LPN Jelen on harmony with bears in the Bear Room of the Mašun Forest House
November 3, 2016The Mašun Forest House is a former foresters’ cottage which was turned by the Slovenia Forest Service into an educational center intended for the general public. LPN Jelen presented their knowledge and experience with the biggest large carnivor in Slovenia, the brown bear, in the Bear Room. Through posters and other objects, visitors can learn about life and the ecological requirements of the brown bear, which is the basis for the coexistence with the protected species in the common area. For the most curious visitors the Mašun educational forest trail was prepared within the frame of the Mašun Forest House which leads through specially protected and maintained forests, also called the Park. A part of the Mašun educational forest trail runs along the Princess Anne path which leads to Anna’s rock. The rock offers a striking view of the northern slopes of the 1,796-meter high Snežnik, while hidden under Anna’s rock is a real bear’s den.
Mašun is an old forest settlement in the heart of the vast Snežnik forests, which are extremely well preserved and in parts specially protected and cared for. The quality of forests, both the fir and beech forests of the Dinaric Alps and the High Karst Unit, and the mountain beech forests, is the result of careful, planned and professional work of many generations of foresters and forest owners.
The Slovenian Forest Service, at the initiative of the local foresters, restored the old forester’s cottage and converted it into a modern informational and educational center, organizing various activities related to forestry and hunting. In the Great Room, which can accommodate up to 60 people, they organize lectures, workshops, exhibitions, fairs and more. In the Small Room, which can accommodate up to 12 people, mainly meetings take place. Both rooms can also be combined, which together with the kitchen alcove, toilets and wardrobe further expands their usefulness.
Especially interesting to visitors is the Bear Room, where a big bear is on display, together with a variety of educational posters and objects related to the life of the largest carnivore in Slovenia. The presentation was focused on the presentation of the life and ecology of the brown bear, which is extremely important for the coexistence of people and this protected species.
You are invited to join the guided adventure-tour along the Mašun forest educational trail, where you can see and rent the Mašun Forest House, in order to conduct consultations, lectures, workshops, meetings and other activities in the vast Snežnik forests. Contact RU Postojna, Anton Smrekar, T: 05 700 06 10, E: OEpostojna@zgs.si.
Text: Tina Drolc, on behalf of the Special Purpose State Hunting Grounds managed by SFS
Photo: Š. Habič