New information board at Mariborska Hut

New information board at Mariborska Hut marks the beginning of the revival of the Slovenian Mountain Trail.

Slovenian Mountain Trail (SPP), Slovenia's most popular long-distance trail, is slowly getting a new makeover. In the year we celebrate 70 years since the idea of establishing a connecting trail linking Slovenian mountains, lowlands, and sea, precisely on Hikers' Day, June 12, 2021, at the first hut on this trail - Mariborska Hut - we installed the first renovated information board about the SPP. This event signals the start of the renovation of the jewel among hiking trails, all aimed at attracting even more nature lovers, mountains, and Slovenian diversity to this mountain journey.



Slovenian Mountain Trail (SPP), the longest and one of the oldest long-distance trails in Europe and the world, is already a legendary circuit among Slovenian hikers. A handful of hikers complete it in one go, most collect stamps over several years, but all share the gathering of mountain experiences and insights. It was created in 1953 on the initiative of versatile mountaineering worker Ivan Šumljak, who urged hikers: “Friend, walk slowly! Then you will get more from it, much much more.” He first routed it along the ridges of Pohorje, then convinced the mountaineering association to extend it over Uršlja gora, Smrekovec, Raduha, Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Karavanke, Julian Alps, Primorska hills to Ankaran and later to Debeleg rtič. “He even envisioned bringing it back to Maribor via Notranjska and Dolenjska, thus closing the circle around Slovenia. However, this was not realized. Šumljak first named the trail magistrala, but at its opening in 1953, it was christened Slovenian Mountain Transversal. In 1991, it was renamed Slovenian Mountain Trail (SPP), but today we still often call it simply transversal,” explained PZS cartography editor and SPP renovation project leader Andrej Stritar. The trail is marked with the standard Knafelc marking, with the number 1 added below right. It is divided into 43 stages, over 600 km long, requiring almost 40,000 meters of ascent, and has 80 control points where hikers can get a stamp as proof of visit.



The trail is very popular among hikers, as evidenced by the number of issued mountaineering logbooks. “Since 1993, 120,000 copies of the SPP logbook have been issued, altogether since 1953 certainly over 200,000 copies, 10,600 hikers have completed the trail, including many foreigners. Our book guide Slovenian Mountain Trail in three parts has also become recognizable among users. Interest in SPP logbooks doubled last year,” added PZS president Jože Rovan.



Since we at PZS want this Slovenian beauty to be a true Slovenian success story, we have decided to perfect it by 2023, when it celebrates its 70th anniversary.



“In spring 2020, we received a new graphic design for SPP. The Knafelc marking with the 1 at bottom right naturally remains, but the surrounding design has been updated. The new logo will be used mainly on information boards and promotional materials. Following the example of modern hiking trails emerging abroad and at home, we will install SPP information boards at all key points along the trail. Slovenian Mountain Trail has long had its own website, which we will update in the future. We recently added a pictorial display of SPP in maPZS, which with a smartphone can even assist on the terrain during the hike. We will certainly also renovate the entire main SPP website in the near future in line with modern trends for such sites. Likewise, we will include SPP among Slovenia's important tourist attractions (products), as we are aware that hiking tourism is currently on the rise,” added Andrej Stritar.



Through various modernization and promotion methods, we want to encourage hikers to embark on this trail. To discover diverse natural and cultural-historical attractions, animal and plant species, cultural heritage, cuisine, overcome personal challenges, and celebrate their own achievements.



What do we need to know about the Slovenian Mountain Trail?

Length is 617.4 km,
runs from Maribor to Debeleg rtič,
marked with red-white Knafelc marking and number 1 next to it,
has 80 control points,
connects 55 mountain huts,
ascends 35 mountain peaks,
divided into 43 stages,
48 mountaineering societies are trail caretakers,
connects 5 Slovenian cities and 5 larger localities,
elevation difference around 37,300 m ascent and 37,600 m descent,
average hiker needs 37 days for it,
Marjan Zupančič set the record in 2020: 6 days, 12 hours, and 58 minutes.