A bee-friendly region
Slovenians are known for loving and respecting bees. Slovenia is home not only to the Carniolan honey bee, but also to Anton Janša, the first beekeeping teacher and the pioneer of modern beekeeping.
A special feature of the Slovenian landscape is the apiary: beehives stacked next to each other in several rows as a bee house. Slovenia has gained international recognition due to its particularities, such as the unique painted beehive panels and the special traditional architecture. Almost every municipality in the Ljubljana Urban Region has its own Beekeeping Association. We invite you to learn about the various bee stories and products in the region.
In Ljubljana Urban Region you can visit API LAB – House of the Carniolan Bee, Beekeeping centre of Slovenia, The Božnar House of Honey in Polhov Gradec, Domžale Beekeeping Route and Apitherapy apiary, and The Museum of Beekeeping Heritage or you can learn about Urban Beekeeping and Bee Path in Ljubljana and many beekeeping associations and activities in Ljubljana Urban Region.
API LAB – The House of the Carniolan Honey Bee in Višnja Gora, Ivančna Gorica
The House of the Carniolan Honey Bee in Višnja Gora tells the story of the Carniolan Grey bee, the native Slovenian bee and the second most widespread bee species in the world.
You can enter the world of bees through unique experiential exhibitions with virtual protagonists, the famous Rothschütz beekeeping family that elevated the Carniolan honey bee into an independent subspecies. You can also spend the night in a bee hive right at the top of the House of the Carniolan Honey Bee. Rooms are designed as innovative honeycomb cells with individual entrances and connected into an enormous honeycomb wooden structure.
The House is also home for the Centre for Innovative Technologies APILAB – a business epicentre for innovations and start-up companies for the local community, Slovenia, and the region.
More information: https://www.hisakranjskecebele.si/en/
Urban Beekeeping in Ljubljana
As many as 3% of all Slovenian beekeepers with over 4500 beehives are active in the area of the City of Ljubljana. Urban beekeeping is flourishing in Ljubljana with the culture and congress centre Cankarjev dom as a pioneer leading the way.
Honey produced in this area is of very high quality. In addition to beekeepers, the City of Ljubljana also takes care of bees by planting perennials with many honey plants among them and promoting the activities of beekeeping societies. The Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association awarded Ljubljana with the golden recognition and the title “Most Bee-friendly Municipality” in 2019.
Apitourism has become very popular over the past years. The Bee Path was created in 2015 by the city of Ljubljana. The path is designed in an interdisciplinary way and shows bees and beekeeping from various perspectives. It is not just a path, it is a movement of like‑minded people caring for the well‑being of bees in the city with very diverse activities. The path is designed for visitors to fully comprehend the importance of bees for our survival and food safety, to discover the necessity of honey in our daily diet and find out more about the city's beekeeping culture. Interesting public events such as Honey Day and workshops are organized on a yearly basis.
More information: https://www.ljubljana.si/en/ljubljana-for-you/environmental-protection/the-bee-path/