Kostel, a special corner of Slovenia

Tu pride flash

Kostel is the smallest municipality of the Republic of Slovenia, tucked inside the U turn of the river Kolpa in the south-west of the country, on the border with Croatia.Its size is 57 sq km, it has 54 villages, with 700 permanent mostly aged inhabitants. At the end of the 19th century there were 3000 inhabitants. It is a karst landscape with high rocky mountain ridges, and running waters. It had not supported its inhabitants in the past, so they sought other sources of income elsewhere. Many earned their living as peddlars. The magnificent 13th century castle Kostel is the second largest in Slovenia, playing a vital role during the period of Turkish incursions to Slovenian lands. Today the land is beautiful, full of forests, running waters, caves, narrow river valleys, with walks. There is rafting and fishing on the river Kolpa, and a high quality cheese made of sheep milk is produced in the area.