For more than 50 years, part of the Kraków Forest has also been protected as a primeval forest reserve, which is also the only Slovenian primeval forest remnant. It is also a real treasure trove of different plant and animal species. Some of them are also endangered or protected. In addition, the forest is even listed as an internationally important bird area.
People love to visit it because its magic makes it beautiful in all seasons. It is also much visited by hiking groups, accompanied by guides who know the forest really well. Every year, the Č'bularski hike takes place from Kostanjevica na Krki through the forest all the way to Raka. This is a way of preserving the memory of the old days, when women used to take raška onions to Kostanjevica to sell and walk through the forest.
There is also an area on this route where the wetland shows its strength. Water stays here almost all the time, unless there is a really long dry period, in which case there is no water. We have already had the opportunity to experience this view.
The volunteers and guides, as well as the markacists Franc and Franc Bakšič, decided to make some additions to this part of the trail, to arrange it in a sustainable way, to make the passage here safer or a bit more "comfortable". They finished the terrain with thicker logs, logs that they had collected and worked nearby. Fallen trees and branches were prepared for landfill. In a way, they gave back to nature what is hers and will remain in use in this way. They placed the logs next to each other.
They have been brought together and firmly bound together to form a strong bond. This is how they made a wooden bridge that has been crossed by many hikers and even an animal's foot. And now there is a more 'elegant' way into the primeval forest. Once they had done that in the morning, they went a little further inland, where they invested some more time in other work for the layout and safety of the hikers. Of course, every year there is a review of the trails and this involves a lot of volunteer time and personal investment in both local belonging and belonging to Slovenia's heritage.
By working together, with strength, will and ideas, even between the energies of the forest, the air, the water, a beautiful story of cooperation and good work for the community can be created.
Andreja Bakšič Grozdina, 2. 2. 2025
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