U posjetiteljskom centru Budinjak, 7. i 8. rujna 2019. održat će se petnaesta po redu manifestacija "Tisućljeća kulinarstva". Pozivamo Vas da nam se pridružite u Arheološkom parku u Budinjaku i otisnete se s nama na putovanje kroz vrijeme - saznajte kakvog su okusa i mirisa bili pretpovijest, rimsko doba, srednji te novi vijek. Otkrijte što su to liquamen, verjuice i miloduh, umotajte s nama svoju pastrvu u glinu, zakuhajte vodu vrućim kamenjem, te otkrijte kako su datulje i papar zapravo izvrsna kombinacija!

Program je jednodnevan i započinje u 10:00 sati stručnim vodstvom po poučnoj stazi "Staza kneževa", pri čemu posjetitelji sami beru samoniklo bilje koje će kasnije koristiti u pripremi hrane. Po povratku u Eko - centar posjetitelji se raspoređuju u četiri radionice: pretpovijesna, rimska, srednjovjekovna te tradicionalna kuhinja. Uz pomoć voditelja radionica priprema se hrana po receptima iz naših kuharica. Radionice završavaju oko 18:00 sati. Cijena po osobi iznosi 40 HRK.

Ukoliko smo Vas uspjeli zainteresirati, rezervirajte svoje mjesto na:
e-mail: marko.trupkovic@pp-zumberak-samoborsko-gorje.hr
telefon: +385 (0)1 3327 659 ili +385 (0)99 862 1363

Manifestacija je sufinancirana sredstvima iz projekta “Uživam tradicijo” u sklopu programa suradnje Interreg V –A Slovenija – Hrvatska.
S veseljem Vas očekujemo na Budinjaku!

The ECO KARST project goal is to contribute to the protection, conservation and sustainable use of karst ecosystems in the Danube and Dinaric region by raising awareness about ecosystem services and increasing the number of committed local Pro Biodiversity Business (PBB) entrepreneurs. The project involves seven protected karst areas in seven different countries with common features and similar challenges. One of the challenges is development of PBB models and increasing the number of PBB entrepreneurs within pilot areas. Nonetheless, in each of the seven countries, though small in number, there are already entrepreneurs who are willing to turn their work towards the protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage.

The ECO KARST short movie tells the story about such good examples, the story about people from Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, and Romania, who found the way to live sustainably with nature.

The ECO KARST movie is available at ECO KARST You Tube channel: https://youtu.be/9Br_5MPz81s

Više od 70 posjetitelja uveličalo je  4. listopada 2018. svečanost u „Kući Europe“ kojom Javna ustanova „Park prirode Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje“ najavljuje početak projekta vrijednog više od 27 milijuna kuna, koji sufinancira Europska unija iz Europskog fonda za regionalni razvoj, u okviru Operativnog programa "Konkurentnost i kohezija".

Projekt predstavlja ulaganje u Park prirode „Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje“ s ciljem izgradnje novog centra za posjetitelje kojim bi se unaprijedio sustav posjećivanja i edukacije, sa svrhom održivog korištenja prirodne baštine. Ulaganjem se nastoji povećati privlačnost i raznolikost ponude Parka razvojem infrastrukture i programa, podići razinu znanja posjetitelja o Parku kroz unaprjeđenje edukativne komponente te stvaranje potencijala za razvoj turističke ponude lokalnog stanovništva.

Osim ravnatelja Parka prirode, g. Kristijana Brkića, koji je predstavio projekt, nazočnima su se obratili i g. Dragutin Stopić, pročelnik Upravnog odjela za prostorno uređenje, gradnju i zaštitu okoliša Zagrebačke županije, g. Igor Kreitmeyer, pomoćnik ministra za zaštitu prirode te predstavnici projektnih partnera: gđa. Zorica Ličko, predsjednica udruge „Žumberačke vile Sošice“ i g. Zdenko Šiljak, načelnik općine Žumberak.

Svečanost su uljepšale članice KUD-a Marko Vukasović izvedbom tradicionalnih žumberačkih pjesama.

