was the beginning of present Višnja Gora, a settlement, which gained its city rights as early as 1478. The town has quite a few cultural monuments, larger and smaller buildings, of which we should perhaps mention the Auersperg Mansion , past which you've driven today and which currently houses an educational establishment, and a well in the City Square (Mestni trg) with a statue of J. V. Valvasor, who lent his name to today's route. Of course, we can't go past the large decorated snail shell , which was used by the city fathers to drink from on solemn occasions. This ritual brought about numerous stories including the one about the chained snail. Thus the snail shell has remained the symbol of Višnja Gora until today.

Roman milestone in Ivančna Gorica
Throughout history, many units named mile have been used to measure distance but they differed in length. These units are derived from the Roman mile which was approximately 1,479 metres long. One Roman mile was comprised of 1,000 double steps or double long steps of Roman soldiers. The word 'mile' derives from the Latin term 'millia passum' meaning a thousand steps. Along the roads, which, in Europe, were built by the Romans, a stone used to be placed every mile in order to mark the distance to Rome. These stones were called milestones. Only rare have been preserved until today. One of them is placed at the crossroads in the centre of Ivančna Gorica and also adorns the municipal coat of arms.

Stična Monastery , , (2 km)
The monastery in Stična is the only active Cistercian monastery in Slovenia and, at the same time, one of the greatest cultural, sacral and architectural monuments. Its beginnings reach back to 1132, to the Romanesque period. The monastery soon became the religious, ecclesiastical, cultural and economic centre of Carniola. Until the Josephinian reforms, the monastery library had kept the precious illuminated Stična manuscripts in Latin from the 12th and 13th century. In 1428, Stična saw the creation of the Stična manuscript, one of the first written monuments in Slovenian and very important for the Slovenian literature. Throughout the centuries, the monastery has been changing its appearance, but the oldest core comprised of a cloister and monastery church has been preserved until today. During the period of the Josephinian reforms in 1784, the monastery was dissolved. The White Monks returned to Stična in 1898 after 114 years. They continue their mission even today in the spirit of the monastery commandment Ora et labora. The monastery houses the Museum of Christianity in Slovenia, which holds over 1,700-year old religious tradition in Slovenia.

Temenica Valley
Temenica is an influent river in Dolenjska, which flows into the ground twice before it reaches its mouth. Its spring lies in the southern slopes of the Posavje Hills and flows into the River Krka. There used to be 22 mills on the banks of its upper course. The picturesque surroundings of the unique valley are dazzling and breath-taking. These are places you bike will see again...

Bogenšperk Castle (Wagensberg) , ,
The castle was first mentioned in 1533. In 1672, it was bought by Valvasor, who lived and worked there for 20 years. It was here that he wrote his famous dissertations including the one on Lake Cerknica, which brought him a membership in the London Royal Society, and, last but not least, his most renowned work 'The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola', which contains 3,532 pages, 528 illustrations and 24 attachments. 'The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola' saw the light of day in 1689; the costs of its preparation and publication were so high that Valvasor, despite being rich and the book being a success, couldn't meet them. Together with other planned works, which brought nothing but loss, the debt exceeded the Baron's ability to pay, so he was forced to sell the properties including the castle in 1692 and move to a modest house in Krško, where he died, impoverished, the following year at the age of 52. Bogenšperk Castle had several owners since then; in 1943, the Windisch-Grätz family was the last to abandon it after the capitulation of Italy and they took the most valuable objects with them. After the war, the castle was abandoned and completely looted, but then nicely renovated in 1972. Unfortunately, its destroyed inventory couldn't be returned. Now, the castle houses a museum dedicated to Valvasor and a few other collections, a wedding hall and a small restaurant. If you wish to see it, you should enquire in advance.

Šmartno pri Litiji
Šmartno had always been known for mining, but it died down. Lead ore was mainly excavated there and exported to foreign countries. The most eye-catching building in the settlement is the New Gothic parish Church of St. Martin , , built in 1900 on the spot where a group of trapped miners supposedly resurfaced on 11 November, St. Martin's Day. The church and its 60-metre belfries are entirely made of brick, which was not yet known in the Gothic period in Slovenia.

Nature
Water in harmony with nature, especially forests, creates unique atmosphere and energy. You can feel them best right on your bike en route through the river valleys, such as the Temenica Valley, Reka Valley and Besnica Valley. As the feeling overwhelms you, the bike becomes your loyal companion. And then you can hardly wait to dash through some more valleys...

Pance Top Snack Bar (300 m)
The Pance Top Snack Bar is a popular cycling finishing point. Each year, it holds a competition for the cyclist with the most ascents to Pance. The most persistent cyclists get medals and a t-shirt.

Krjavelj Inn and Pizza Restaurant
In the centre of Ivančna Gorica, the Krjavelj Inn recommends all kinds of pizzas as well as potatoes with a pork fillet.

Štorovje Inn
At this more than 130 years old Štorovje Inn in Selo pri Radohovi vasi, you'll be served well.

Pri Mačku Inn
People at the old Pri Mačku Inn in Šmartno pri Litiji know how to satisfy a traveller's hunger and quench a traveller's thirst. Their speciality is turkey à la Maček.

Marolt Inn and Fishery
At the beginning of Zgornja Besnica, there's a popular inn with a fishery. They offer tasty fresh fish and homemade desserts.

Pri Kovaču Inn
At the old Pri Kovaču Inn in Sostro, you can quickly substitute the calories you've burnt during the tour. Their specialities are dishes made in a wood-fired oven.

Why is the snail of Višnja Gora chained?
Surely not for fear that it would escape? The legend says that a Carniolan duke, whose army included a few men from Višnja Gora, helped the Venetian Slovenians fight Attila. Upon their return from one of numerous battles, they found a heavily wounded nobleman by the road. They put him on a stretcher and took him to a castle in Višnja Gora. Ladies of the castle eagerly treated and cared for him, especially as he was young and handsome. When the wounded man regained consciousness, he said that he was a member of the famous Venetian family. A messenger carried a note to Venice saying that their nobleman was recovering in Višnja Gora. Numerous members of the wounded nobleman's family happily arrived at Višnja Gora for their relative. They brought rich presents including a golden snail-shaped goblet.
Later, the noblemen from Višnja Gora gave the snail to the city fathers, who drank wine from the snail's golden shell on solemn occasions. But soon thieves wanted to get their hands on it. They managed to steal it. The city fathers made a new one and chained it thinking it would be well protected this way. They were wrong – the chain didn't stop the thieves, so the snail disappeared forever and the memory of it became a legend.

Time-trial to Pance
In September, a time-trial in cycling called The Ascent to Pance takes place. The best cyclists receive beautiful awards. Information is available on 01 7868053.

Ana's Fair in Višnja Gora
At the end of July, Ana's Fair with rich accompanying programme takes place in Višnja Gora. Information available on 040 829 940 (Mr Groznik).

Valvasor Knight Games
At the end of August, the traditional knight games are organised at Bogenšperk Castle. Information available on 01 8987 867 or 041 703 992.

- You should be careful for 1.3 kilometres from the beginning of Sostro to the crossroads for Karlovce in Sadinja vas as the road is packed with heavy lorries coming from the Sostro quarry.
- Be especially careful when cycling through large densely populated settlements: Grosuplje, Ivančna Gorica and Šmartno pri Litiji.