Cerkno in Winter: Skiing, Culture and Regional Cuisine

In winter, Cerkno offers a clearly structured ski area for different ability levels. Cerkno Ski Centre has 18 kilometres of groomed slopes, including challenging runs for experienced skiers, slopes for relaxed skiing and a practice area for beginners. In addition, the ski centre’s ski school offers children and adults lessons in skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing.

Winter Sports

The various areas of the ski centre range from challenging slopes for experienced skiers and options for relaxed skiing to a practice area for beginners. Experienced skiers can look forward to challenging slopes, while more relaxed skiing is provided for as well as initial practice in the specially established beginners’ area. The ski school’s lessons cover three disciplines. In addition to skiing, the programme includes snowboarding and cross-country skiing, each for children and adults.

Culture

The cultural profile of Cerkno includes the Cerkljanski muzej. It is located in the building of the former local courthouse and presents two permanent exhibitions: “Cerkljanska skozi stoletja” about the region through the centuries and “Pust je kriv!” about the Cerkljan Laufarji. The exhibition “Pust je kriv!” also displays reconstructions of the clothing and props for all 25 figures of the Laufar family.

The Cerkljanska Laufarija itself takes place every year in the market square in Cerkno. The custom features 25 figures, including 26 masks carved from lime wood. During the ritual, Pust is sentenced to death with a wooden lumberjack’s hammer. Since February 2012, the Cerkljanska Laufarija has been listed in the Slovenian Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and in 2014 it was declared intangible cultural heritage of national importance by a decree of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

History

A guided tour entitled “Zgodbe cerkljanskih hiš” takes visitors through the town of Cerkno from house to house. It also leads to the Brdce viewpoint, where it provides information about the events that took place in Cerkno in 1944.

The Partizanska bolnica Franja, a Second World War hospital and memorial site, is located in the Pasice Gorge near Dolenji Novaki, close to Cerkno. Partizanska bolnica Franja is closed until further notice because the damage caused by the flooding on 13 July 2023 is being repaired.

Music and Regional Cuisine

The Jazz Cerkno festival adds its own cultural accent. It has taken place every year since 1996 in mid-May at the specially covered venue “star plac” in the centre of Cerkno. Jazz Cerkno combines jazz with rock, electronic music, new and classical music, experimental music and various traditional forms of music.

Regional cuisine also preserves characteristic forms. Idrijski žlikrofi are made according to a traditional recipe in the wider area of Idrija and Cerkno. Pajtičke are a form of savoury onion potica characteristic of the Cerkljansko region and are among the representative dishes of the Idrija-Cerkno gastronomic region.

Hiking and Cycling

The rounded hilltops around Cerkno attract hikers and cyclists in summer. For cycling, nine electric mountain bikes of the MTB SCOTT Aspect eRide 40 model are available for hire in Cerkno. E-mountain bike tours make it easier to ride uphill and on steep and less well-maintained paths, and are suitable for both occasional and regular cyclists.

Route No. 2 begins in the centre of Cerkno and includes a 2.5-kilometre climb with views of the surrounding hills. Thus, alongside winter sports, there is also a specifically named route with a starting point, climb length and views of the nearby landscape.

For the overarching travel overview: Municipality of Idrija.