Things to do in Kranj
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Gorenjska Museum
A beautiful plaza, Glavni trg (Main Square) is populated by Gothic and Renaissance buildings; the ones on the western side with their painted facades, vaulted hallways and arched courtyards are masterpieces. The 16th-century one opposite is the former town hall (mestna hiša; Glavni trg 4), which now contains most of the collection of the Gorenjska Museum.
Among the eye-catching bits and bobs lying around is a large porcelain stove topped with a Turk's turbaned head, an embroidered sheepskin coat called a kožuh and a child's toy consisting of a devil sharpening a gossip's tongue on a grindstone. Below the floor of the vaulted vestibule at the entrance to the museum, Slav…
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Parish Church of St Cantianus
The Parish Church of St Cantianus, which was built on to part of an older church starting in about 1400, is the best example of a hall church (ie one with a nave and aisles of equal height) in Slovenia. The Mount of Olives relief in the arch above the main portal dating from 1450 is well worth a look before entering, as is the modern altar (1934) designed by Ivan Vurnik. Below the north side of the church there are more old bones from early Slavic graves and a medieval ossuary.
On the south wall is a lapidarium of tombstones dating from the Middle Ages and nearby the Fountain of St John Nepomuk, with a stone statue of the 14th-century Bohemian martyr complete with a dolef…
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Špital Tower
The gateway to the Old Town, Maistrov trg was the site of the upper town gates in the 15th century. It was the most vulnerable part of Kranj; the steep Kokra Canyon protected the town on the eastern side and thick walls did the trick on the west from Pungert as far as the square. The Špital Tower, one of seven along the wall, now forms part of a butcher shop. The best view of the cone-shaped tower is from Kokrški breg.
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Khislstein Castle
To the north of the Church of the Holy Rosary (at the end of Tomšičeva ulica northwest of Pungert) is a lengthy section of the restored town wall and Khislstein Castle, part of which was built during the Turkish invasions of the 15th century; check out the lovely arcaded courtyard. Today it houses the offices of several cultural institutes, including the Gorenjska Museum.
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Plague Church
Another 300m further south, the Old Town dead-ends behind the Plague Church, built during a time of pestilence in 1470 and dedicated to the three 'intercessors against the plague' - Sts Rok, Fabian and Sebastian. It is now used by Serbian Orthodox Christians. The three-storey defence tower (obrambni stolp) beside the church was built in the 16th century.
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Church of the Holy Rosary
At the end of Tomšičeva ulica northwest of Pungert is the Church of the Holy Rosary, built in the 16th century. It was a Protestant sanctuary during the Reformation. Beside the church are arcades, a fountain and a monumental staircase designed in the late 1950s by Jože Plečnik to give Kranj a dramatic entrance up from the Sava River.
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Prešeren Memorial Museum
The restored Prešeren House now contains the Prešeren Memorial Museum in five rooms, two of them with original furnishings. Unfortunately, most of the explanatory notes next to the poet's letters, diaries and manuscripts are in Slovene only. Prešeren is buried in the parish cemetery, now called Prešeren Grove (Prešernov Gaj), about 500m to the north.
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Kokra River
A very easy destination for a walk follows the left bank of the Kokra River north from the eastern end of Poštna ulica for 8km and then back again. Ask the tourist office for the Kokra River Gorge brochure.
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Café Mañana
This enormous pub next to the Storžič cinema on Slovenski trg is popular with a very young crowd and is about the only place worth mentioning in Kranj. It's a dance club on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Mitnica
This lovely and very welcoming kavarna in the basement of a 16th-century toll house with a huge covered terrace backing on to the river is just the place to relax in Kranj on a warm afternoon.
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Church of St Margaret
The reconstructed Church of St Margaret is atop the Šmarjetna Gora, a 643m hill 3km northwest of the Old Town. The views from here of Kranj, the Alps and the Sava River are astonishing.
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former post office
The unusual Art Deco building with the three statues facing Maistrov trg to the north is the former post office, which dates from the 1930s. It has four Atlases on the south side.
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Moja Afrika
Tastefully decorated with African masks, bamboo, vines and contemporary sculptures, this attractive café-bar, turns into a club with DJ and/or live music at the weekend.
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Concerts
Concerts - both classical and popular - are held in the courtyard of Khislstein Castle in summer and sometimes at the Parish Church of St Cantianus during the year.
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Prešeren Theatre
This provincial theatre is very active, staging four plays and up to 200 performances a year. Note the rather dashing statue of Prěseren out front.
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Šmarjetna Gora
A very easy destination for a walk is Šmarjetna Gora, a 643m hill 3km northwest of the Old Town, where a fort stood during the Hallstatt period.
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Pizzeria Romano
This simple place northeast of the post office and perched precariously above the Kokra River Gorge has pizza, pasta and great grilled dishes.
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fishing licences
The Hotel Kokra sells fishing licences for use in the dozen-odd lakes on the hotel grounds and rents rods. They also offer horse riding.
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Kavarna Cukrarna
This café with a balcony overlooking the dramatic Kokra River Gorge is a great place for a drink and a slice of something sweet.
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Gostilna Kot
Squeezed right into the tick of things of Maistrov trg, this is justly famed for its affordable and quite good daily specialities.
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Gostilna Stari Majer
The stick-to-the-ribs Slovenian dishes at this old-style eatery on Glavni trg will keep you going for longer than you'd think.
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market
The large market northeast of the Church of St Cantianus sells mostly fruit and vegetables.
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Café Mañana
This enormous pub next to the Storžič cinema on Slovenski trg is popular with a very young crowd and is about the only place worth mentioning in Kranj. It's a dance club on Friday and Saturday nights.
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