Visitors' Centre of the Kozjansko Regional Park and the Kozjansko and Obsotelje Biosphere Area
In the former upper outbuilding of the Podsreda castle, next to the castle reception hall and the shop selling local products, an interesting “Interactive Presentation of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Kosjansko Regional Park and the Kozjansko and Obsotelje Biosphere Area” has been created.
The exhibition highlights the following themes: tall-stemmed meadow orchards, the Kozjansko Apple Festival, the bee-eaters nesting site in Bizeljsko, dry meadows, the Gruska Cave natural attraction, and the valley of the medieval squares.
The exhibition highlights the following themes: tall-stemmed meadow orchards, the Kozjansko Apple Festival, the bee-eaters nesting site in Bizeljsko, dry meadows, the Gruska Cave natural attraction, and the valley of the medieval squares.
The centre was developed as part of the “Protected Areas Interpretation Centres” project. More info on this HERE.
Kozjansko Regional Park
In the castle's cellar, the nature of the protected area of the Kozjansko Regional Park is presented. Here, visitors can learn about the most important habitats and plant and animal species that live here.
Kozjansko Regional Park, a landscape between the Savinja, Sotla, and Sava rivers, at the meeting point of the Alpine and Pannonian worlds, is a protected area with the status of a regional park, established in 1981 and is one of the largest and oldest protected areas in Slovenia.
The high level of biodiversity makes Kozjansko Regional Park one of the most essential nature conservation areas in Slovenia and Europe, as most of the park is included in the NATURA 2000 Special Protection Regions.
Podsreda Castle is a monument of local importance owned by the Municipality of Kozje and managed by the Kozjansko Park Public Institute.
Since 2010, Kozjansko and Obsotelje has been admitted to the international network of biosphere sites under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) program. The MAB program affirms biosphere reserves as a concept and a means to achieve a sustainable balance between the often-conflicting objectives of preserving biodiversity, promoting human resource development, and maintaining cultural values.
Kozjansko Regional Park, a landscape between the Savinja, Sotla, and Sava rivers, at the meeting point of the Alpine and Pannonian worlds, is a protected area with the status of a regional park, established in 1981 and is one of the largest and oldest protected areas in Slovenia.
The high level of biodiversity makes Kozjansko Regional Park one of the most essential nature conservation areas in Slovenia and Europe, as most of the park is included in the NATURA 2000 Special Protection Regions.
Podsreda Castle is a monument of local importance owned by the Municipality of Kozje and managed by the Kozjansko Park Public Institute.
Since 2010, Kozjansko and Obsotelje has been admitted to the international network of biosphere sites under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) program. The MAB program affirms biosphere reserves as a concept and a means to achieve a sustainable balance between the often-conflicting objectives of preserving biodiversity, promoting human resource development, and maintaining cultural values.
Transparency Captured
Historical glass exhibition
Forest glassworks or glazing works developed in the Kozjansko region primarily where forest areas offered sufficient quantities of wood. Green and colorless glass products were produced. In addition to glass bottles for mineral water production, the Kozjansko glassworks also made glassware for storing medicines and food products, lighting, and serving and eating utensils. The collection at Podsreda Castle mainly contains glass objects from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
»When the play of a moment becomes timelessness«
A painting exhibition by France Slana
The castle's oldest part is home to a permanent exhibition of paintings by the Slovenian artist France Slana entitled "WHEN THE GAME OF A MOMENT BECOMES TIMELESS". Here, the painter, graphic artist, and illustrator France Slana, winner of the Prešeren Award, has exhibited a number of works in oil on canvas from various periods of his career. The works are dominated by landscape and marine motifs, bouquets, and a wide range of figures, and animal motifs, including roosters, fish, and cats.
Saint Emma Memorial Room
Saint Emma is considered the first Slovenian female saint. There are many legends about her life and work, one of which says that Ema was born in 983 in the nearby town of Pilštanj. She belonged to the high nobility, being related to Emperor Henry II. She married William, Count of Brež and the County of Savinja. After the tragic death of her husband and two sons, she became the owner of a vast fortune, part of which she donated to the newly founded Benedictine women's monastery in Krka in Carinthia, where she herself took refuge. In 1045, after an exemplary and virtuous life, she is said to have died in Krka, where she is buried. Podsreda Castle is one of the points on Emma's pilgrimage route, which connects places associated with the life and work of Emma of Krško.
Historical presentation of the Podsreda Castle
What is the story behind one of Slovenia's best-preserved 12th-century Romanesque fortresses?
In the former living quarters of the south palacio, which was built around 1220, the historical presentation of Podsreda Castle offers an insight into the history of the castle, its construction history and the renovation of the castle building itself.
Bats at the Podsreda Castle
The attic of the Podsreda Castle has been chosen as a home by little fluttering creatures belonging to the bat species the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). The presentation of bats in the castle's attic is the last point of the Podsreda Castle Trail. The trail is located in the heart of the Kozjansko Regional Park and is a part of the Podsreda walking trail.
The Podsreda Castle Trail was created within the project "Biodiversity - the Art of Living" with the acronym LIFE Naturaviva (LIFE 16 GIE/SI/000711), in which Kozjansko Regional Park participates as a partner.
The Podsreda Castle Trail was created within the project "Biodiversity - the Art of Living" with the acronym LIFE Naturaviva (LIFE 16 GIE/SI/000711), in which Kozjansko Regional Park participates as a partner.
The Kozjansko Regional Park Fungi Exhibition
This exhibition at Podsreda Castle features a collection of 50 different mushroom species from Kozjansko Regional Park.
These mushrooms, dried through a specialized freeze-drying process, were collected by members of the Kozjansko Kozje Mushroom Society and the Mycological Association of Slovenia. The exhibition, curated by Slavko Šerod from the Mycological Association, emphasizes the significance of fungi for biodiversity in the Kozjansko and Obsotelje region, highlighting species like "Myxomycetes", which are commonly known as slime molds, and "Hydnaceae" , referring to the family of fungi known as tooth fungi. This exhibition is part of a project focusing on the importance of fungi for biodiversity in the area.