Trout is roasted in corn flour. Lamb is prepared on a spit, of course. Nettle is that horrible burning plant – who would eat it?

Allow us to convince you that all these groceries can be used in unusual but equally delicious ways! Recipes for the preparation of food cover the period from prehistoric all the way to modern age…

When and where are we cooking?

Actually, you will do the cooking with the help from our workshop organizers on 8^th and 9^th of September 2018 in our visitor center Budinjak. Our one-day workshops start at 10:00 AM and end around 06:00 PM with an entry fee of 40 HRK per person.

Before you start preparing food, you will learn something about the lives of people who cooked here long before us by following our educational trail “The trail of Princes”. You will also learn how to recognize and pick a number of wild edible plants. Yes, including nettle – we will need it for our delicious dumplings.

You must be wondering by now how do prehistoric, roman, medieval and traditional Žumberak dishes taste like? All you need to do is book your place and come with us on this tasty time travel!
Reservations:

e-mail: dubravka.kranjcevic@pp-zumberak-samoborsko-gorje.hr

phone: +385 (0)1 3327 677 ili +385 (0)99 426 4731

The event is co-financed through "I enjoy the tradition" project under the Interreg V-A Slovenia-Croatia cooperation programme, and this year our Culinary Millennia has been given the right to use the European Year of Cultural Heritage stamp.

 We are waiting for you in Budinjak!

I ove se godine u nedjelju 28. siječnja, u organizaciji više različitih planinarskih društava, održava Zimski hodočasnički uspon na Svetu Geru. Nakon uspona, kojem je start u Sošicama, u kapeli sv. Ilije na Svetoj Geri služit će se u 12h misa. Molitveni je pohod prvi puta organiziran 1994. godine, nakon poziva pape Ivana Pavla II da se u nedjelju 23. siječnja 1994. u cijelom svijetu slave svete mise za mir u Hrvatskoj i Bosni i Hercegovini.

Glavni cilj projekta je uspostavljanje kulinarske transverzale od Panonije do Jadrana koja će posjetiteljima ponuditi jedinstveni doživljaj autohtone tradicije i kulinarstva u obliku privlačnih turističkih programa. Na temelju dugoročno održivog sudjelovanja lokalnih ponuđača turistički će se programi provoditi na jedinstvenim područjima baštine Slovenije i Hrvatske: klijet na Trškoj gori, Botanički vrt i Muzej grada Ljubljane, Trubarjeva domačija u Rašici, Lončarsko selo Filovci - muzej na otvorenom, Park prirode Žumberak–Samoborsko gorje, jezgrama naselja Prezid i Vrsar i u muzejima Krapine.

Pod budnim okom domaćice Snježane Klanfar, uzvanici su se mogli okušati u modernoj izvedbi različitih tradicionalnih jela, koja su kasnije i degustirali. Pripremali su se namazi od graha i čvaraka, pastrve, kobasice i krvavice, kisela repa sa suhim mesom, žganci s različitim prilozima i salatama, žumberačka pogača i dr. Uz obaveznu žumberačku grebljicu, ocvirnicu i rogačnicu, uzvanici su zajedno sa domaćinima i djelatnicima Parka raspravljali o aktivnijoj suradnji i turističkim potencijalima ovoga kraja.

Trening o identifikaciji usluga ekosustava, njihovom kartiranju te identifikaciji i analizi dionika u krškim područjima, na kojem je sudjelovalo 35 sudionika iz cijele dunavske regije (Njemačka, Austrija, Slovenija, Mađarska, Rumunjska, BiH, Srbija, Crna Gora i Hrvatska) bit će temelj za razvijanje zajedničke strategije i izradu planova upravljanja koji će u konačnici poslužiti za razvoj tzv. "zelenog" poduzetništva. Odgovoriti na pitanje kako se kao korisnici prostora možemo međusobno povezati i iskoristiti sve materijalne, ali i one neopipljive dobrobiti koje nam priroda daje, za razvoj poslova od kojih se može (pre)živjeti, a pritom misliti i na njeno očuvanje, izazov je koji je tek pred nama.

