Tuši

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Sunday, May 31, 2020

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Slovenia: STKP: Part 8


STKP stands for Slovenian Mountain Bike Route and with Nada and Baki we decided to do the part of it in Upper Savinja Valley and Carinthia. Yesterday we made it to Mežica and today we simply moved on. Our first stop was the abandoned mine in Mežica, now a museum, but unfortunately closed. We continued on the boring road to Črna na Koroškem, where we visited one of the bunkers of the 6th sector of the Rupnik Line. Soon we stopped following Meža river and turned into Topla valley. Step ascent took us to the border between Austria and Slovenia and from there we didn't have long till the Mountain hut on farm Kumer, 1220 m, where we had a nice goulash, I fixed Nada's flat and Baki recharged his bike. Soon we moved on, passing Saint Ana's church and cruising on the altitude of 1300 meters over Repov Creek to the source of Meža river. Short downhill section along Meža soon ended and we started to climb towards "Cerkev sv. Jakoba" church. Cycling part was over for a while, as the terrain was too steep to pedal, so we simply pushed the bikes to the top of the Zg. Sleme pass. After a while our trail joined the Solčava Panoramic Road and from there we took the shortest route back to Solčava, where our 2 day adventure ended.

Previous stages of STKP: Stage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7.

The Mežica lead and zinc mine was one of the last lead-zinc mines in Europe that was still operating at the end of the 20th century. Now it operates as a tourist mine and museum and has been opened to visitors since 1997.

We wanted to do the bike tour in the mine, but the mine was still closed.

 
TAB (Battery factory) was established in 1965 as a subsidiary of Rudnik Mežica Holding (Lead Mine Mežica Holding) in a region where different lead activities are more than 350 years old.

Ski resort in Črna na Koroškem, where we visited one of the bunkers of the Rupnik Line.

  
Burjakove Peči climbing area.

Along the Topla creek.

Riding below Peca mountain.

Steep road led us over nice green almost unpopulated areas.

 
World War 2 monument.

 
Towards the highest point of the day.

 
From the Topla valley into the Koprivna valley.

View to Raduha through Koprivna valley.

Lunch time at Mountain hut on farm Kumer.

 
St. Anne's Church in Koprivna is famous for its altar of the Black Madonna, that dates back to the 14th century.

Local guardian.

Where next?

We left SKTP and we discovered some new scenic trails.

We saw many afforestation areas, that were established after the natural disasters - glaze and heavy wind.

The road to nowhere. Well, with stubbornness we changed that.

Almost back on trail.

 
Meža has its source on the Austrian side of the border north of Mount Olševa in the Karawanks range, becomes subterranean a kilometre from its source, and reappears on the surface in Koprivna west of Črna na Koroškem in Slovenia.

Towards Mežnar farmsted.

The Gothic parish church of St. James the Great, patron saint of labourers, pilgrims and soldiers, as well as intercessor for weather and field crops, was presumably built in the 13th or 14th century and is a unique landscape monument.

Rural area.

Because of its special location, the church can be seen from all neighbouring valleys, even though it is situated in a rugged mountainous landscape. The ringing of its three copper bells can be heard at even the remotest homesteads.

 
We should have done a prayer here and maybe the upcoming section wouldn’t be so steep.

There is no trip without a selfie.

Black Beast above the final downhill section.

STKP: From Solčava to Črna na Koroška, where we joined STKP and conquered checkpoints 97 and 98 with an end in Mežica - Garmin Connect

STKP logo - visit http://pzs.si/ktk/wpstkp/en/ for details

Geocaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "remotesearchers GLOBALBUG", TB2R0H6 and "Mega Signal", TB8MH0P):
- Opuščen rudnik svinca in cinka Mežica, GC596YJ
- Rupnikova linija, A3 - Črna, GC6Z3MY

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