Woodland around Kočevje

The region's highlands are rich in wildlife, their great forests of spruce, beech and fir providing ideal habitat for wolf, bear, lynx and other species. Chamois are found on the steep rocks above the Kolpa, and capercaillie may be seen on some of the high tracts. Clearly marked forest trails and paths invite further exploration, while the high clearings and plateaux offer expansive vistas. In some of the high clearings you will see stands of lime and fruit trees, poignant reminders of the churches and villages whose people have long since departed the area.

The village of Koprivnik, in a high valley to the south-east of Kočevje, is one of the few extant villages of any size, and was originally settled in the 14th century. More recent tragic events after the Second World War are immortalised by 15 fine wooden sculptures on Kočevski Rog, a monument created by the local sculptor Stane Jarm in 1998 in the form of the Stations of the Cross.