U istom je roku iz sredstava Europskog Fonda za regionalni razvoj (EFRR) odobreno sveukupno dvanaest projekata u ukupnoj vrijednosti od 11,5 milijuna eura europskoga sufinanciranja, i to jedanaest s područja očuvanja i održivog korištenja prirodnih i kulturnih resursa, te jedan s područja zdravog, sigurnog i pristupačnog pograničnog područja.

Vodeći partner projekta je Biotehniški izobraževalni center Ljubljana, a osim Javne ustanove Park prirode Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje partneri na projektu su slovenski PARNAS - Zavod za kulturo in turizem (Velike Lašće), Grm Novo mesto - center biotehnike in turizma, Naj Tura d.o.o. (Mengeš), te hrvatski partneri: Turistička zajednica općine Vrsar, Udruga za zdrav život i zdravu prirodu "Trbuhovica" (Prezid) i Zagorska razvojna agencija. U projektu će kao pridruženi partneri također sudjelovati i Muzej in galerije mesta Ljubljana, Turizem Ljubljana, Zavod lončarska vas Filovci, Samoborski muzej te Ekonomska, trgovačka i ugostiteljska škola Samobor.

Glavni cilj projekta je uspostavljanje kulinarske transverzale od Panonije do Jadrana koja će posjetiteljima ponuditi jedinstveni doživljaj autohtone tradicije i kulinarskih doživljaja u obliku privlačnih programa koji će se na temelju dugoročno održivog sudjelovanja lokalnih ponuđača provoditi na jedinstvenim područjima baštine.

Za vrijeme trajanja projekta naša Ustanova će provoditi brojne aktivnosti. Tako ćemo npr. u suradnji sa svim projektnim partnerima pripremiti zajedničku strategiju uspostavljanja prekogranične kulinarske transverzale. Rezultat provedbe strategije biti će zajednički turistički proizvod i brend UŽIVAM TRADICIJU. Dio brenda će postati i tradicionalna manifestacija „Tisućljeća kulinarstva“ koju će Javna ustanova tijekom 2017., 2018. i 2019. godine predstaviti kao inovativni kulinarski događaj. Tijekom iste tri godine održat ćemo i ljetne kulinarske kampove, za potrebe provedbe kojih će se obnoviti smještajni kapaciteti Eko-centra Budinjak. Uspostavit ćemo i baštinsku zajednicu – zajednicu pojedinaca i /ili institucija koje će se tijekom trajanja projekta, ali i nakon njegova završetka, baviti očuvanjem odabrane kulinarske baštine s područja Parka prirode.

Kroz navedene i brojne druge aktivnosti, cilj projekta je dionike koji djeluju na određenom području povezati u zajednice koje će znanja o baštini i tradiciji prenositi na mlađe naraštaje i posjetitelje, podići razinu znanja o baštini i time educirati o mogućnostima korištenja iste za stvaranje privlačnih radnih mjesta na lokalnom području, kao i ponuditi nove programe i sadržaje te na taj način povećati broj posjetitelja na projektnim područjima.

Sedam krških područja u sedam različitih zemalja dijeli slične probleme, a nedostatak adekvatnih znanja ograničavajući je faktor za ublažavanje degradacije ekosustava i održivi razvoj u dunavskom porječju. Vodeći partner projekta je Zavod za gozdove Slovenije, a ostali projektni partneri su institucije i parkovi iz Njemačke, Austrije, Mađarske, Slovenije, Crne Gore, Bosne i Hercegovine, Srbije i Rumunjske.

Rezultat projekta bit će poboljšano upravljanje i održivi razvoj krških bio – regija, kroz podizanje svijesti o uslugama ekosustava i povećan broj poduzetnika u poslovima koji poboljšavaju stanje bioraznolikosti. Smjernice za uvođenje usluga ekosustava u takve poslove poslužit će kao alat u čitavoj dunavskoj i dinarskoj regiji.

