 |
 |
 |
Haloze represents an agreeable region of rolling and relatively low tertiary hills in the Pannonian region of Slovenia. Remote border hills difficult of access and with modest possibilities of survival had, until recently, a sad privilege to be one of the less developed regions in Slovenia. The Haloze region has always been a rural area known in the past for large families. Densely populated after World War II, Haloze was later subject to wide emigration movements, and by 1991 the number of inhabitants decreased by more than a third. Remote and forgotten, the Haloze region barely survived, but now it is slowly reviving again. Haloze was first mentioned in the 15th century under the name of Chalas and Kalosen. The name is supposed to derive from the Latin word Colles meaning vine-growing hills, or from the old Slavic word "halonga denoting a hilly world.
The north of the region is fringed by rivers Dravinja and Drava, on the west it is bounded by a high hill Boč, and on the south by smaller mountains of Donačka Gora and Macelj. The hilly region extends right into Croatia on the east and southeast. Its southern part is also called vine-growing Haloze, as vineyards cover almost one tenth of the entire surface there, and only one per cent in the higher western part. More than a half of the western part of the region is covered by forests, therefore it is called the "woody Haloze. The wine-growing part of Haloze is known for typically scattered settlements, which follow the extension of vineyards. In the woody part, on the other hand, there are quite a few hamlets and even solitary farms.
The Haloze region is one of the favourite destinations for numerous hikers. Across this hilly world leads the Haloze Mountain Route, which can be covered in two or three days. The route starts at the castle of Borl and ends at the mountain Donačka Gora (882 m), one of the highest in the region together with Boč and Macelj. The highest peak in Haloze is Jelovica (623 m), the view from which embraces the entire region. As we are in Haloze, we can as well visit two outstanding cultural monuments: the Church of the Virgin Mary at Ptujska Gora (also famous for its breathtaking views), and the manor house at Štatenberg.
