Šoštanj: Hotels between carnival tradition and Lake Družmirje

Šoštanj lies in the western part of the Šaleška Valley on a plain along the Paka River. At the same time, the town has been known as a carnival town since 1953: Pust Šoštanjski is a traditional carnival tradition. This is where landscape, local history and customs come together.

Culture and history

The historical side of Šoštanj reaches back to Pusti Grad. Pusti Grad was built in the 12th century and destroyed as early as the 15th century. At Pusti Grad, a restored, multi-storey Romanesque defensive tower has survived up to its original height. It is one of the few Romanesque defensive towers in Slovenia preserved at this height.

Another gateway to the past is the Museum of Tanning in Slovenia. It presents Šoštanj’s 210-year tanning tradition – from the founding of the Vošnjak tannery in 1788, through its rise to large-scale industry, to the closure of the factory in 1999. The development of a single tannery into a large-scale industrial operation and the later conclusion of this factory’s history are made visible over a long period.

The townscape also contains striking evidence from various periods. Vila Mayer is a typical example of late Gründerzeit bourgeois architecture and, together with its garden, is protected as a cultural monument of local importance. Above the old market centre of Šoštanj stands the Church of Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus. It contains two Baroque altars and a Gothic fresco from the 14th century.

Marijin steber stands in the middle of Trg bratov Mravljakov. The tannery owner Mihael Woschnagg (II.) and his wife Agata Jožefa erected it in memory of the severe flood of 1887.

Landscape

East of Šoštanj, Lake Družmirje stretches towards Velenje. It is Slovenia’s deepest lake and was formed by subsidence above abandoned mine workings of Premogovnik Velenje. The lake began to form by 1975 at the latest and covered more than 63 hectares in 2005. Its formation is therefore directly connected with the mining history of Premogovnik Velenje.

Lake Družmirje is also the venue for Praznik luči, a traditional event in Šoštanj. Every year, thousands of lights illuminate the lake. Lake Družmirje is also considered attractive for fishing.

Routes and experiences

Trška pot is an easy hiking trail in the immediate vicinity of Šoštanj. It was created to make the boundary of the former market town of Šoštanj visible. The traditional guided walk or hike along Trška pot includes a longer option with 4 to 5 hours of walking and a shorter option with 2 hours of walking.

Panoramic flights over the Šaleška Valley are available at Lajše airfield near Šoštanj. Šoštanj can be reached by bicycle, car, motorcycle, taxi, bus or train.

For further options, you can open the town pages for Velenje, Gorenje and Topolšica.

To the higher-level travel overview: Velenje.