Jedna od projektnih aktivnosti je razmjena iskustava i dobre prakse među partnerskim područjima, i s tom svrhom organiziran je posjet austrijskom pilot području, Nacionalnom parku Kalkalpen od 24. do 27. rujna 2017., kojem su se uz djelatnike Javne ustanove pridružili i neki od lokalnih dionika.

Bila je to ujedno i prilika da se projektni partneri iz različitih područja sretnu i  nauče ponešto o upravljanju i prirodnim vrijednostima NP Kalkalpen.

U ponedjeljak je bio organiziran posjet južnom dijelu Nacionalnog parka i regiji Phyrn Priel, gdje se nalazi njihov posjetiteljski centar, panoramski toranj Wurbauerkogel, tematska staza Hengstpass i planinski pašnjak Puglalm. Sudionicima posjeta dobrodošlicu je zaželio ravnatelj NP Kalkalpen, dr. Erich Mayrhofer, osvrnuvši se na 20. obljetnicu od osnivanja Parka i izazove s kojima se susreću u upravljanju, kako bi održali Park u sadašnjem stanju.

U utorak su se primjeri dobre prakse mogli vidjeti na obiteljskom gospodarstvu Höllhuber, koje se bavi preradom lokalno uzgojenog voća u sokove i “cydere”, te u pilani Aigner. Oba proizvođača s ponosom koriste logotip Nacionalnog parka Kalkalpen. Najuzbudljiviji dio dana bio je ipak posjet dolini Bodinggraben, gdje je jedna grupa sudjelovala u vođenoj turi kroz divljinu u potrazi za jelenima (odnosno, njihovim glasanjem), dok su drugi posjetili dvorac grofa Lamberga, jednu od najistaknutijih kulturno – povijesnih destinacija ove regije.

Studijsko putovanje završilo je prezentacijom primjera dobre prakse lokalnih proizvođača.

Sljedeća projektna aktivnost održat će se sredinom studenoga upravo u Samoboru, gdje će se projektni partneri ponovo susresti na trodnevnoj edukaciji o identifikaciji, kartiranju i analizi tipova i usluga ekosustava te korisnika prostora.

Manifestacija je ove, kao i sljedeće dvije godine, sufinancirana kroz projekt „Uživam tradicijo“ kojeg sufinancira Europski fond za regionalni razvoj kroz Program suradnje Interreg V-A Slovenija-Hrvatska.

Financijski su nam pomogli i Ministarstvo kulture, te Zagrebačka županija. I ovim putem im se zahvaljujemo što već čitav niz godina prepoznaju vrijednost ove manifestacije i financijski nas podupiru.

Ponajviše hvala svim našim posjetiteljima, a za sve one koji su ove godine propustili kuhati s nama – sve ponavljamo u rujnu 2018.

Program je jednodnevan i započinje u 10:00 sati stručnim vodstvom po poučnoj stazi "Staza kneževa", pri čemu posjetitelji sami beru i samoniklo bilje koje će kasnije koristiti u pripremi hrane. Po povratku u Eko - centar posjetitelji se raspoređuju u četiri radionice: pretpovijesna, rimska, srednjovjekovna te tradicionalna kuhinja. Uz pomoć voditelja radionica priprema se hrana po receptima iz naših kuharica. Kuha se u samo jednoj radionici, ali hranu je moguće degustirati iz svih razdoblja.  Radionice završavaju oko 18:00 sati.

Ukoliko smo Vas uspjeli zainteresirati, rezervirajte svoje mjesto na:

dubravka.kranjcevic@park-zumberak.hr

telefon: +385 (0)1 3327 677 ili +385 (0)99 426 4731

Manifestacija je sufinancirana sredstvima iz projekta “Uživam tradicijo” u sklopu programa suradnje Interreg Slovenija - Hrvatska.

S veseljem Vas očekujemo na Budinjaku!

