KATARINA ROUTE
Length
19.2
Length 19.2 km
Time needed
07:00
Time needed 07:00
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
17
Greatest slope of the ascent: 17 %
Greatest slope of the descent: 29 %
Average slope of the ascent: 10 %
Length of ascents above 5%: 6.40 km
The lowest point of the route: 318 m
The highest point of the route: 731 m
Difference in altitude: 950 m
Poraba kalorij
6858
Consumption of energy for men: 6858 kJ (1638 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 5627 kJ (1344 kcal)
Difficulty
Difficulty: Demanding
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Mixture
Primerna obutev: Hiking boots
Short description

The route is interesting and passable in all seasons, but in winter the conditions are more difficult. It runs along one of the most beautiful hilly landscapes in Slovenia. It is also unique due to its wonderful views, especially in the afternoon. The route presents the characteristics of the Polhov Gradec Dolomites landscape, which is an area of exceptional biotic diversity with sites of some endemic plants, and traditional sites of Potentilla carniolica and Daphne blagayana. Due to its length, it is one of the medium demanding, thus appropriate for fit cyclists.
You will enjoy the beauty of nature and perhaps taste culinary delicacies offered by inns along the route.
In forests, the route is mostly suitably marked with blazes and signs, while between Toško čelo and Topol, and Slavko's Hut and Bormes, it runs along sandy and partly asphalt roads.

Course

Šentvid – Šentviški hrib - Toško Čelo – Topol – Katarina – Jeterbenk – Slavkov dom (Golo Brdo) – Bormes – Dvorski hrib – Trata – Šentvid

At first, to Šentvid Hill
The starting point is in Šentvid above Ljubljana at the crossroads of Celovška and Cesta v hrib roads, opposite the bank, and in the vicinity of the Franc Rozman - Stane Primary School and St. Vitus Church in Šentvid. At the crossroads, you'll notice a sign with the map of the route . In the vicinity, there are limited possibilities of parking your car, but nearby, there are starting points of city (nos. 1, 8, 25), commuter and long-distance buses towards Gorenjska.
Turn right onto the asphalt road up the hill and after several tens of metres, turn sharply left and you'll come to a macadam road on the right ascending steeply up the hill. Go along this road to the forest to the marked path. Steeply ascend through this forest. If you want to avoid the steep ascent along the cart track , go left or right to one of the forest paths intertwining the Šentvid Hill, and make your ascent there, parallel to the cart track. When the first ascent finishes, the path narrows and you reach a cross , where several forest paths branch off. Continue straight on towards west, towards Toško čelo. At numerous intersections, follow the signs as not to lose your way, which mostly runs along the ridge, except for the path past the Velika Trata summit which runs on the left.

Toško čelo
After less than an hour of walking along a flat forest path with minor ascents, you get to Toško čelo, where signs direct you to your left to the forest path up the hill. After a short ascent, you'll exit the forest and reach a few houses at a clearing and come to an asphalt road. A beautiful view of Ljubljana and the surrounding hills opens up. Go along the road to the hunting lodge . If you don't wish to refresh at the lodge, you can turn right onto the asphalt road down the hill and then right again in the village onto the road which takes you towards Katarina. The roadside sign informs you that you're entering the Polhov Gradec Dolomites Landscape Park . Continue along the macadam road towards Topol or Katarina, as Topol is often colloquially called. The path to Katarina runs mostly through the forest and along macadam road, but here and there you can shorten the route between long turns with a shortcut along a forest path.
Along the route, you can admire the lush flora. Trees are bushy and diverse. Spruce, fir and pine prevail among coniferous trees, as for deciduous trees – the higher you go, the more beech you see, but it is always accompanied by other deciduous trees, for example maple, chestnut and oak. Cross some meadows and clearings, where you are greeted by a variety of flowers during the warmer seasons.

