Kranj

Kranj's old town stands on a conglomerate spur above the point where the Kokra joins the Sava, with cliffs on two sides and a single approach, which is why it was settled early and heavily. Beneath it runs a tunnel system dug in 1944 as an air raid shelter, over a kilometre of it, now opened as a route through the rock. France Prešeren, the national poet, spent his last years here and is buried in the town; his house is a museum.

History

The Romans founded the settlement of Carnium at the confluence of the Sava and the Kokra, a Slavic burial ground of the 9th and 10th centuries has been found here, and in the 11th century Kranj was the seat of the margraves of Carniola. Citizens of Kranj appear in a document of 1221 and it is called a town in 1256; half its houses burned in 1668 and the whole town in 1749 (Wikipedia, Kranj).

What you'll find

• The wartime tunnels - over a kilometre of 1944 shelters cut into the rock beneath the town.
• The Kokra canyon - the gorge falling away from the eastern edge of the old town.
• The Preseren house and grave - the poet's last home and burial place.
• The spur setting - an old town on a conglomerate promontory above two rivers.

When to go

Year round; the tunnels are a steady temperature and suit hot days. Museums close on Mondays. The old town is quiet on winter weekdays.

Things to know

Kranj is an industrial town and the old core is a small part of it. The tunnels are damp, cold and plain, and some visitors find them dull. Parking near the old town is awkward.

Nearby

Skofja Loka is southwest, and Jamnik is northwest.

Key facts