Ovogodišnju manifestaciju pokazne ručne košnje biološki visokovrijednih livada košanica na području Parka prirode „Košnja kao nekad za sutra“ održali smo na hrvatsko – slovenskoj granici, na zajednički Dan državnosti  25. lipnja, u suradnji s kolegama iz Zavoda Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave, pod sloganom “Od travnjaka do travnika”.
Područje Žumberka i Gorjanaca (naziv za slovenski dio Žumberačke gore) bilježi izrazitu dinamiku zaraštanja travnjaka. Posljedica je to složenih društvenih (depopulacija), gospodarskih (napuštanje tradicionalne poljoprivrede i stočarstva) i političkih promjena koje su prisutne od početka prošlog stoljeća. Suhi brdski travnjaci značajan su element tradicionalnog mozaičnog krajobraza ovog područja te ujedno i staništa najveće biorazolikosti. Prepoznajući vrijednost i važnost ovog poluprirodnog staništa, Zavod Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave (ZRSVN) i Društvo Gorjanske košenice sudjeluju kao partneri u projektu LIFE TO GRASSLANDS (LIFE Conservation and managment of dry grasslands in Eastern Slovenia), a naša ustanova četvrtu godinu zaredom održava demonstraciju tradicionalne košnje livada.
Nakon okupljanja četrdesetak sudionika na Svetoj Geri započela je pješačka tura dugačka oko 7.5 km. Pješačilo se najprije do Krča, gdje su dvanaestorica vrijednih kosaca iz Sošica, Novog Sela Žumberačkog, Osunje, Prisjeke, Cerovice, Bratelja, Pokleka i Stojdrage rano ujutro započela s košnjom te su posjetitelji mogli iz prve ruke vidjeti već pomalo zaboravljenu tradiciju ovoga kraja, kao i pokazno klepanje kosa, ali i čuti od lokalnih stanovnika kako se to nekada radilo. Posjetitelji su nakon toga nastavili pješačiti do Miklavža, gdje su ih domaćini Društvo Gorjanske košenice počastili ručkom.
Zahvaljujemo vrijednim koscima na trudu i volji da očuvaju ovu tradiciju, a također i suorganizatorima, svim posjetiteljima te hrvatskoj i slovenskoj graničnoj policiji. Uvjereni smo u nastavak ovakve prekogranične suradnje -  granica nas ne razdvaja, nego spaja u nastojanjima da očuvamo tradiciju i krajobraz.

Tura kreće iz Eko-centra Budinjak, dalje nastavlja kroz Mrlzo Polje, Gornju Vasu, prolazi uz kapelu Svete Petke i završava opet u eko-centru. Trajanje vodstva je otprilike 1,5 sat.

Zbog ograničenog broja e-bicikala, potrebno je rezervirati svoje mjesto telefonski na 01 3327 677, 099 426 4731 ili e-mailom na dubravka.kranjcevic@park-zumberak.hr.

Predstavljanje i besplatno vodstvo po poučnoj stazi "Okićnica".

Radi predstavljanja novootvorene poučne staze "Okićnica", u subotu 27. svibnja 2017. održat će se besplatna stručna vodstva u 10:00 i 13:00 sati. Polazak je ispred Planinarskog doma Maks Plotnikov, a kontakt osoba je Kristijan Brkić na kristijan.brkic@park-zumberak.hr, 01 3327 679 ili 098 968 7250.

Poučna staza "Okićnica" duga je 2,5km. Radi se o planinarski nezahtjevnoj stazi koja kroz 10 poučnih tabli donosi priču o tome što je privlačilo ljude da od pamtivijeka pohode vrletni Okić, u čemu je njegova strateška važnost i kako su ga ljudi kroz povijest doživljavali, vrednovali i koristili.

Predstavljanje staze za široku javnost održat će se u sklopu Tjedna parkova u subotu, 27. svibnja 2017. godine, kroz besplatna stručna vodstva u 10:00 i 13:00 sati.