Topol and Katarina
After an hour and a half walk, you exit the forest and catch sight of Topol and the valley. At the crossroads , you arrive at an asphalt road below the village. Turn right and go slightly up the hill past the bee house to the village . In Topol, there are many inns , where you can quench your thirst and hunger: Dobnikar, Vaška krčma, Pr' Jur, Na Vihri and perhaps some more. In the centre of the village [14], turn right to a steep slope. Continue past the Pr' Jur Inn towards the Church of St. Catherine with a memorial sign, cemetery and a cemetery chapel near it. You've reached the highest point of the route . Drive on towards Jeterbenk with a nice view of the Julian Alps from one side of its saddle, and of Ljubljana, Krim and other hills on the outskirt of the Ljubljana Marshes from the other side. If you want to make the trip more interesting by visiting one of the nearby summits, you should follow the signs for Rog or Jeterbenk. The ascent to Jeterbenk and similarly the ascent to Rog above Katarina should take about 15 minutes. Both summits are marked with a big wooden cross. There used to be a castle on the summit of Jeterbenk, whose remnants may only be anticipated today.

Downhill towards the Slavko's Hut
Stick to your right past Jeterbenk and follow the well marked path, which leads you to the Slavko's Hut or Golo Brdo. The slightly and steeply sloping path runs along a grass path , and then partly on cart tracks and forest paths . Along the path, there are some well marked intersections. And, of course, you're still interested in signs for the Slavko's Hut and a curved forest mountain path , which will lead you to the edge of the village of Golo Brdo past a quarry. Here, the forest path widens and joins an asphalt road in front of the Slavko's Hut.
You can quench your thirst, have a snack and get some rest in the Slavko's Hut before moving on. Or you can do this at the Bormes Inn located a bit further on along the path. There's a ten-minute walk on a asphalt road between the two inns. You should only be careful not to continue towards Medvode but, instead, turn right at the signpost towards Bormes under the Stanežiče Hill.

Over the hill yet again
From Bormes, the path is marked and leads you over the hill towards Stanežiče and Dvor respectively. Somewhere in the middle of the hill, turn right from the cart track and follow the blazes through the forest. The path slightly ascends towards the Dvor Hill. At this point, leave the marked path leading to Dvor and continue over the Dvor Hill along the ridge towards the Šentvid Hill. The path is marked by red blazes on the ground, roots and trees as this is a section of the trail of the traditional run along the edges of Šentvid. The path is diverse. For the main part, it slightly ascends through the forest and, occasionally, a view of the villages between Šentvid and Medvode , and of Kamnik-Savinja Alps and Šmarna gora, opens up from a clearing. There are a lot of intersections here since the Šentvid Hill is very popular with hikers from the city and, accordingly, there are numerous paths which may mislead you. You need to pay attention as your right route runs mostly along the ridge , so don't turn anywhere, neither down the hill nor left nor right, but follow the red blazes if you want to reach the starting point in Šentvid across the hillside.
At the end of summer or autumn, you can pick a blueberry or two along the way, or perhaps chestnuts, mushrooms and other fruits of the forest.
Continue slightly downhill on the left, past the summit of Velika Trata until, at a wooden cross, you return to the path which you ascended from Šentvid at the beginning. Here you can leave the hillside and, pleasantly tired, descend along a wider path to the starting point of today's trip.

Šentvid
In historical records, Šentvid was mentioned as early as in the times of the Illyrians and Celts. An important cargo route, which connected the Ljubljana Basin and Carinthia, ran through Šentvid. Numerous Roman sites are the proof of that.
Between 1408 and 1584, Šentvid was often attacked or burnt down by the Turks. Another great problem was plague, which claimed many lives, especially in the middle of the 17th century. Due to this disease, the city and church authorities withdrew to Kamnik or Gornji Grad already in the middle of the 16th century.
A very important landmark in the history of Šentvid was the Vižmarje rally attended by around 40,000 people from the entire Slovenia on 17 May 1869 in the Vižmarje Forest. It was run by Dr. Bleiweis. Its success is owed to Blaž Potočnik, the then priest in Šentvid. People at the rally demanded an autonomous united Slovenia and the equality of the Slovenian language.

Polhov Gradec Dolomites Landscape Park
Nature has endowed these places with forests with approximately the same share of coniferous and deciduous trees. There are plenty of beautiful meadows on the ridges, gradual slopes near the villages and in the valleys, which have preserved their biotic diversity due to less intensive farming.

Church of St. Catherine, Topol
The church was built at the beginning of the 17th century. Its architecture is characteristic of the early Baroque in Slovenia. Presbytery is its peculiarity. The paintings, high altar and the painting of St. Catherine are works of Ivan and Helena Vurnik from 1919 and 1920, while the altar crucifix was made by France Kralj.

