Lodge under Kremžar Peak

The Lodge under Kremžar Peak (Slovene: Koča pod Kremžarjevim vrhom, locally nicknamed Kremžarica) is a mountain lodge in the Pohorje range of northeastern Slovenia. It sits at an elevation of 1,102 metres on the southwestern side of Kremžar Peak (1,164 m), making it the westernmost mountaineering post in the Pohorje massif. The lodge is owned and operated by the Planinsko društvo Slovenj Gradec (Slovenj Gradec Mountaineering Society), a local chapter of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia, and serves hikers, climbers and day visitors exploring the Mislinja Valley and the surrounding Pohorje highlands. The original lodge was built slightly higher than the present site, on Kernikov vrh, by the Mislinjska podružnica SPD (the Mislinja branch of the Slovenian Mountaineering Society) and opened on 8 December 1934. During the Second World War, on 8 March 1944, it was burned down by fighters of the Zidanšek Brigade to prevent its use by the German occupying forces. After the liberation, the Slovenj Gradec Mountaineering Society built a new lodge and opened it on 4 July 1948. In 1981 and 1982 the lodge was thoroughly renovated and modernised with the help of local work organisations; electricity and running water were installed, and the renovated lodge was inaugurated on 28 November 1982. A telephone line was added in 1989. Today the lodge offers a dining room with 40 seats and a bar counter, five rooms with 18 beds, toilets, a washroom with hot and cold water, central heating, running water, electricity and telephone. It is open from 20 April to 15 October, except on Tuesdays; outside that period it opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The lodge is a popular viewpoint: to the east the wooded Kremžar Peak blocks the view, while to the south and west the Mislinja Valley with Slovenj Gradec spreads below. The southern panorama includes Paški Kozjak, Graška gora, the Posavje Hills, Smrekovec, Golte, Menina planina and the Savinja Alps; to the west are Uršlja gora, Raduha, Peca, Strojna and Svinška planina, with Selovec nearby above the lower Mislinja Valley; to the north the lower Pohorje ridge descends toward the Drava Valley, with Košenjak and Golica beyond. The lodge is accessible by a local and forest road from Slovenj Gradec via Gradišče (8 km), on foot from Slovenj Gradec via the Slovenian Mountaineering Trail (2 h), from Dravograd via the Šisernik Trail (5 h), by local road from Vuzenica to Sv. Primož na Pohorju via Kaštivsko sedlo (3 h), from Vuhred via the European long-distance footpath E6 and the Slovenian Mountaineering Trail (4 h), and from Mislinja past the Grmovšek Lodge under Velika Kopa (5 h 30). Dravograd, Vuzenica and Vuhred are reachable by train, and Mislinja also by bus. Marked hiking trails connect the lodge with the Grmovšek Lodge under Velika Kopa (2 h 30), Poštarski dom under Plešivec (3 h), Velika Kopa (2 h 30), Mala Kopa (2 h) and Kremžar Peak itself (10 min).

The Lodge under Kremžar Peak is one of the oldest mountaineering lodges in the Slovenian Pohorje. Its history begins in the interwar period, when the Mislinjska podružnica SPD (the Mislinja branch of the Slovenian Mountaineering Society, SPD) built the first lodge slightly above the present location, on Kernikov vrh. That original lodge was opened on 8 December 1934. It served hikers and skiers in the western Pohorje until the Second World War. On 8 March 1944, during the German occupation of Slovenia, the lodge was deliberately burned down by fighters of the Zidanšek Brigade. The partisans destroyed it to prevent the German occupying forces from using it as a military facility. The site remained without a lodge until after the liberation. After the war, the Planinsko društvo Slovenj Gradec (PD Slovenj Gradec, the Slovenj Gradec Mountaineering Society) built a new lodge and opened it on 4 July 1948. This post-war lodge forms the basis of the present structure. In 1981 and 1982, with the assistance of local work organisations, the lodge underwent a thorough renovation and modernisation. Electricity and a water supply were installed, and the renovated lodge was officially opened on 28 November 1982. In 1989 a telephone line was connected, further improving communication and safety for guests and staff. Since then the lodge has continued to operate as a mountain hostel and refreshment point. It is maintained by the Slovenj Gradec Mountaineering Society and is part of the network of lodges of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia (Planinska zveza Slovenije). The lodge is open seasonally, from 20 April to 15 October, except on Tuesdays; outside this period it opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. It offers 40 seats in the dining room, a bar counter, five rooms with 18 beds, toilets, a washroom with hot and cold water, central heating, running water, electricity and telephone. The lodge is a popular starting point for hikes to Kremžar Peak (10 minutes), Velika Kopa (2 h 30), Mala Kopa (2 h), the Grmovšek Lodge under Velika Kopa (2 h 30) and Poštarski dom under Plešivec (3 h). It is also a well-known viewpoint over the Mislinja Valley and the surrounding ranges.

• 1989

  Telephone line installed.

• 1982

  Renovation completed; electricity and water supply installed; renovated lodge opened on 28 November 1982.

• 1981

  Start of a thorough renovation and modernisation of the lodge.

• 1948

  New lodge built by PD Slovenj Gradec and opened on 4 July 1948.

• 1944

  Lodge burned down by fighters of the Zidanšek Brigade on 8 March 1944 to prevent its use by the German occupier.

• 1934

  First lodge built by the Mislinjska podružnica SPD on Kernikov vrh and opened on 8 December 1934.

A historic, family-friendly mountaineering lodge and viewpoint in the western Pohorje, offering simple accommodation and traditional hospitality to hikers and tourists.

• Mountain lodge accommodation

  Five rooms with 18 beds, central heating, running water, electricity and telephone.

• Food and beverage service

  Dining room with 40 seats and a bar counter.

• Hiking trail access

  Marked trails to Kremžar Peak, Velika Kopa, Mala Kopa, Grmovšek Lodge and Poštarski dom.

1. 1Koča pod Kremžarjevim vrhom | Planinsko društvo Slovenj Gradecpdsg.si
2. 2Lodge under Kremžar Peak - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Koča pod Kremžarjevim vrhom - Wikipedia (Polish)pl.wikipedia.org