Fun things to do in Bled

In the center of the lake on Slovenia's only real island is the Church of the Assumption. It dates back hundreds of years. For 12 Euros you could row out to the island for a closer look . We were too lazy on the hot June days we were there for so much physical activity and opted to enjoy the view from the shore.

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Experts have reconstructed the architectural development of the island church of St. Mary of the Assumption. In the early Middle Ages where the church stands today, there was a pre-Christian, probably old Slavic place of worship. 124 graves containing skeletons dating from the 9th to the 11th centuries have been discovered on the island. The foundations of a Pre-Romanesque chapel were laid in this period. In all likelihood this building reflects the work of Pavlin, the Patriarch of Aquilea, a contemporary of Charlemagne.

The first traces of Brixen rule on the island are the foundations of the Romanesque chapel, built on the site of the Pre-Romanesque. The three-nave basilica, whose foundations are clearly visible and well-preserved, was probably built in the middle of the 12th century.

The single-nave Gothic church with its large free-standing belfry was built on the southern side in 1465, when Sigmund Lamberg, the first Bishop of Ljubljana consecrated the new presbytery and the main altar.

The free-standing belfry is a special feature, as it shows the typical influence of the Venetian school. The belfry is 52 m in height and is characterized by its Gothic arch above the entrance, which was built in the 14th to 15th centuries from stone known as buckwheat grain due to its numerous holes.

On the site of the Gothic church a Pre-Baroque church was built in the middle of the 17th century, and then reconstructed in 1685. The three side altars made of black marble are the work of the Ljubljana stonemasons M. Cusse and F. Ferrata. The images by an unknown master reflect the Venetian school of the 17th century. The fourth side altar, dedicated to St. Ana dates from the end of the 17th century, and the image within it is from the Layer workshop in Kranj. The Baroque main altar has richly gilded carvings and dates from the 1740’s. The altar sculptures represent the donors of the Bled lands, Emperor Henry II and his wife Kunigunda. The wooden reliefs on the altar table and the tabernacle are from the second half of the 19th century. The church was renovated in 1972.

A special feature of the island church is the wishing bell, which attracts many tourists. It was manufactured in Padova in 1534. The bells in the belfry date from the first half of the 18th century. The other buildings and the protective walls were finally completed in the 17th century.

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The island in the middle of Lake Bled is without doubt one of the premier attractions of the area, which surprises and charms every visitor. It is verdant with greenery up to and including the buildings themselves. Many legends exist connected to the island, one of which is described in the masterpiece of the finest Slovene poet France Prešeren. The legend relates that a temple used to stand on the island, dedicated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love, and protected by Bogomila and Staroslav.

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Visitors to Bled often overlook the other church in Bled in their haste to see the church of the Assumption on Bled Island. However, Bled Parish church or Succursal Church of St. Andrej is a beautiful church in its own right nestled in above a little garden and overlooked by Bled castle.
The Neo-Gothic church was built in 1905 repalceing an earlier Gothic church dating from the 15th century whihc in trun replaced a chapel dating back as far as the year 1000! The church interior is decorated with frescos by Slavko Pengov and were created between 1932 and 1937.
Joze plecnik, the famous Slovenian architect responsible for so much of Ljubljana's beautiful modern architecture, also left hhis mark on Bled church where he was involved in the design of the lovely garden laid out at the foot of the church.
Another feature of the church is the lovely design of tiles on the church roof.

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Bled castle coudn't be more ideally located, perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking Lake Bled. It is Slovenia's oldest castle, being first recorded in 1011 when the German emperor Henrik II granted the castle to the Bishops of Bixen.
The castle is divided into two distinct areas with an upper residential courtyard houseing the Gothic Chapel and a lower area housing the castle outbuildings.
The castle is surrounded by high Romanesque walls and battlements and a Gothic defensive tower.
The view from the castle out over the lake is reprted as being spectacular but I can't comment on this as unfortunately having just made the steep climb up to the castle a heavy snow storm blew down from the Julian Alps and led to very poor visibility from the castle walls :(
I did get nice views of the castle the following morning which made up for the dissapointment.

Opening times: January - April/November - December 8.00 - 17.00
May - October 8.00 - 20.00

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The church on Bled Island draws tourists from all over the world. The baroque church was built during the 17th century. However the historical significance of the island stretches much further back. Prehistoric remains of a settlement have been discovered on the island dating from between the 11th and 8th centuries B.C.!!!
The temple of an ancient Slavic goddess Ziva supposedly stood on the island. During the middle ages the island was the location of a Slavic settlement and graves have been discovered dating from the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. In the 12th century a stone built Ramanesque church was built on the island. In the 15th century the church was rebuilt in the gothic style and a bell tower was added. The church was damaged by an eartquake in 1509 and had to be rebuilt, this time in the Baroque style.
After another earthquake the church was renovted in the 17th century and took on its present day Baroque appearance.
The most famous feature of the church is the 'lucky' bell which hangs from a beam above the church nave. Visitors to the church can ring the bell which supposedly brings luck to the ringer.
The island and church can be reached by a rented boat or a traditional manned Pletna Boat.
(12 euro return)

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Bled has the unique distinction of having Slovenia's only island. The island is situated on Lake Bled. The island has formed during the Ice Age when a glacial lake was formed with a limestone lump left protruding through the water.
The island on Lake Bled would be overlooked as a tourist attraction and would only be considered important by geologists and geographers except for the presence of the Church of the Assumption. The small church is situated on the tiny island and draws tourists from all over the world to the Lake.
To reach the lake you can rent a boat or else take a manned Pletna Boat across to the island.

It dates from 20th cenury but built on the site where another church existed much earlier. The plans for it were made by the architect of the Vienna City Hall-Friedrich von Schmidt . You can't miss it as its white colour is very striking in the green surroundings.