Enjoy culinary delights in an underground dining hall

Slovenia is certainly an attractive culinary region, not only because of the great variety of its cuisine, but also due to its many original and interesting experiences that delight both local and foreign guests. One example is the culinary adventure called Velenje Underground that visitors can enjoy 160 metres below the surface.

This adventure, which is part of the Slovenia Unique Experiences project, makes visitors feel as though they have embarked on a time machine.

It's a nice place for team building for companies. Photo: TIC Velenje archives

After the miners' salute of good luck, you will descend with the oldest continuously operating lift in Slovenia to our country's deepest dining hall, located no less than 160m below the surface.

There, you can enjoy a four-course Štajger's meal (the supervisor's meal) prepared by the Chef of the Villa Herberstein gourmet restaurant.

During the meal accompanied by music, you will taste delicious culinary masterpieces created after the typical knaps' (miners') dishes in a modern way. After a ride on a mining train, you will be offered a glass of sparkling wine in the miners' black changing room.

The meal starts with knaps' culinary delights, consisting of four courses called the knap's salute: Hajer's (the first digger's) first meal, strong garlic soup, roast duck with vegetables and crumble cake with strawberry icing. Then you will be served fried pancetta, curd with truffles, vegetables, deer carpaccio with oranges and balsamic plum cream, creamy garlic soup with shrimp, fried onions and sage, honey roasted duck breast, Porto sauce, mashed root vegetables, candied kumquats, vanilla mousse, strawberry purée, lemon crumb cake and a brownie.

All visitors are delighted with this culinary experience. Photo: TIC Velenje archives
You will be offered a glass of sparkling wine in the miners' black changing room. Photo: TIC Velenje archives

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Unique Experiences

The Velenje underground adventure, designed by the Šaleška Valley Tourist Board in cooperation with the Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia and Gorenje Catering, has been included in the Slovenia Unique Experiences project, which bring together the content and events that represent Slovenia as a green boutique destination. For the time being, it is not yet possible to attend the event on a daily basis, as the experience is organised on set dates and requires booking in advance.

Last year, five such events were held and were attended by about 200 guests from Slovenia and abroad. Most foreign visitors enjoyed the culinary adventure in December.

The Coal Mining Museum in Velenje, founded in 1957 in the 180m-deep and abandoned old mine shaft of Škale near Velenje. The Coal Mining Museum collection in Velenje shows the living and working conditions of miners at the beginning of lignite mining in the Velenje and the surrounding coal mines in the natural mining environment. Photo: TIC Velenje archives
If all the lignite that had been mined in the Velenje coal mine were loaded onto wagons, these would for a line that could circle the Earth two times. Photo: TIC Velenje archives
Part of the culinary experience is also learning about the history of the miners. Photo: TIC Velenje archives