Roblekov Hut on Begunjščica the Most Popular Mountain Hut 2017

Roblekov Hut on Begunjščica (1657 m) has been crowned the most popular mountain hut this year, which is recognition for both caretakers Zdenka and Rok Podpečan and for PD Radovljica, which is third time at the top of the selection. In the summer campaign of the Alpine Association of Slovenia and the Siol.net portal Best Mountain Hut 2017, 72 mountain huts participated. The winner will widely open its doors on Sunday, September 24, when there will be a closing celebration on Begunjščica.



Mountaineers and readers of www.siol.net this year in the first round chose among 72 mountain huts (out of a total of 181 mountain huts, shelters, and bivouacs), which have either an environmentally friendly and/or family-friendly mountain hut certificate or an installed wastewater treatment plant, otherwise they are known for hospitable caretakers, tasty food, and scenic surroundings, and with decisive votes for qualification to the final they showed that they appreciate the efforts of caretakers and the open doors of mountain huts that strive for the well-being and warm shelter of mountaineers.



Mountain visitors this year in both rounds of voting collectively awarded nearly 70 thousand votes, crowning Roblekov Hut on Begunjščica (1657 m) as the winner and thus delighting caretakers Zdenka and Rok Podpečan. "Last year we took over the management of Roblekov Hut and were surprised to qualify for second place in the best hut selection, as we didn't know about the campaign. At that time I joked that next year we start for victory! We see the reactions of visitors, so we expected to be close this year too, but not victory. The greatest satisfaction is of course satisfied visitors, the title of best mountain hut is a delightful indicator of that and additional motivation to continue, to try even harder and have even more joy," summarized Zdenka her first impressions and modestly added: "Roblek already has a name and atmosphere, many say it has special energy, so a lot is already done, caretakers just put the finishing touch, with a smile on our faces we ensure good mood and that mountaineers can eat something good."



Roblekov Hut, located on a scenic shoulder of the western ridge of Begunjščica, is also characterized by the fact that no road leads to it, only a mountain trail. "Everyone says this is the real mountain hut where there are no cars. The ascent is of course a plus for real mountaineers, who are rewarded for all their effort with the view in front of the hut, but it's hard for us for those, especially the elderly, who want to go to Roblek but can no longer walk, so sometimes we joke that a helicopter line once a month would be welcome," added Zdenka, who has been connected to the legendary mountain hut, to which Slavko Avsenik also paid tribute with the evergreen Na Roblek bom odšel, for almost two decades. With her husband, they started supplying the hut with horses 18 years ago, then a helicopter took over, then again the Podpečans for eight years, who gained caretaking experience in the shepherd's hut on Lešanska planina below Dobrča, and last year took over Roblekov Hut. The hut is still supplied by horses once a week, as they have no electricity, they cook on a wood stove, the water source is rainwater, so the offer is somewhat more modest, explains the caretaker: "We adapt to the possibilities, we offer mainly various stews, I also bake strudel myself. We swear by freshly prepared and home-cooked food, and we notice that visitors are ordering more food in the hut and eating less of their own snacks."



Numerous trails lead to the popular hut in the Karavanke Mountains, which will be open every day until September 17, and for the rest of the year hospitably welcomes mountaineers at weekends. The easiest and shortest, also suitable for winter visits, is the trail from Draga above Begunje, in summer many choose a circular route from Ljubelj via Preval across Bornove tunnels to Roblek, then to Zelenica and back to Ljubelj, which can be extended to Macesnovec and to Koča pri izviru Završnice and Zelenica, less visited is the trail from Draga through Luknja to Preval and across Roža or the summit of Begunjščica to Roblek.



The laurel for the best mountain hut remains in the hands of Mountaineering Association (PD) Radovljica, as Valvasorjev dom pod Stolom (1181 m) celebrated last year and in 2014. "Roblekov Hut is truly the first hut in the entire selection that is not accessible by road and requires some effort to reach it. That as a mountaineering association we have come to the top three times with our huts is really a surprise, at the same time a great recognition that both caretakers and the association take good care of our mountaineering heritage and reputation, of course caretakers are those who with their friendliness are a magnet for visitors and create such a pleasant atmosphere," highlighted Valentin Rezar, president of PD Radovljica, one of the oldest and largest mountaineering associations in Slovenia, which besides Roblekov and Valvasorjev also manages Pogačnikov dom na Kriških podih. As he also said, the biggest challenge for mountain huts is to fill during the week, but good word travels far, as more and more foreigners visit Radovljica's mountain posts, whom they also invited with a tri-language brochure issued last year. More and more visitors to Roblekov Hut are always greeted by some novelty, as this year they arranged new toilets inside the hut, a storage in the annex, the kitchen is enriched with a new masonry stove, in front of the hut there are new wooden benches and tables. The electrical system was upgraded with a wind turbine and solar panels, in the future they plan to upgrade the water intake as well.



"In the Alpine Association of Slovenia we are truly happy about the cooperation with the Siol.net portal, as the entire campaign significantly contributes to the recognition of Slovenian mountain huts, and also that mountaineers and other hut visitors in Slovenia have voted for Roblekov Hut on Begunjščica. Especially from the perspective that this mountain hut is not accessible by public road and is at the same time known for its homeliness and friendliness of the staff. The Alpine Association of Slovenia started training for mountain hut caretakers last year, which the caretaker of Roblekov Hut also attended this year, with the aim of further improving the quality of the offer and the relationship of hut staff to visitors," emphasized PZS expert collaborator Dušan Prašnikar, and Podpečan expressed enthusiasm especially from the perspective of sharing experiences: "It was great. The most valuable is meeting caretakers from all over Slovenia, getting to know each other and talking, as mutual experiences count the most. I would especially praise the seminar on conflict resolution, as often someone in a bad mood comes to the hut, but with the right approach we can resolve many things."



Na Roblek bom odšel ... on Sunday, September 24, when under the umbrella of the Slovenia Walks campaign at 11 a.m. there will be a celebration for the best mountain hut 2017 with a short cultural-entertainment program, handover of the plaque to the winners of this year's campaign, animations for young and old, and workshops for children. All mountain lovers are invited!



Order of finalists for the best mountain hut 2017

1. Roblekov dom na Begunjščici (PD Radovljica)

2. Planinski dom na Kumu (PD Kum Trbovlje)

3. Zavetišče na Planini (PD Vrhnika)

4. Krekova koča na Ratitovcu (PD za Selško dolino Železniki)

5. Planinski dom pri Gospodični na Gorjancih (PD Krka Novo mesto)

6. Dom na Kofcah (PD Tržič)

7. Planinski dom na Kalu (PD Hrastnik)

8. Planinski dom v Gorah (PD Dol pri Hrastniku)

9. Koča pri Jelenovem studencu (PD Kočevje)

10. Planinski dom na Uštah - Žerenku (PD Moravče)



Many Slovenian mountain huts have already implemented various energy and environmental investments that significantly reduce the negative impacts of these facilities on the environment. Within the project Energy and Environmentally Efficient Buildings from Mountains to Valleys, which the Alpine Association of Slovenia is implementing in partnership with Cipro Slovenija, co-financed by Eko sklad, the Slovenian Environmental Public Fund, some successful investments will be presented already at the second open doors day of mountain huts, which will be on Saturday, September 16, at Dom na Menini planini (PD Gornji Grad), Domžalski dom na Mali planini (PD Domžale) and Koča na Planini pri Jezeru (PD LPP). Welcome!