The history of Bled began already in the legends time, when the ancient Slavic Goddess Živa, together with the goblins and sprites, enjoyed the lake made by the glaciers of the Julian Alps. The loneliness of the goblin world was interrupted by the German Tsar Heinrich II, in 1004, who presented the lake as a gift to the Brixen Bishop Alboin. His heirs had the medieval town Bled constructed on an inaccessible rock above the coast, by which the lake got its name, as well. It is situated on 500 meters above the sea level, it has the area of 144 hectares and the depth of 30.6 meters.
The Bled Lake, the trade mark of the Slovenian tourism, is a Mecca for tourists from the whole world. In summer, the water temperature even exceeds 24°C, so that swimming is very pleasant all the time by the beginning of October.
The greatest attraction of this Northwestern part of Slovenia, near the rivers Sava Bohinjka and Sava Dolinka, is a small island in the middle of the lake, whose rampant plants covers the view to the medieval St. Mary Church, the chapel, the bell tower 52 meters high and the nearby graves from the B.C. era. Special tourist attractions of this region are the bells ringing in the bell tower, with the compulsory three wishes, and the organization of romantic weddings in the island church. It is a habit that the groom takes his bride on his arms from the coast to the entrance, up not less than – 99 stairs.
The small island in the Bled Lake may be reached by the traditional wooden boat, called ‘Pletno’ there. Due to the lake and nature protection, the motor use is forbidden, so that the boat drivers use oars only. In the 16th century, a young widow, whose husband was murdered by robbers, ordered the bell to be cast of her family’s silver and gold, but due to a storm, it never reached the right place. As people believe, one can hear the bell sound from the lake bottom in a quiet night.
In the full tourist season, more than 5,000 guests stay in the hotels, villas and mansions. The most attractive one is the luxurious Grand Toplice hotel, constructed as early as in 1854. The best known hotel is Vila Bled. At its location, originally there was the castle of the Austrian Prince WindischGratz, then the summer residence of the Yugoslav Royal Family and then one of the residences of Joseph Broz Tito. Surrounded by an enormous park, it is a real tourist attraction. Then, there are the hotels Park, Golf, Belvedere, Jadran, Astorija, many private accommodation facilities and camps.
In addition to the ‘recreational’ attractions, skiing and skating on the lake in the winter period, and bathing, golf, trekking and bicycle tours in summer, the Bled has got also a gastronomic one. It is the famous sweet ‘Resina’, a combination of the cream cake and the whipped cream pie, one of the brand names of this tourist region, which celebrated the 1,000 years of tourism.
For the accommodation at Bled, the ’Internet Serbia Travel News’ recommends the Hotel Astoria (four/three stars), located 300 m far away from the lake. It is most suitable for the guests wishing calmness, those attending organized events, business meetings and seminars, or being interested in sports tourism. The hotel characteristic is business dealing under the auspices of the educational Advanced Catering and Tourism Trade School Bled. The Hotel Astoria also manages a restaurant in the Bled Town, famous for its great gastronomic specialties and an incredible view to the lake and surroundings.