Attractions

Solkan is a place with a history of more than a thousand years, first mentioned in written records in 1001, together with Gorica. The settlement grew up along the beautiful Soča river, in the safe embrace of Sabotin and Sveta Gora. In the past centuries it was a pilgrimage centre and a furman’s stop, but it became particularly important in the 18th century when mills and sawmills were built along the Soča river, the remains of which can still be seen today at the old dam. Solkan was particularly famous for its carpenters, known as “tišlarji”, whose products even won prizes at European fairs.

If you follow the walking path from Ošterija Žogica towards Solkan, you will be amazed by the magnificent view of the Solkan bridge over the Soča river just after the first corner. the 220-metre-long giant, which represents the pinnacle of bridge-building expertise in the early 20th century, boasts the largest stone arch in the world!
It is one of 65 bridges on the Bohinj railway line, which connected the port of Trieste with Vienna in 1906. The bridge was not spared from casulty during World War I, however it was successfully renovated and restored back to its original state.

According to legend, the Slavs named the 609-metre-high hill, which rises steeply above the Soča river, Samotin on their arrival, because the riverbed separates it from the surrounding peaks of the Trnovo plateau. Until the 18th century, a pilgrimage church stood on Sabotin, where mass was held every sunday, and later the church on Sveta Gora took over its role.
During World War I, the battle line of the Soča Front ran along the hillside. Today, many caverns and the remains of dug-out trenches still remind us of one of the bloodiest military conflicts on our soil. You can also walk through the caverns, preferably with a guide. And if you’re hiking alone, don’t forget to bring flashlight!

The military cemetery under Sabotin is just one of the many silent witnesses to the cruel World War I scattered throughout the Soča valley. The last resting place was mostly for soldiers of Hungarian nationality.

Ošterija Žogica is a crossroads of trails from all over northern Primorska and, of course, a great starting point for excursions:
to the Soča valley and onwards to Trento as far as the source of the Soča river (the Emerald route), to Goriška Brda, a region of excellent wine and fruit, where the “Sabotin” road leads via a new bridge, to the Vipava valley, along the famous Vipava wine route, to Karst, the land of the storm, of terrine and prosciutto, which has been inviting for centuries with its natural and cultural beauty (part of the Vetrova trail).