SLOVENIA 435era, when the church was
expanded and redecorated.
Today, the island remains a
popular place for pilgrimages
on the Marian feast days, not-
ably the Ascension and the
Birth of the Virgin. These are
traditionally all-night affairs
with parti cipants arriving late
in the evening and celebrating
mass at 4am. The island is
open to visitors throughout
the year and can be reached
either by motor launch or by
tradi tional canopied rowing
BLED TOWN CENTRE
Bled Castle 2
Bled Island 3
Lake Bled 1Key to Symbols see back flapVISITORS’ CHECKLIST53 km (34 miles) NW of
Ljubljana. * 10,900. k Lesce-
Bled. £ Bled Jezero. @ 4
n Cesta svobode 10, (04) 574- _ Bled Days (Jul),
Ascension (Aug 15) & Birth of
the Virgin (Sep 8). http://www.bled.si
Vintgar Gorge
Tel (04) 572 5266. # Apr–Oct:
8am–7pm daily. & 0
Located 4 km (2 miles)
north of Bled, Vintgar gorge
(Soteska Vintgar) is a 2-km
(1-mile) long ravine carved
by the rushing waters of the
Radovna river. In 1893, the
locals decided to con struct
wooden walkways and gal-
leries to make the ravine
acces sible to visitors, turning
it into a major attraction.
Visiting the gorge is an exhil-
arating experience as the trail
winds its way beneath sheer
cliffs, passing gurgling rapids
and whirl pools on the way.
The walkway culmin ates at
the 16-m (52-ft) high Šum
Water fall, which marks the
northern end of the gorge.
The waterfall is at its most
impressive in spring, when it
throws up clouds of steam.0 metres0 yards500500Church of the Assumption on Bled Island
boat (pletna).
Visitors disembark
at the bottom of a
99-step staircase,
which leads to the
front door of the
church. Inside are
the frag mentary
remains of some
15th-century fres-
coes illustrating
the lives of the
Virgin Mary and
Jesus Christ.
Hanging from a
small tower above
the nave is the 15th-
cen tury Wishing
Bell, which was
pres ented to the
church by a wealthy
pilgrim whose
prayers had been answered.
Among the various legends
surrounding it, it is believed
that the original bell sank in
a ship wreck and had to be
replaced by one donated by
the Pope. It is also believed
that those who ring the bell
to honour the Blessed Virgin
will have their wishes granted.
People used to walk across
the ice to the church during
harsh winters, although due to
changes in the climate, ice is
a rare occurrence nowadays.Lesce-Bled
Railway Station
4 km (2.5 miles)Vintgar GorgeŽE
LEŠ
KA^
CESTA^C. (^) S
VOB
OD
E
M
LIN
SK
A
CE
ST
A
RG
A
J
SKA CESTA
KI
DR
IČ
E
VA
(^) CEST
A
KO
LO
DV
O
RS
KA
CES
TA^
(^)
VE
CLA
ŠKA^ PROMENA
DA
POD
STRA
ŽO
VECL
AŠKA^ PR
OMENADA
LJU
BLJA
NSK
A^ CE
STA^
CE
ST
A^ S
VO
BOD
E
CES
TA^ S
VOBO
DE
PR
EŠER
NOVA
(^) CE
STA
Bled
Island
BLED
Bled Castle
Church of the
Assumption
Lake Bled
Bled Jezero
Railway Station