On Prešeren Day, we went on a cultural walk that brought together participants from diverse national and cultural backgrounds. The walk was professionally guided and co-created by Prof. Dr. Aleksander Bjelčevič and Prof. Dr. Miran Hladnik from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, both renowned experts in early Slovenian literature and Slovenian history.

The programme took place in nature and in the village surroundings between Žirovnica and Vrba, the birthplace of Slovenia’s greatest poet, Dr France Prešeren. Over approximately five hours, we walked 12 kilometres. By combining literature, history, and walking, the event created an open, relaxed, and accessible learning environment. During the walk, we explored major Slovenian literary figures such as France Prešeren, Matija Čop, Fran Saleški Finžgar, and Janez Jalen within their historical, cultural, and social contexts.

Our participants had the opportunity to experience Slovenia, the Slovenian language, and its cultural heritage directly on site. As our association focuses on a key element of integration—language inclusion—we are proud that the entire programme was conducted in the Slovenian language.

We plan to organise the cultural walk on Prešeren Day again next year and to make it a permanent part of our association’s activities. We already warmly invite everyone from Slovenia and from other cultural backgrounds to join us in the future.

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We invite you to join us on February 8 for the traditional Prešeren Walk, which takes place each year in the surroundings of Vrba in the Gorenjska region in celebration of the Slovenian Cultural Day, commemorating the death of France Prešeren, Slovenia’s greatest poet.

Attending this annual hike has become a tradition for our Association. See the cultural hikes from the past years HERE.

The walk will follow a scenic route enriched with cultural and historical stops, offering an opportunity to reflect on the rich heritage of the area while spending the day together in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, inspired by Slovenian culture.

Our program:

• 9:00 – gathering of participants and a brief introduction to the day
• 9:15–10:00 – visit to Čop’s House
• 10:00–10:45 – coffee break
• 10:45–12:15 – walking along paths and meadows with a short stop at Janša’s Beehive along the way
• 12:30–13:15 – visit to Finžgar’s House
• 13:30 – conclusion of the hike

Important information:
Hiking or comfortable walking shoes are required, as part of the route includes a short uphill section with an elevation gain of approximately 40–50 meters and a duration of about 30 minutes. The walk will take place even in case of rain, so participants are advised to bring appropriate footwear, a raincoat, and an umbrella.

We look forward to celebrating the Cultural Day together through nature, movement, shared conversation, and remembrance of one of Slovenia’s greatest poets.

For more information and to apply to this free event, send us a message:

info@mdia.org

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In the 2025/2026 association season, we are organizing Walk & Talk hiking events. Once a month, we head to a nearby hill, combining physical activity with time for intercultural exchange.

This time, we organized a hike to Krim. Through our social media posts, we invited you to join us. You are also welcome to participate in the new year in January.

During the shorter winter days, we meet in the early afternoon and take advantage of the good weather to spend time actively in nature. This Saturday, we were fortunate with the weather as well.

When we reach our destination, we take time for a snack or lunch and relaxed intercultural exchange. Our participants come from various countries, so the conversation takes place in both Slovenian and English.

We invite you to join us on the next hike organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Association. Follow our pages for the announcement with information about the upcoming Walk & Talk event.

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Join us for the third Walk & Talk of the season as we explore the beautiful forest paths between Preserje and Rakitna, heading towards Krim Summit!

Date: Saturday, 13 December
Meeting time: 12:45
Location: Between Preserje and Rakitna (exact meeting point will be shared upon registration)

We’ll park our cars in the forest area and begin a relaxed 1.5-hour hike (around 5 km one way) through scenic trails leading up to Krim.

At 14:15, we’ll reach the Krim mountain restaurant, where we’ll enjoy a 45-minute lunch break and taste some local Slovenian dishes.

Afterwards, we’ll hike back down, returning to the starting point around 16:30.

Total duration: approximately 4 hours
Bring: water, a small snack, and comfortable walking shoes
Difficulty: easy to moderate

If you’d like to join us, please contact us for the exact meeting location and carpool details. info@mkdia.org

With the “Walk & Talk” hikes, we encourage an active way of spending free time in nature while also creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue. The hikes organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Association will take place regularly this season, once or twice a month. We warmly invite everyone following us to join our next hiking event!

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Last Saturday, 15 November, we headed out once again for our “Walk & Talk” hike. This time, we climbed to Vrh Staneta Kosca above Rašica. With these hikes, the MKD Association promotes spending active time in nature while also creating a space for intercultural dialogue among our participants.

Join us on the next “Walk & Talk!” hike! Follow our channels to see where we’ll go next, or write to us at info@mkdia.org for more information.

Check out our video compilation from our last hike to Rašica. Visit our YouTube channel and click HERE or watch the video below.

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Join us for the 2nd hike of the season. Come along to our “Walk & Talk” event!

This Saturday, November 15, we’re heading to Rašica!

The hike will start at 1:00 PM. You can park at Rašica 1, on the gravel parking lot in the village. For more detailed information, feel free to contact us.

