For day 6 we had arranged visits to the company Rico, prefabricated wood construction in Ribnica, combined with a meeting with the construction manager Uros Kljun, followed by a visit to the head office of the owner Janez Škrabec and a conversation with Polona Lovsin (Marketing, PR) from Rico. We wanted to visit Rico because this family business has been formative for several branches of industry in Slovenia over several generations. We naturally wanted to focus on sustainable timber construction. We were positively surprised, how could it be otherwise, following our technical discussions about prefabricated timber construction, when we visited the birthplace of Janez Scrabec, the renovated buildings around it, the museum and the birthplace of the monk and language researcher Friar Stanislav Škrabec, who was one of the first linguists and had done much for the language development of the Slovenes. An interesting family tribe, the Škrabecs, with a well-kept family residence.
We park on the main road in front of one of the Rico buildings and then drive to the headquarters, where Uros Kljun welcomes us and takes us into the company showroom.
Wood is used everywhere you look. A feel-good atmosphere in the bright offices with a direct view through the large glass front onto the assembly hall. While we talk about the current major projects in Switzerland and England (The Lakes), we wander through the production halls and listen to Uros Kljun’s explanations. Every wooden house has an individual touch and size, depending on the customer’s wishes.
Onward journey to Hrovača, the family seat of the Škrabec business family. Guided tour by Mrs Polona Lovsin (Marketing, PR) of Rico
Polona Lovsin guided us through the Škrabec ancestral home, which has been transformed into a lively museum. Lovingly renovated and restored, some rooms are also available for guests. In the old living room and bedroom, entrepreneur Janez Škrabec entertains his business partners and friends on some days. The entire village, also called the three-window village, seems to have been renovated and is considered a model village in Slovenia.
The entire area of the family estate serves as a place of communication, is used as an event location where art and entrepreneurship unite positively, as does the preservation of the 200-year-old architecture. Living sustainability in the company in connection with its roots.
Return journey to Ljubliana
We wanted to finish the penultimate day of the Slovenia tour with the all-electric Polestar 2 with a tour of Ljubliana. Above all, we were interested in the “electric train”. We still had enough power buffer in the battery of the Black Horse and also knew that we could charge overnight directly at our place to sleep today, the Bio Appartement Trnulja. This should last us until the next IONITY charging station.
URBAN and KAVALIER are the inner-city e-transports. In the big Slovenia Special we will go into more depth on e-mobility in Slovenia and Ljubliana
The European Green Capital is, of course, worthy of being acknowledged in a separate article. We all feel more or less European, but we were ashamed to realise that we never had Slovenia in our sights until now. Incentive for further e-mobile explorations of the countries to the east in Europe, mapping your ancient cultures and modern, sustainable developments. At the end of the sixth day of the tour with the faithful and beloved “Black Horse”, some impressions around our boutique hotel Zlata ladjica, which is situated in a dreamlike and central location.
TaBar
Ljublianca waterfront
After enjoying the special tapas at the “TaBar” we drove to our last destination, the Bio Apartements Trnulia, located 5km outside Ljubliana and arrived there around 11.30pm.
Text: Elmar Thomassek
Pictures: Lutz Dürichen
Destinations: Ribnica Rico prefabricated timber construction – Skabceva domacija – Ljubliana – Bio Apartements Trnulja
