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INTERESTING STORIES
Anna of Celje was born in late 1380 or early 1381. She was the only daughter of William, Count of Celje, and Anna, daughter of the Polish King Casimir the Great and his fourth wife Jadwiga of Żagań. At the end of 1400, a Polish embassy arrived in Celje, consisting of Jan of Obichów, Hinczka of Rogów and Jan of Ostrowiec. They had come on the orders of the Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło to conclude a preliminary agreement with Count Herman regarding the marriage of Władysław and Anna. According to tradition, the dying Jadwiga of Anjou expressed the wish for Anna to succeed her on the Polish throne. On 16 July 1401, Anna arrived in Kraków, but the wedding was postponed for eight months. The official reason for this was the necessity for the German-speaking Anna to learn Polish, in fact Władysław Jagiełło considered breaking off the engagement (probably due to the lack of beauty of his future wife). On November 5, 1401, the marriage agreement between Anna and the King of Poland was confirmed in Biecz, and on January 29, 1402, in the Kraków cathedral, Anna of Celje became the second wife of Władysław Jagiełło.
IT IS WORTH KNOWING
A Pole who made an exceptional contribution to Slavic culture was Emil Korytko from Lviv, who ended up in Slovenia after being sent to Ljubljana by the Austrian authorities in 1837. An ethnographer by profession, educated in Lviv, he began work on collecting and publishing Slovenian folk songs immediately after his arrival. As a man familiar with the Slovenian elites, he befriended the outstanding poet France Preseren. At the same time, he taught Slovenians the Polish language and introduced them to Polish culture. The culmination of his work was the publication of a monumental collection of Slovenian folk songs, `Slovenske pesni kranjskega naroda`. After his death in 1839, he was buried in the Alley of the Distinguished at the Navje Cemetery in Ljubljana, and one of the streets in the city centre was named after him. A very important figure in the process of mutual understanding between Poles and Slovenians was Wojsław Mole, who translated the works of Polish poets such as Mickiewicz, Słowacki and Wyspiański into Slovenian, and also promoted Slovenian culture in Poland.
Slovenia, Italy - Friuli
July 2024
Since air tickets from Poland to Slovenia were relatively expensive, I decided to fly to Trieste and return to Poland from Vienna. Thanks to this, I had the opportunity to get to know the picturesque region in eastern Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Another advantage of such a move was the possibility of visiting Slovenia from south to north, without unnecessary doubling of travel routes.
Slovenia is, right after Croatia, the most attractive tourist country of the former Yugoslavia. Here you can find beautiful Adriatic beaches, vineyard-covered hills, vast valleys and karst plateaus, and even Alpine peaks. Equally rich are the monuments of the past - mighty castles, picturesque abbeys and churches with magnificent frescoes, as well as public buildings representing all architectural styles. Another advantage is the original cuisine and open and friendly inhabitants. It is impossible not to like this country, and I simply fell in love with it and will certainly come back here.Koper and Piran
The Slovenian Adriatic coast is not very long, but the varied coastline creates charming bays and rocky headlands. It is in such places that the picturesque towns of Piran and Koper lie, a popular summer destination. Koper delighted me with its rich market square, considered one of the most beautiful in the country, while Piran overwhelmed me with crowds of tourists. However, it was enough to go beyond the main square to feel the extraordinary atmosphere of this place.
Predjama Castle and Škocjan Caves
On the second day of my stay in Slovenia, I faced the classic dilemma of every tourist, or visit the Postojna Cave or maybe it is better to choose Škocjan Caves ? I decided on the second option due to the fact that the Scottish caves are inscribed on the Unesco list and there is less traffic. The caves themselves and the surrounding karst areas made an amazing impression on me. I could not refuse to see the Predjama Grad castle, the most picturesque in the whole country.
Ljubljana
I probably won't be too original when I write that Ljubljana made an incredible impression on me. I spent hours wandering through the picturesque streets admiring monuments from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau. The interwar period holds a special place in the history of the city, because it was then that one of the most outstanding architects of the 20th century, Jože Plečnik, a Slovenian urban planner, philosopher, and visionary, realized his projects here.
Lake Bled
Škofja Loka
Celje castle
Ptuj
Maribor
ITALY
Udine
A bit forgotten today, Udine belonged to the Republic of Venice for almost 400 years, and numerous monuments from that time bear traces of the overwhelming influence of the Republic's culture. The Piazza Liberta, rightly considered one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, made the greatest impression on me. Another attraction of Udine are the frescoes by the Venetian rococo master Giambattista Tiepolo, but I have to admit that I didn't like them that much.
Aquileia and Grado
In Roman times, the famous Amber Road began in Aquileia. The rich city was destroyed by the Huns, and its inhabitants fled to nearby lagoons, founding Grado and Venice. The Unesco listed basilica and baptistery have survived to this day, as well as several archaeological sites. In the cathedral, I had the opportunity to admire a magnificent, early Christian 4th-century floor mosaic with an area of 760 square meters and medieval frescoes.
Trieste and Grotta Gigante
I arrived in Trieste during Pope Francis' visit to the city. Sightseeing was much more difficult due to the crowds of believers and the large screens placed in churches and main city squares. Taking advantage of the sunny morning, I admired the picturesque boulevards and neoclassical architecture of the Borgo Teresiano district. In the afternoon, I went to Grotta Gigante, the world's largest karst cave, located on a plateau above the city.
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