Lake Bled
Lake Bled (; ) is a lake in the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a tourist destination. The lake is from Ljubljana International Airport and from the capital city, Ljubljana. Lake Bled is from the Lesce–Bled train station. Geography and history. The lake is of mixed glacial and tectonic origin. It is long and wide, with a maximum depth of , and it has a small island. The lake lies in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests. Medieval Bled Castle stands above the  lake on the north shore and has a museum. The Zaka Valley lies at the west end of the lake. The World Rowing Championships were held at Lake Bled in 1966, 1979, 1989, and 2011. For centuries, Europeans have flocked to the shores of Lake Bled to enjoy recreation, but also the medicinal benefits. Emperor Henry II, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire enjoyed the lake so much, but he also built Bled Castle in 1004 to confer it as an estate. Today the castle is a popular tourist attraction. Bled Island. The lake surrounds Bled Island (). The island has  several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (), built in its current form near the end of the 17th century, and decorated with remains of Gothic frescos from around 1470 in the presbyterium and rich Baroque equipment. The church has a tower and there is a Baroque stairway dating from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building. The church is frequently visited and weddings are held there regularly. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding  before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church. The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a wooden boat known as a "pletna". The word "pletna" is a borrowing from Bavarian German "Plätten" 'flat-bottomed boat'. Some sources claim the "pletna" was used in Lake Bled as early as 1150 AD, but most historians date the first boats to 1590 AD. Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, a "pletna" seats 20 passengers. Modern boats are still made by hand and are recognizable by their colorful awnings. "Pletna" oarsman employ the "stehrudder" technique to propel and navigate boats across  the lake using two oars. The role of the oarsman dates back to 1740, when Maria Theresa of Austria granted 22 local families exclusive rights to ferry religious pilgrims across Lake Bled to worship on Bled Island. The profession is still restricted. Many modern oarsman descend directly from the original 22 families. Gastronomy. The area's culinary specialty, a cream pastry ("kremna rezina" or "kremšnita" 'Cremeschnitte'), was designated a protected dish of designated origin in 2016 by the Slovene government. Although various Slovene cream pastries date back to the Habsburg era, the current "official" recipe was created in 1953 by  Ištvan Lukačević, the former manager of the Hotel Park's patisserie. There is an annual festival dedicated to the pastry. It is estimated that 12 million cream pastries have been prepared at the Hotel Park's patisserie over the last 60 years.