🥾 Šenturška Gora & the Poženik Trail
The hike from the small village of Poženik (in the Municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem) up to Šenturška Gora is a popular year-round scenic walk in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It starts at about 384 m above sea level in Poženik and climbs about 284 m to the village and church area at 667 m — typically taking around 45 minutes on a well-trodden path. The trail was once the main route between the two villages and still offers a mix of cultural and natural highlights. Along it, you’ll find small historic chapels, peaceful forest sections, and on the summing its long history.
🎄 Nativity Figurines
Along the Path One of the most charming and unique features of this hike is its Christmas and New Year tradition. During the festive season, locals set up numerous nativity scenes (“jaslice” in Slovenian) along the route from Poženik up to Šenturška Gora.
Instead of being confined to a church or town square, these nativity figurines and scenes are placed creatively in nature — tucked into tree hollows, placed under roots or rocks, and even set in natural nooks like small caves. This transforms the hike into a kind of outdoor nativity exhibition that blends art, spirituality, and the natural landscape.
According to recent counts, there were more than 80 individual nativity displays along the path in 2023, and the number grew to around 100 by Christmas as people added new scenes.
These figurines commonly depict the traditional Christian Christmas story — the humble birth of Jesus, shepherds, animals, and the Holy Family — but the outdoor setting gives them a rustic, immersive atmosphere that’s distinct from indoor displays.
🕯️ Cultural & Community Spirit
The tradition isn’t just decorative — it’s a community-driven expression of the holiday season. People from the local area bring figurines each year and place them along the path for visitors and fellow hikers to discover. Walking the trail becomes a kind of pilgrimage: a blend of nature, local culture, spirituality, and festive joy that many locals and visitors look forward to annually.
At the top, near or at the St. Urh church, hikers often pause — and some ring a bell at a small chapel there for health and a safe journey — before returning downhill.
🧭 Tips for Visiting
Best visited in daylight — parts of the trail can be steep or slippery, especially in winter.
Good hiking footwear and poles are recommended when snow or ice is present.
The experience is especially atmospheric during December and early January, when the figurines bring a festive narrative into the natural landscape.
In Slovene:
🥾 Šenturška Gora in pot iz Poženika
Pohod iz majhne vasi Poženik (v Občini Cerklje na Gorenjskem) na Šenturško Goro je priljubljen celoletni sprehod v slikovitem okolju Gorenjske. Pot se začne na približno 384 m nadmorske višine v Poženiku in se dvigne za okoli 284 m do vasi in cerkve na 667 m, kar običajno traja približno 45 minut po dobro uhojeni poti.
Pot je bila nekoč glavna povezava med obema vasema in še danes ponuja prijetno kombinacijo kulturnih in naravnih zanimivosti. Ob poti lahko vidimo manjše zgodovinske kapelice, mirne gozdne odseke, na vrhu Šenturške Gore pa stoji cerkev sv. Urha, ki izvira iz 14. stoletja in hrani pomembne kulturnozgodovinske elemente, kot so oltarji in orgle, ki pričajo o njeni dolgi zgodovini.
🎄 Jaslice ob poti
Ena najbolj očarljivih in edinstvenih značilnosti te poti je božično-novoletna tradicija. V prazničnem času domačini ob poti iz Poženika proti Šenturški Gori postavijo številne jaslice.
Namesto da bi bile postavljene le v cerkvah ali na trgih, so jaslice ustvarjalno umeščene v naravno okolje – v dupline dreves, pod korenine ali skale ter v naravne vdolbine in manjše skalne zavetnike. Tako se pot spremeni v nekakšno zunanjo razstavo jaslic, ki prepleta umetnost, duhovnost in naravo.
Po zadnjih podatkih je bilo leta 2023 ob poti več kot 80 postavitev jaslic, njihovo število pa se je do božiča povečalo na okoli 100, saj so obiskovalci in domačini dodajali nove prizore.
Jaslice večinoma upodabljajo tradicionalno krščansko božično zgodbo – rojstvo Jezusa, pastirje, živali in Sveto družino –, vendar jim naravno okolje daje poseben, rustikalen in doživetjski značaj, ki se razlikuje od notranjih postavitev.
🕯️ Kulturni in skupnostni pomen
Ta tradicija ni zgolj okrasna, temveč predstavlja skupnostni izraz prazničnega časa. Ljudje iz lokalnega okolja vsako leto prinesejo figurice in jih postavijo ob poti, da jih lahko odkrivajo obiskovalci in pohodniki. Hoja po poti tako postane nekakšno romanje, ki združuje naravo, lokalno kulturo, duhovnost in praznično vzdušje, na katerega se mnogi veselijo vsako leto.
Na vrhu, pri ali ob cerkvi sv. Urha, se pohodniki pogosto ustavijo, nekateri pa pri manjši kapelici pozvonijo z zvoncem za zdravje in srečno pot, preden se vrnejo nazaj v dolino.
🧭 Nasveti za obisk
- Pot je najbolje obiskati podnevi, saj je lahko v zimskem času ponekod strma ali spolzka.
- Ob snegu ali ledu so priporočljivi dobri pohodni čevlji in pohodne palice.
- Doživetje je še posebej čarobno decembra in v začetku januarja, ko jaslice ustvarijo praznično zgodbo v naravnem okolju.
Near the cache.
The initial contents of the cache.
More pictures from 27.12.2025
Več slik z dne 27.12.2025
