The Čemšenik manor route got its name from the parish (settlement) of Čemšenik in the area of present day Lavrica, which consisted of several district hamlets between Sela under the Molnik Hill and Babna Gora in the Ljubljana Marshes. The parish was first mentioned in 1330. Residents of Lavrica, the village which got its name after the owner of the local land from the 16th century, Jurij Lauriza, cherish the memory of the past times with an exemplary arranged circular path and the traditional October hike.
Start
Start the hike, armed with good will and enough water, at the small hayrack with an info panel on the Šepar Path in Lavrica. The easiest way to get there is by taking a bus No 3 B or 3 G. Get off the bus in Lavrica, cross the road and turn to Jagrova ulica Street and the Šeparjeva pot Path. If you go by car, leave Dolenjska cesta Road in Lavrica for the village of Sela and after some 100 metres you will see a car park. Return to the hayrack by Dolenjska cesta Road. You will first go past the houses on the Šeparjeva pot Path, which then climbs towards the forest, where you will be greeted by first green and yellow signs , which will be your faithful companions on your journey. Climb through the forest to Šepar Hill, where a clearing under the overhead power line offers a nice view of the Ljubljana Marshes in the south with Krim Mountain in the background , and of the village of Sela with Molnik Hill in the north . Molnik is a distinctive hill in otherwise diverse hilly hinterland of Lavrica and Ljubljana and the highest point of the journey, but it seems rather distant from this point. At the edge of the clearing, there is the first of many info panels , which point to interesting things along the path and inform you about how to behave appropriately outdoors. Take your time and read it carefully. The route leads you from the clearing to a wide path through a mixed forest , and along the ridge of the hill to the hamlet of Lisičje.
Lisičje
Descend down the asphalt road to Lisičje Manor , which gives the journey a romantic touch. The manor was built in the 16th century; it used to be surrounded by the then biggest flower, botanical and fruit tree garden in Carniola. By the Second World War, the manor had changed numerous owners, and after the war it was more or less left to decay. The most urgent repair works on the manor were carried out in 2010, so that various tourist events could take place in front of it. Two mighty linden trees on the northern side of the manor are the only reminder of the former magnificent garden. From this place you can see and hear the southbound Dolenjska motorway , to which you will get by a short winding path.
Dolenjska motorway
When the motorway from Ljubljana to the Dolenjska region was being built, the builders did not make a tunnel under Molnik, but a cut, which is the biggest cut in Slovenia. Descend on the macadam road from the edge of the cut down to the bridge across the motorway , then climb on the other side and take a look around . Then go through the forest towards Molnik. The route leads you uphill along a wide path; the altitude difference between the bridge across the motorway and the top of Molnik is more than 200 metres. Since the top of Molnik is somewhat away from the route, you should turn right at the biggest crossroads, to the path which leads to the top of Molnik and which will take you back to the same crossroads.
Molnik
From the crossroads towards the top, the path rises steeply, until it reaches the top plateau, which is almost flat, and which was because of its shape populated already in the 13th century BC. There are several benches at the top , where you can have a rest and eat and drink something. Just below the top is a monument to the Molnik Company, the first Partisan unit in Slovenia, which was operative in this area right from the beginning of the Second World War. After you have had a rest, take the same path to return down, and do not forget to pick up a branch that you will use later.
Grmada
When you return to the crossroads, go straight (if you turn left you would be returning to Lisičje), and you will soon arrive at the renowned pyre, called Grmada , where you can put the branch you brought with you in memory of the legend about a murdered peasant. The legend says this is the place where a group of bandits killed a peasant who had sold an ox, and who was not able to give them the money from the sale because he had handed it to his daughter, who took the other route. In remembrance of his violent death, hikers leave at this place branches they pick up along the path and build a pyre as remembrance and a reminder. The path continues to descend, past abandoned quarries (you will pass under the same overhead power line from Šepar Hill) and to the pass between Sostro and Orle .
Orle
Continue the trip by the asphalt road to Orle; before the first houses, you will see on the left a monument marking the final clashes in the liberation of Ljubljana in May 1945. At the first house on the left, you may be even greeted by Nika, a domesticated doe . The road then starts to gently climb among the houses; turn left towards Lavrica when you reach a major crossroads by the concrete wall .
Hrastarija
The road, which is looking over at Sela and the Ljubljana Marshes , will soon take you to the hamlet of Hrastarija , which is said to be founded in the 16th century, after the first settlers cut down the oak forest. Today it is possible to ride horses in Hrastarija, and you can also take a look at the chapel by the motorway, where the path makes a sharp downward turn to the right. There is a bench by the chapel, where you can rest your tired legs. Just before the "ranch" in Hrastarija, turn right by the playground into the forest of Debeli hrib (attention – the path towards the chapel is not the right path!). After a comfortable short walk in the forest , you will approach the Eržen Homestead, turn sharply left at the cross to the road which will take you down towards the first houses in Lavrica.
Lavrica
When you get to Lavrica, find your way to Dolenjska cesta Road and return to the starting point on Šeparjeva pot Path. There are several inns and restaurants in this part of Dolenjska cesta Road, where you can have a rest one more time and have a snack and a drink. If you had left your car in the car park in Jagrova ulica Street, you can take a shortcut through the new novo residential complex.