Lake Bled ( sl, Blejsko jezero; german: Bleder See, Veldeser See) is a lake in the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a tourist destination. The lake is from Ljubljana International Airport and from the capital city, Ljubljana. Lake Bled is from the Lesce–Bled train station.

Geography and history

The lake is of mixed glacial and tectonic origin. It is long and wide, with a maximum depth of , and it has a small island. The lake lies in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests. Lake Bled was an important cult centre during the Bronze Age. Gold appliqués dating from the 13th-12th century BC were found in a deposit by the lake shore. The embossed decorations on the appliqués are thought to represent the solar and lunar year. Similar appliqués have been discovered in Switzerland, Bavaria and Hungary, mainly in Bronze Age fortified settlements and in the graves of wealthy women. Medieval Bled Castle stands above the lake on the north shore and has a museum. The

Zaka Valley The Zaka Valley ( sl, dolina Zaka) is a valley in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. Geography The Zaka Valley lies at the west end of Lake Bled.Knific, Timotej. 1984. "Arheološki zemljevid Blejskega kota v zgodnjem srednjem veku." ''Kronik ...

lies at the west end of the lake. The World Rowing Championships were held at Lake Bled in

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1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

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, and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. For centuries, Europeans have flocked to the shores of Lake Bled to enjoy

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, but also the medicinal benefits. Emperor Henry II, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, enjoyed the lake so much that he built Bled Castle in 1004 to confer it as an estate. Today the castle is a popular tourist attraction.

Bled Island

The lake surrounds Bled Island (). The island has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (), built in its current form near the end of the 17th century, and decorated with remains of

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s from around 1470 in the presbyterium and rich

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

equipment. The church has a tower and there is a Baroque stairway dating from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building. The church is frequently visited and weddings are held there regularly. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church. The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a wooden boat known as a ''pletna''. The word ''pletna'' is a borrowing from Bavarian German ''Plätten'' 'flat-bottomed boat'. Some sources claim the ''pletna'' was used in Lake Bled as early as 1150 AD, but most historians date the first boats to 1590 AD. Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, a ''pletna'' seats 20 passengers. Modern boats are still made by hand and are recognizable by their colorful awnings. ''Pletna'' oarsman employ the ''stehrudder'' technique to propel and navigate boats across the lake using two oars. The role of the oarsman dates back to 1740, when Maria Theresa of Austria granted 22 local families exclusive rights to ferry religious pilgrims across Lake Bled to worship on Bled Island. The profession is still restricted. Many modern oarsmen descend directly from the original 22 families.

Gastronomy

The area's culinary specialty, a cream pastry (''kremna rezina'' or ''kremšnita'' ' Cremeschnitte'), was designated a protected dish of designated origin in 2016 by the Slovene government. Although various Slovene cream pastries date back to the Habsburg era, the current "official" recipe was created in 1953 by Ištvan Lukačević, the former manager of the Hotel Park's patisserie. There is an annual festival dedicated to the pastry. It is estimated that 12 million cream pastries have been prepared at the Hotel Park's patisserie over the last 60 years.

Gallery

File:Bled-Island-Castle-2021-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Bled Island with the church (left) and Bled Castle (right) File:Bled island 2021.jpg, Bled Island File:Lake bled 2021.jpg , Bled Island with Bled Castle behind File:Lake Bled gold1.jpg, Gold appliqués from Lake Bled, Late Bronze Age, 13th–12th century BC.

References

External links