Jeterbenk Castle
The castle of the Hertenberg knights, ministers of the Spanheims, Dukes of Carinthia, once stood on the Jeterbenk (a non-standard word deriving from German Hertenberg) Hill. Ministers were members of lower nobility who performed military or administrative service for higher nobles, and the Spanheims were those famous noblemen whose seat was at Ljubljana Castle and who first used the renowned coat of arms with a black climbing panther on white background, and some people wished for it to become the national symbol of the Republic of Slovenia. As the Spanheims had no descendants, the rule over their lands (including Carniola) was inherited by Ottokar II of Bohemia, who also adopted the aforementioned coat of arms. But not for long, as he was killed in a battle with the Habsburgs in Moravia, and the rule over this part of Slovenia was taken over by the Counts of Gorica whoheld it until 1335 when it was claimed by the Habsburgs. In written sources, Jeterbenk Castle was first explicitly mentioned in 1252 and in 1444 for the last time when it had already been abandoned. In the 14th century, the original tower building on the top of the hill was replaced by a more modern building at the fort near the Church of St. Margaret, but it was soon abandoned, perhaps even deliberately demolished. Namely the knights of Hertenberg were robbers and it is possible that they perished during one of the Habsburg punitive campaigns. The Hertenberg knights supposedly erected the Nebovz tower, which is mentioned in the folk tradition, but its actual location has never been found. The treasure the knights supposedly hid under Jeterbenk Castle has also never been found.

Pri Bitencu Inn, Toško Čelo
The ascent to Toško čelo warmed you up well enough for you to take a break and treat yourself to tea or coffee at the Pri Bitencu Inn. Perhaps homemade food will sit well with you, which is offered on the terrace with a lovely view of Ljubljana. On cooler days, you may also warm up next to a genuine wood-fired oven.

Hunting lodge on Toško čelo
This lodge is a suitable and tranquil post along your route, where you can quench your thirst and have a snack before moving on.

Dobnikar Inn, Topol
Lunch at the Dobnikar Inn is almost a rule for many hikers going to Katarina on Saturdays or Sundays. They are never disappointed, especially if they enjoy one of the traditional Slovenian dishes. Prices are appropriate as well. There is usually enough space and the views from the terrace justify the efforts the hikers make.

Slavko's Hut
The nicely renovated Slavko's Hut is a post we can classify as 'a suitable place for a snack'. A homemade snack is certainly welcome, not to mention the traditional 'white kidneys' the hut has been known for ages. The terrace below the hut offers a nice view of the Polhov Gradec Dolomites, from which we have just descended into the valley.

Bormes Inn
The Bormes Tourist Farm is another post along the route, where you can have a snack or rest in the homely environment on the edge of the forest. You will be offered Slovenian food including their specialities fried chicken and sausages in winter.

Šentvid Tunnel
During its construction, the tunnel was popular in the Slovenian media for several years as it was characterised by numerous delays, complications, price increases and affairs. After long years of construction, it has finally opened, but soon problems with the surveillance system occurred and also the plaster on the ceiling started falling off, and the tunnel was closed again. During the first few years, the expensive Šentvid Tunnel was closed more frequently than it was opened, and people made up numerous jokes about it, including the one about how Donat, mineral water, would be useful for it as it opens even the most closed (constipated).
Well, after initial problems, the tunnel has remained open for the most part, and we wish for it to continue in order to reduce traffic on the roads around Šentvid.

Following the paths of robber knights
The event is not organised on a certain day in the year as other events, for example from Litija to Čatež, nevertheless, it is quite similar. Namely at the end of the path between Žlebe and Jeterbenk, a book is waiting for the participants intended for them to sign into and confirm that they have walked or drove the entire path. And, truly, the book already contains a large number of signatures.

The route takes you along various paths and picturesque nature. The major part is covered by forest paths, a few sandy cart tracks and macadam roads, and even fewer asphalt roads in the surroundings of the villages. In some places, the route takes you across meadows, and in some sections, the path is narrow and steep, just like a proper mountain path.
At the tops and along the ridges of Toško čelo and Jeterbenk, there are meadows and pastures which offer a wonderful view of the valley, hills and mountains in the immediate and distant surroundings. If the weather is fine, of course.