The hike to the top will take about one hour. The trail is easy. Please bring water and snacks. After lunch and a short rest at the top, we’ll return together to the starting point around 4:00 PM.

The hike will take place even in light rain, but if the weather is worse, the event will be canceled.

Please register by Friday, November 14, at info@mkdia.org.

With the “Walk & Talk” hikes, we encourage an active way of spending free time in nature while also creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue. The hikes organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Association will take place regularly this season, once or twice a month. We warmly invite everyone following us to join our next hiking event!

The post Walk & Talk: Hike to Rašica first appeared on Medkulturni dialog.

We organized a successful hiking event to Orle. This was the first hike in the new season.

On Saturday, October 11th, members and friends of our Intercultural Dialogue association gathered for the “Walk & Talk” hike, an activity that encourages spending free time actively in nature while creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue.

We started our route at the Botanical Garden, continued toward Golovec, and reached our destination at Orle, where we enjoyed a meal and pleasant conversation. In good company, we walked back to our starting point in the late afternoon.

“Walk & Talk” hikes organized by MKD will continue regularly this season, taking place once or twice a month. We warmly invite everyone following us to join the next hiking event!

Stay tuned and don’t miss our next event. Follow our social media channels and our website. You can check our other outdoor activities HERE.

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Join the MKD Association’s hiking get-togethers! This Saturday, October 11, we’re heading over Golovec to Gostilnica Orle. We’ll start at 13:30 at the Botanical Garden.

The Walk & Talk hikes offer easy and enjoyable nature walks that encourage intercultural connection and an active lifestyle. This season, we will organize hikes 1–2 times per month. During the winter months, activities will be scheduled between 11:00 and 17:00.

Saturday’s hike will not be too demanding, and from start to finish we will spend about 5 hours together. After lunch at Orle, we will return together to the Botanical Garden. Those who would like to join only for part of the route (1 hour and 15 minutes) can head back from Mazovnik (Golovec).

Bring along a snack and a bottle of water. In case of light drizzle, the hike will take place as planned. In case of heavy rain, the event will be canceled.

You can register until Friday, September 10, 2025. Register at: info@mkdia.org

Follow our channels for other MKD Association activities as well. You can find news about all outdoor activities HERE.

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The Intercultural Dialogue Association successfully opened the new season of collaborations with the Botanical Garden of the University of Ljubljana. Together, we planted a young tree — a larch — at a ceremonial event organized a few days before the International Day of Peace. In this way, we symbolically marked an international day, the significance of which should not be forgotten, but rather continuously promoted by spreading the message of peace throughout the entire year.

The event was organized in the spirit of the International Day of Peace, and we are also pleased to have launched a new collaboration — this time with the Botanical Garden. The Garden represents the entire University of Ljubljana and offers a peaceful green oasis to all residents of Ljubljana as well as other visitors to the Slovenian capital. The Botanical Garden has been located in the same place in Ljubljana since its establishment in 1810.

The event was attended by members and friends of the Intercultural Dialogue Association, as well as two representatives of the Botanical Garden — its director, Dr. Jože Bavcon, and Dr. Blanka Ravnjak. Both welcomed us warmly and guided us on a short professional tour through the Garden, sharing many fascinating facts about the planted inhabitants of the Botanical Garden.

We learned that the Garden collaborates with other botanical gardens around the world by caring for endangered plants and by planting and monitoring representatives of various species in different climate conditions.

We explored various areas of the Garden, from wetlands and tall trees to shrubs in the rock garden, and tropical plants that thrive in the warmer and more humid environment of the glasshouse.

The invited guests at the event were representatives from Turkey, Russia, Egypt, and Slovenia. All of them showed great interest in the event and were delighted by the hidden corners of the Botanical Garden that an ordinary visitor does not easily reach. Dr. Ravnjak and Dr. Bavcon also took us into a small office, where we saw the rich collection of seeds of all the plants that they collect, dry, and then store for possible exchange with other gardens around the world.

After the guided tour, the ceremonial part of the event followed — the planting of the tree. The Botanical Garden chose to plant a larch, as they did not have one among their species at the time. Our larch came from Velika planina and is now the only representative of its kind in the Botanical Garden in Ljubljana. This conifer is known for shedding its needles in the winter.

Of course, refreshments were an essential part of the event. To conclude, our volunteers prepared some Turkish treats, while the Botanical Garden provided non-alcoholic beverages for refreshment. During the gathering, we enjoyed pleasant conversations about the successful event and shared our impressions of the visit to the Botanical Garden.

You can check out some video highlights below or HERE.

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Our Association Intercultural Dialogue participated with its booth at the largest štruklji festival organized by the KTD Bazilika. The Štrukljifest festival combines traditional Slovenian cuisine with good music and traditional dances, while also reviving old customs with artisan stalls and games for all visitors.

Our association also joined the festival with a stall where we invited visitors to try traditional Turkish cuisine. Special thanks for preparing the goodies goes to our volunteers. The stall impressed many culinary enthusiasts.

For more highlights from the festival, we invite you to our YouTube channel, where you can watch a compilation of videos and photos:

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