Spa Bled
Hotels
Stays
Turist information
History
A settlement area since Mesolithic times, Bled Castle was first mentioned as Ueldes (Veldes) within the March of Carniola on April 10, 1004, when it was awarded by Emperor Henry II to Bishop Albuin I of Brixen. After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Bled came under the rule of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and became a summer domicile of the ruling House of Karađorđević, a tradition that President Josip Broz Tito continued, when he built his residence here in 1947. Bled became an independent municipality in 1996. In 2000, Bled became the home of IEDC-Bled School of Management.
Location and climate
Bled is situated in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The Spa Park is located in the immediate nearness of the Hotel Jelovica Bled. Bled's a mild, healthy sub-Alpine climate with the longest swimming season of any Alpine resort. The ridges of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke protect it from the chilly northern winds. During the summer months there is no fog. The average monthly temperature in July is 19°C and in January -1.7°C.
Tourist attractions
Bled is known for the glacial Lake Bled, which makes it a major tourist attraction. Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle. The town is also known in Slovenia for its vanilla-and-cream pastry called kremna rezina or kremšnita.
Today it is an important convention centre and tourist resort, offering a wide range of sport activities (golf, fishing, horseback-riding) and is a starting point for mountain treks and hikes especially within the nearby Triglav National Park.
In the Spa Park you can see the memorial plate for Arnold Rikli, which was raised at the 125th anniversary of Institute of Natural Healing in Bled. Arnold Rikli was a beginner of the spa tourism in Bled. His methods, united with the contemporary therapy are today continued in the Hotel Golf. In Spa Park they organize in August the Okarina the Okarina Folk Festival Bled. There you can see performances of Slovene and foreign ethno musicians of world renown.
Surroundings
Bled belongs between the most beautiful tourist places in Slovenia. It is famous by Bled Island and Bled Castle, which is proudly raising above the lake. Bled has a wonderful surroundings. You can go and see Bohinjska Bela, Pokljuka Gorge, Vintgar Gorge and other interesting places.
A small island in the middle of the lake is home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church; visitors frequently ring its bell for good luck. Human traces from prehistory have been found on the island. Before the church was built, there was a temple consecrated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a traditional wooden row barge called Pletna. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent.
Natural healing resources
The thermal springs which are led into the swimming pools at the Grand Hotel Toplice (23°C) and the Park and Golf Hotels (28°C - the water is additionally heated) enable pleasant swimming and successful treatment of stress related illnesses, exhaustion, neurovegetative disorders and age-related fatigue. Analyses of the thermal water at the Grand Hotel Toplice were performed by Dr. V. Kletzinski. These show the temperature of the spring to be constant at 23°C. The breakdown of the analyses show that 10 litres of water contain 1520 cm3 of free carbonic acid and 5.36 g of naturally occurring salts: 0.12 g of sodium chloride, 0.57 g of sodium sulphuric acid, 0.30 g of sodium carbonic acid, 2.31 g of calcium carbonic acid, 1.16 g of magnesium carbonic acid, 0.44 g of carbonic iron oxide acid, 0.27 g of silicic acid, clay phosphoric salts, manganese and some other ingredients.