The town of Grosupljelies in a small basin to the south-east of Ljubljana. As one travels from Ljubljana to Grosuplje, Ljubljana Marshes blend into the characteristic hilly landscape of the Dolenjska.
Grosuplje's surrounding area is well known for its rich cultural heritage and natural beauties. The most interesting places to see include the Magdalenska gora archaeological site, a fortified church on the Tabor hill above the village of Cerovo, the Županova jama cave and a karst polje known as Radensko polje.
The area of Grosuplje has been settled since around 500 BC. Its earliest known mention dates back to 1136. Today, Grosuplje is a centre of crafts and industry whose rapid development is mainly due to its good transport connections and nearness to Ljubljana.
- Tourist Information Center Grosuplje, Adamičeva cesta 15, 1290 Grosuplje, +386 1 786 25 74. April – October; Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2pm-6pm.
Tourist Information Center Grosuplje, Adamičeva cesta 15, 1290 Grosuplje, +386 1 786 25 74. April – October; Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2pm-6pm.
In the surrounding area of the village of Cerovo, on the Tabor hill near the famous Županova jama cave, stands a medieval church of St. Nicholas, built in the 15th century and later slightly modified. In the first half of the 16th century it was frescoed by several Croatian painters. In the same century, it was fortified to provide a place of refuge and defence for farmers from nearby villages during Turkish attacks. Being one of the few fortifications of the kind in Slovenia, it is one of the country's most important historical monuments of the period.
Its exceedingly well preserved prehistoric settlement with man-made terraces and defensive rampart, its great number of family mounds, its lively history of archaeological research and rich archaeological finds put Magdalene mountain among the best known archaeological sites in Slovenia. Most of the finds date between the 8th century B.C. and 1st century B.C. and some finds are from Roman and Medieval times. They are kept in museums in Ljubljana, Vienna and Harvard. On the top of the hill, on the site of the acropolis of the ancient settlement, stands the church of St Magdalene, built in rustic gothic style. The church, first mentioned in writing in 1366 is dedicated to St Magdalene, a very vivacious woman, who became a saint when she met Jesus. The walkway will guide you across the protected grounds of cultural heritage. The archaeological walkway–learning path enables you to see the remains of the Iron Age settlement and provides insight into the life of its ancient inhabitants.
Radensko field (Slovenian: Radensko polje) is a typical intermittent or seasonal Karst Polje (a field which due to underground streams becomes a lake in certain seasons). It is a truly beautiful area, ecologically diverse and biogenetically accordant, providing a great natural environment for many rare and protected species of plants and animals. Because of its typical Karst features (underground streams, sink holes and gorges) it reminds one strongly of the famous intermittent Cerknica Lake. In the middle of the Radensko field is a 68 metres tall hummock Kopanj, the most beautiful example of a Karst hum (a small hill typical of Karst regions) in Slovenia. Radensko Polje is 4km long and 1 km wide. It is surrounded by steep woody slopes reaching as high as 300 metres. It is located south of Grosuplje by the main road leading from Grosuplje to Račna and Videm Dobrepolje.
Mayor's cave (Slovenian: Županova jama), the most beautiful underground cave in the Dolenjska region, is located near the village of Cerovo, just off the Grosuplje-Turjak side road and only 700 metres away from another attraction of the area, a fortified historical church known as Tabor. The Županova jama cave complex was discovered in 1926 by the then mayor of Šentjur, Josip Perme. Before his discovery, the locals were only familiar with one of the cave's chambers, which they used as an ice pit. The 330-metre long cave complex extends to a depth of 122 metres. It can be accessed via 478 stairs and a 600-metre long pathway. Besides six chambers, it contains all the curiosities of karst caves, including abysses, tunnels, all kinds of dripstones, shallow calcerous sinter pools, and ice dripstones in winter.
Cave tours for groups of more than five people guided in Slovenian and English are available all year round by prior appointment. To arrange a time, please call +386 (0)1 786 13 23 or +386 (0)41 407 705. The tour takes about an hour.
The inhabitants of Šmarje defended themselves from the Turks by building strong defensive walls around the church of Mary's birth. The original wall had four towers, of which only one remains standing and is now beautifully renovated – The Turenček or Little Tower in English. The two-storey tower has a rich history – it was home to the first school as early as 1504 and in more recent times it hosted a library on the first floor and a small hall for theatre productions on the second. The inhabitants of Šmarje defended themselves from the Turks by building strong defensive walls around the church of Mary's birth. The original wall had four towers, of which only one remains standing and is now beautifully renovated – The Turenček or Little Tower in English. The two-storey tower has a rich history – it was home to the first school as early as 1504 and in more recent times it hosted a library on the first floor and a small hall for theatre productions on the second.
Grosuplje's the closest main shopping area is Rudnik Shopping District (take bus 3G infront of the Kongo Hotel & Casino, go down station Spodnji Rudnik). The former Rudnik industrial estate, located on the south-eastern edge of Ljubljana, has grown into a vast and still expanding shopping area. Several shopping halls offer mainly furniture, white goods and other household furnishings, cosmetics and food.
- Shopping centre Rudnik, Jurčkova cesta 1000 Ljubljana. Mondays to Fridays 8:30:00-21:00, Saturdays 8:00-21:00, Sundays 9:00-15:00.
Shopping centre Rudnik, Jurčkova cesta 1000 Ljubljana. Mondays to Fridays 8:30:00-21:00, Saturdays 8:00-21:00, Sundays 9:00-15:00.