Smarna Gora

Šmarna Gora rises to 669 metres on the northern edge of Ljubljana, close enough that people climb it before work, and it is generally reckoned the most frequently walked hill in Slovenia; some regulars keep counts running into the thousands. Paths of different lengths run up from several villages, taking between forty minutes and an hour and a half. At the top are a pilgrimage church of the Virgin, a bell that walkers ring - the church bell itself rings each day half an hour before noon in memory of a repulsed Ottoman raid - and a hut selling the traditional reward of sausage and buckwheat porridge.

Background

The name is an old contraction of Sveta Marijina, St Mary's, and the mountain was once called Holm; the western peak, Grmada, means a heap of wood for a bonfire, and fires were lit there to warn of Ottoman raids. It first appears in writing in 1296, and Valvasor described it as a place of pilgrimage in the late 17th century. The present Baroque church, built in 1711-12 by Gregor Maček the elder, replaced a Gothic one first mentioned in 1324; its octagonal nave and square chancel sit under two domes, with five altars and frescoes painted by Matevž Langus in the 1840s. Over 830 plant and 260 fungus species are known on the mountain, and on clear days the view reaches Triglav and Snežnik.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mount Saint Mary"

What you'll find

• The summit church - a pilgrimage church of the Virgin on the top.
• The bell - rung by walkers as the customary end to the climb.
• The Grmada peak - the slightly higher twin summit alongside, at 676 metres.
• The summit hut - the traditional stop for sausage, tea and buckwheat porridge.

When to go

Year round; it is climbed in all weather and floodlit paths make evening ascents possible. Sunday mornings are extremely busy. Winter ice makes the steeper routes tricky and spikes help.

Before you go

On fine weekends the paths are crowded and the hut queue is long. The summit view is over the Ljubljana basin, which is often filled with winter smog. Parking at the trailheads fills early.

Nearby

Ljubljana is south, and Kamnik is northeast.

Key facts