NOVELTIES IN 2017

You can rent e-bicycles at the Eco Center, at the price of 50 HRK per day. As of this year, we also offer guided cycling tours – prior notice and booking in advance are required, at +385 (0)1 3327 677, +385 (0)99 426 4731 or e-mail dubravka.kranjcevic@park-zumberak.hr.

In addition, every first weekend of the month, our Nature Park Director Kristijan Brkić will be the person on duty at our Eco Center. Feel free to drop by and have a one-on-one chat with the Park Director, if you wish to ask questions, provide proposals or share criticisms.

Budinjak Eco Center is equipped with a souvenir shop, roofed terrace and toilet facilities, as well as bus and car parking facilities. You can also enjoy benches for resting, placed in our orchard. Budinjak is the starting point for tours of the educational Trail of Princes, and the church of St. Petka, with its unique "four-leaved" ground plan, is also located nearby.

Exceptionally, the Center may be closed on account of bad weather conditions. In case of adverse weather forecast, we urge you to contact us prior to your arrival, at +385 (0)99 426 4731 or +385 (0)98 912 3011, in order to check whether the Center is open. 

On the occasion of the Earth Day, we also decided to clean up the section of the road we use in our daily commute to work. As a result, one team of our staff members, with the help of hardworking volunteers, cleaned litter along the road and along the creek bed in the area between Slani Dol and Gornji Kraj near the town of Samobor. 

At Slani Dol, we met with the members of the mountaineering society HPD Japetić, who were simultaneously cleaning and clearing the hiking trail leading from Slani Dol to the site of Rajska jezera.

On the first day of spring, at the Children and Youth Library Department, pupils of the 4th grade of Bogumil Toni Elementary School in Samobor listened to a lecture on local names and use of wild plants, with a particular emphasis on poisonous plants that attract us in nature with their colorful flowers. Two days later, on World Water Day, the pupils of Samobor Elementary School were reminded of the importance of water in conservation of biodiversity, as they listened to the presentation The Living World of Ponds.

We look forward to future opportunities to share knowledge in the Library, and to hang out with young nature enthusiasts!

Limited capacity to deal with the impacts of ecosystem degradation is exacerbated by the lack of adequate knowledge and action on the tangible and intangible benefits of ecosystem services (ES). Thus, the main objective is to contribute to the protection and sustainable development of karst bio-regions in the Danube basin based on their valued ES. Besides Slovenian Forest Service, as leading partner, and Nature Park Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje as a pilot area and the only Croatian partner, other protected areas and institutions (from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania) are involved.

ECO KARST project builds on the opportunity to use the natural heritage of 7 protected areas as an economic development factor, based on a sustainable management, which is aware of the vulnerability of karst ecosystems, the importance of their ES and real pro-biodiversity business (PBB) opportunities. ECO KARST will involve various public and private actors who will, through capacity building, networking and know-how transfer, perform local participatory ES valorisations and jointly develop 7 local action plans and 1 common strategy that will upgrade nature conservation and facilitate starting PBB in the Danube region.

Result will be improved management and sustainable development of karst bio-regions driven by raised awareness about ES and increased number of committed PBB entrepreneurs. ECO KARST will introduce PBB as realistic, promising new business model for entrepreneurs in the pilot areas (best PBB ideas will be widely promoted). PP, key stakeholders and target groups will establish/increase their cooperation and form new local and transnational networks for experience sharing and promotion. Resulting guidance on how to introduce ES and PBB will serve as a toolkit for the entire Danube and Dinaric region.

Žumberak – Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park Public Institution has successfully completed all the activities foreseen within the Green Line program. This year, the Park procured one electric vehicle and ten e-bicycles, and it also opened two charging stations for electric vehicles.

Starting this autumn, e-bicycles are available to visitors for daily rental. The price list is available on the Parks of Croatia website of the Žumberak – Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park (by clicking on the Service Information link), and also on the dedicated Nature Park website; for any additional information, please contact the Public Institution. Electric vehicle charging stations are located at the eco centers Slani Dol and Budinjak. Drivers will need the PlugSurfing smartphone app or RFID card to charge their vehicles. Charging stations are open 24/7, and the charging is free.

