Postojna Cave Raising the Standards of Tourism Products and Services

The week during which Postojna Cave is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the discovery of its most beautiful parts has been marked by another important event – the official opening of a refurbished cave train platform in Postojna Cave's Concert Hall in tribute to the man who discovered the aforementioned cave parts, Luka Čeč. While a big celebration is planned to take place at the end of autumn, Marjan Batagelj, the managing director of Postojna Cave, has also announced some other new projects, which are raising the standards of Slovenian tourism.

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The Luka Čeč Platform

For a number of years, the discovery of Postojna Cave's most beautiful parts was attributed to a wrong person, the district treasurer, Löwengreif. Since their real discoverer was the cave lamplighter Luka Čeč, we decided to kick off the anniversary year with the opening of the memorial platform named after him. This was the first in a series of events to celebrate Luka Čeč and his historic discovery on the occasion of the 200th anniversary. As has been the case so far, all events will be focused on sustainable development, in particular the actions that improve the cave's condition, as the only thing that is good for us is what is good for the cave. 

A good-hearted modern-day Luka Čeč

One of the most memorable features of the opening ceremony was Postojna Cave's famous cave train, which draw onto the platform, tearing the opening-ceremony ribbon. During the symbolic event, the managing director, Marjan Batagelj, also rewarded a modern-day Luka Čeč, a legendary Postojna Cave employee who has worked here longer than anyone else, Ivan Franko. "Because you are a good man," commented Marjan Batagelj. During the forty years Ivan Franko – called ‘Frenk’ by his colleagues – has worked at Postojna Cave as a tour guide, the cave has been visited by more than 25 million people. Although he has been inside the cave at least 13,000 times, he remains respectful of it. "If something is given to us, it's not only ours. We have to treat is as if it belonged to everyone!" It is the nice attitude towards visitors and the friendliness without unnecessary natter that is the main reason visitors return to Postojna Cove time and again.

Architecture should only bring out the cave's natural beauty

"The platform renovation was absolutely necessary," said Marjan Batagelj, the managing director of Postojna Cave, pointing out that the old platform fell short of the cave's aesthetic standards. The architect Niki Motoh explained that "the concept of architecture in such a space cannot and must not stand in the way of the cave energy and experience. It needs to subtly complement the spirit of the natural environment". The only thing incorporated into the cave by man is light, which allows nature to share its attributes with cave visitors. "While the cave is a queen, the manmade elements – no matter how inspiring – should remain of secondary importance," addedMotoh.

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