Bled introduction
NAME & GEOGRAPHY
Bled, also known as Feldes in ancient texts and Veldes in German, is a #town on Lake Bled in northwest Slovenia's Upper Carniolan area. It serves as the Municipality of Bled's administrative hub. It is mainly noteworthy for being a well-liked #vacation spot in Slovenia as a whole as well as in the #Upper #Carniola region, drawing #tourists from other #countries as well.
The name Ueldes was first used to refer to the town in recorded sources in 1004 (and as Veldes in 1011). Although the name's derivation is unknown, it is thought to have pre-#Slavic roots. The town's #German name, #Veldes, is either derived from the same pre-Slavic source as the #Slovene name or was adopted from Old Slovene *Beld before the year 800.
About 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of the country's #capital, #Ljubljana, Bled is situated at the southern foot of the #Karawanks #mountain range close to the #Austrian border. The heavily wooded #Pokljuka and #Jelovica plateaus, the easternmost #Julian #Alps, and the Bohinj #Railway, which connects to the #Bohinj valley, #Lake Bohinj, and the #Triglav #peak, are all to the south of Lake #Bled.
The ancient settlements of #Grad, #Mlino, Rečica, Zagorice, and Želeče, which are now part of the neighborhoods of Bled around the lake, are divided by a number of rises (Grad 599 m, #Straža 646 m, Kozarca 558 m, #Osojnica 756 m, and Ravnica 729 m).
The lake measures 0.31 to 1 kilometer (0.31 to 0.62 mi) in length and 2.12 kilometers (1.32 mi) in width. The temperature of the surface #water rises to 25 °C (77 °F) in the #summer and stays there until #fall, when it drops to 18 °C (64 °F). It is thus appropriate for #swimming. The entire lake freezes during the colder #winters, making it possible to #ice #skate there and go to the #island on foot.
A #thermal #spring (23 °C or 73 °F) is located next to the lake and the Bled Fault. Two #hotels use its water in their indoor pools.
SOME OF THE HISTORY
The current #locale, which has been inhabited since the Mesolithic era, most likely developed around 600 with the Slavic settlement of the Eastern #Alps. The #region was influenced by #Bavarian #culture after the Slavic principality of #Carantania was taken by #Frankish armies in 788.
In 1004, German #King Henry II granted control of the region to Albuin, #Bishop of Brixen, as a token of appreciation for the #Church's support of the king's efforts to extend imperial sovereignty in that region of northern #Italy. Another deed of transfer issued by #Henry II in 1011 included the #castle and a plot of land the size of thirty king's farms. The Lordship of #Veldes was given to that region between the Sava #Bohinjka and the #Sava #Dolinka (German: Herrschaft Veldes). These gifts marked a turning point in Bled's history, and for the next 800 years, the region was ruled by the #prince-bishops of #Brixen.
The bishops rarely traveled 300 kilometers to their isolated property. Prior to the prince-bishops' decision to lease the estate in the middle of the 14th century, the lordship was first managed by ministeriales (bound #knights), #castellans, and castle employees in accordance with feudal customs. Bled Castle briefly served as a #Protestant stronghold under one of its lessees in the sixteenth century. In order to oversee their far-off lordship once the leasehold era came to an end, the prince-bishops appointed governors. Those administrators were all aristocrats up to the middle of the 18th #century, but later on they also included nobility.
#Brixen's reign came to an end in 1803, when the German Mediatization resulted in the secularization of the prince-bishopric. After that, Bled was governed by #Austria, but in 1808, it was added to the #Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces along with Carniola. In 1813, it was given back to the Austrians as their property, and in 1838, the Austrian #Emperor gave Bled back to the bishops of Brixen as a #private estate. When the feudal system was abolished in 1848, Bled's economy lost its feudal traits, and during the next several decades it underwent a number of ownership changes, including those involving industrialists and a bank.
Bled and the rest of Carniola came under the control of the #Kingdom of #Yugoslavia in 1918, and Bled became a summer retreat for the reigning House of #Karađorđević. #Yugoslav leader #Josip #Broz #Tito followed this tradition when he constructed his #mansion here in 1947.
The villages that were ringing the lake at the time—Grad, Mlino, Rečica, Zagorice, and Želeče began to coalesce into the town that exists today in the middle of the 19th century. Grad, Zagorice, and Želeče villages merged at that time when farmers started to sell wealthy people land along the eastern shoreline for their homes. In 1960, Bled received official recognition as a #town.
TOURISM
The #glacial Lake Bled is what makes Bled #famous and a #popular #tourist #destination. The recognizable Bled Castle is perched on a cliff with a #view of the lake. #Slovenians refer to the town's #vanilla and #cream #pastry as "#kremna #rezina" (Slovene: #kremšnita).
In the latter half of the 19th century, #Swiss naturopath #Arnold #Rikli (1823–1906) played a crucial role in the growth of Bled as a #health #resort. The #warm temperature of Bled has drawn aristocratic #visitors from all over the #world. Today, it serves as a significant #convention #center and #vacation destination with a variety of #sporting events (#golf, #fishing, and #horseback #riding). It serves as a jumping off place for #mountain #walks and #treks, particularly in the close-by #Triglav #National #Park.
Visitors frequently ring the #bell at the #Assumption of #Mary #Pilgrimage Church, which is located on a small island in the #middle of the lake. According to an #ancient myth, doing so brings good luck.
On the island, #prehistoric human remains have been #discovered. The Slavic #goddess of #love and #fertility, #Živa, had a #temple dedicated to her before the #cathedral was constructed. To safeguard the lake's cleanliness, a family-owned enterprise has operated a fixed fleet of 23 flat-bottomed #wooden #boats (Slovene: #Pletna) since the 18th century. These boats can be used to reach the island. There are #99steps on the island in Lake Bled. At #weddings, it is customary for the #groom to #carry the #bride up these #stairs while the bride must keep quiet.
Bled, a town rich with #history is nowadays #heaven for #outdoor #activities & #nature #enthusiasts. We at #pr1mo #tours offer the most #unique #experiences in Bled and #Slovenia, learn more here.