Having realized that the renowned author Miroslav Krleža, working on his famous poems No Justice Even Among Flowers and Lovely Fragrance of Gumbelijum Rose, took over all the local names of plants in Kajkavian dialect from Milan Lang's work Samobor – Traditional Life and Customs,  the writer Milan Žegarac Peharnik decided to link these and many other facts into his "story of the flowers" entitled Lovely Flowers of Samobor. His book is suitable for readers of all generations, and it includes photographs of all the relevant local plants, as well as their scientific names. The publication of the book was financially supported by the Samobor City Library and the Green Ring Public Institution of Zagrebačka County.

Bicycles are intended for adults. We also offer helmets in several sizes, one child seat and a child helmet.

Important note! The available bicycles are hybrids, i.e. they do not have an independent drive. Therefore, the cyclist has to pedal, but the battery makes it much easier to cover the desired distance. The battery provides several power levels, so cyclists can combine it with ten available classical pedal gears, as they balance the strength of their own muscles with battery power itself.

In order to rent a bicycle, you need to provide your ID card, so that our staff could fill out the required rental contract. The staff will also explain all the details concerning the bicycles, and recommend interesting routes to you.

In line with EU targets aimed at decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions and combating air pollution, it is essential to work on ensuring cleaner means of transportation. This is precisely why the Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund have initiated the Green Line project, which stimulates the procurement of electric vehicles, vessels and other means of transportation in 8 national parks and 11 nature parks in the Republic of Croatia. Public institutions in charge of these parks thus got the opportunity to become important promoters of green trends, and to strengthen the protection of areas that they manage through vehicle procurement as well. As part of the Green Line initiative, our Public Institution purchased ten electric bicycles. We hope that you will visit us and try these e-bicycles, as you enjoy cycling through the wonderful area of Žumberak.

See you at Budinjak!

Where:  Budinjak Eco Center
When: 17 and 18 September 2016
Program duration: full day
Price: 40.00 HRK per person

We invite you to join us in the Budinjak Archaeological Park, as we embark upon our twelfth culinary time travel. Discover the scents and tastes of the prehistoric period and the Roman, medieval and early modern times, as you find out about liquamen, verjuice and hyssop, or as you prepare your trout in clay together with us. We will also boil water using hot stones, and discover how dates and pepper represent a truly wonderful combination!

The one-day program will begin with a guided tour of the Trail of Princes, where visitors will also have the opportunity to pick wild plants that they will later use in food preparation. Upon return to the Eco Center, visitors will be divided into four groups, dedicated to prehistoric, Roman, medieval and traditional cuisine. With the help of workshop leaders, we will prepare food based on ancient recipes. Cooking will take place in only one workshop, but participants will have the opportunity to taste food from all periods of historys. 

For more information, please visit the BBK Krpelj Facebook site (https://www.facebook.com/bbk.krpelj.samobor/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf). Participants can register at: https://goo.gl/forms/tmJQ5BaVAjqd3fqq2. Žumberak – Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park is one of the partners supporting the event. See you at Slani Dol!

The areas of Žumberak and Samoborsko gorje became officially protected natural values on 28 May 1999, following a decision by the Croatian Parliament, and our Public Institution was established on 16 September that same year pursuant to the Regulation of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. This year, we are celebrating our seventeenth birthday, and we have prepared a number of events in the Budinjak Eco Center on the occasion.

Among other things, we will present the newly procured electric bicycles for visitors. In line with EU objectives aimed at decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the problem of air pollution, it is also necessary to focus on cleaner modes of transport. That is why the Ministry of Environmental and Nature Protection and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund have initiated the Green Line program, aimed at support to procurement of electric vehicles, vessels and other means of transport in 8 national parks and 11 nature parks in the Republic of Croatia. Croatian nature parks and national parks have thus been given the opportunity to be at the leading edge of green trends, strengthening the protection of areas they are managing with their own green vehicle fleets as well. Our Nature Park has joined the Green Line program too, by procuring ten electric bicycles that visitors will have the opportunity to try out on this occasion.

