Šentrupert’s cultural heritage includes Romanesque traces, Gothic architecture and Baroque forms. The range of trails extends from walking paths at the open-air museum to a longer hiking route. For planning, it is worth first choosing the cultural highlights you would like to visit, then deciding how much walking you want to do.
Hayracks and Museum Trails
The Dežela kozolcev Museum covers 2.5 hectares of landscaped grounds and has a 1 km network of walking paths. It displays 19 different hayracks (drying racks). With one exception, the racks are from the Mirna Valley; one comes from the area around Ivančna Gorica. The collection thus brings together a larger group of racks from the Mirna Valley and one example from the area around Ivančna Gorica.
The museum offers guided tours and presentations by experts on the history and construction of hayracks. If you would like to include these explanations in your visit, check the current programme details in advance. The exhibited racks and information about their construction offer two ways to explore the subject: the structures themselves and how they were crafted.
Churches and Historical Layers
The Church of St Rupert is one of the outstanding examples of Gothic architecture from the second half of the 15th century. It preserves remnants of medieval frescoes as well as Gothic-Secessionist ornamentation by Koželj from 1897. The contrast in dates brings together traces of medieval frescoes and a decorative scheme created much later.
The Church of St Francis Xavier on Vesela Gora was consecrated in 1735. Its central building is octagonal, and its bell towers are set at a diagonal. The frescoes were painted in 1760 by Anton Tušek of Škofja Loka. Here, a clearly defined architectural form and dated fresco decoration take centre stage in another period of architectural history.
The Way of the Cross in Šentrupert was built in 1730. It includes a Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, built in 1749 after the model of the Holy Sepulchre in Palestine. The two dates distinguish the construction of the Way of the Cross from the later building of the chapel.
The Church of the Holy Spirit in Viher is documented from 1275 and preserves a semicircular Romanesque portal. The frescoes in the sanctuary and on the triumphal arch date from 1500 to 1510. Grad Škrljevo was first mentioned in 1043; its Romanesque core was later partly remodelled in the Gothic style and extended in the Baroque period. These examples offer different historical reference points: an early mention, a Romanesque portal, dated frescoes and later building phases.
Hiking Trails and Visit Planning
The Steklasova Hiking Trail is 20 km long and can be walked in either direction, in two sections. It leads from the square in front of the Church of St Rupert to Vesela Gora, at an altitude of 324 m. There you will find the Baroque Church of St Francis Xavier and Barbova graščina. When deciding how far to walk, it is helpful to compare the trail with the museum’s 1 km network of walking paths: a shorter option at the museum and a much longer hiking route that can be divided into sections.
Another option is the full-moon night hike, which leads above the village to Nebesa. Local food and drinks are served on the Nebesa hike. The offer may be seasonal or tied to scheduled hikes, so check the dates before your trip.
Collections and Regional Everyday History
In the area around Šentrupert, the Kurent family collection at the Janezkova farmstead displays agricultural tools that illustrate fieldwork in the early 20th century. Visitors can view, study and even try out the exhibited tools; please arrange the terms of your visit in advance. This collection focuses on the tools and their use in fieldwork.
The Kurent family wine cellar in the area around Šentrupert preserves a black kitchen. Together with the agricultural tools, this feature offers another glimpse into regional everyday life and architectural history.
Discover more destinations: Drečji Vrh, Roženpelj, Mokronog, Dobrnič, Blato, Hom, Trebnje
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