It is our great pleasure to invite you to join us at the Budinjak Eco Center on Saturday, 28 May 2016. Since we are dedicating this year's anniversary to cycling, we particularly wish to extend our invitation to all cyclists who want to join us on their bicycles in show of support to our efforts.

Event program:

11:00 – 11:30     Gathering of participants at the Budinjak Eco Center

11:30 – 12:00     Introductory remarks of the hosts on the occasion of the Day of the Park, with a screening of a 30-minute documentary on Žumberak – Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park

12:30      Start of the promotion of electrical bicycles

12:30 and 14:30    Free guided tour along the Trail of Knights

12:30       Workshop for children (Treasure Hunt)

We look forward to your arrival!

In extraordinary circumstances, the Center may close in case of bad weather. In case of adverse weather forecast, we recommend that you contact us prior to arrival at +385 (0)1 3327 659 or +385 (0)98 912 3011, in order to check whether the Center is open.

Budinjak Eco Center includes a souvenir shop, roofed terrace, toilet facilities and a parking lot for cars and buses. Visitors can also take some rest and enjoy the surroundings on benches placed in our orchard. The Center is the starting point of the Trail of Dukes with a number of interesting sites in the vicinity, including the church of St. Petka with its unique "four-leaved" ground plan.

The workshop included pupils of the fifth grade of the Milan Lang Elementary School from Bregana participating in the educational group "Medicinal and kitchen herbs". The workshop is adapted to elementary school pupils, with children learning about various phases of plant growth, preparation of a kitchen garden, sowing and planting, as well as about the importance of growing own food.

Our friends from the Milan Lang Elementary School liked the workshop a lot, so we can only invite you to join us in becoming gardeners without borders!

Zagreb Speleological Union is the leading organization in the initiative "Clean Subterranean World" (http://www.cistopodzemlje.info/), its key aim being to prevent waste disposal in subterranean karst sites, and to clean already polluted speleological sites. Illegal waste disposal sites in karst areas pose a direct threat to potable groundwater supplies. The problem is particularly intense if waste is thrown into speleological sites, since polluted water almost momentarily seeps into water sources located at lower elevations, without undergoing any purification in between. These forms of pollution typically remain unnoticed by the public, with speleologists as the only persons who come in direct contact with these issues, and who simultaneously possess the knowledge and equipment required to mitigate this problem.

In the area of Žumberak – Samoborsko Gorje Nature Park, there are as many as twenty four speleological sites polluted due to disposal of municipal waste. The pit of Pavlovica is one of these sites, polluted with over ten cubic meters of bulky and small waste. In addition to members of the Zagreb Speleological Union, Public Fire Brigade Zagreb and Samobor Station of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) also participated in the campaign. Company Azelija eko from Ozalj was engaged for waste transport and disposal, as well as company Čistoća d.o.o. from Karlovac. Thirteen speleologists and eight firefighters participated in the effort, with 7 to 8 cubic meters of bulky waste removed from the pit, i.e. approximately 70% of the waste volume thrown in it. Damir Janton, coordinator of the campaign, said that one more campaign is planned for the spring of 2016, in order to fully clean the pit of Pavlovica. Results of the campaign will be published on the web. For more information about the Zagreb Speleological Union, please visit http://zagrebacki-speleoloski-savez.hr/.

In addition to biography and other information about Tadija Smičiklas, the book also includes excerpts of letters written by this renowned Croatian historian and politician, together with information about the marking of the anniversary of his birth and death. Website of the Uskok – Sošice association has published a report on the official presentation of the book in Jastrebarsko (http://uskok-sosice.hr/predstavljena-knjiga-tadija-smiciklas-i-njegov-zumberak/). The book can be purchased in the Greek Catholic Parish Office in Stojdraga, Greek Catholic Seminary in Zagreb, and buffet Radić-Ilas in Sošice. The price of the book is 60.00 HRK.