Bleda's history reaches as far back as the early Iron Age, with 80 graves found near the castle, to prove it. The first wave of Slavic settlers reached the area in 7th century A.D. in time of king Samo (632-658). The late antique period also left traces here. In 1004 emperor Henrik II. Gave Bled to archbishop Albuinu, along with the territory of both parts of river Sava and in 1011 the castle Bled as well. Between 1803 and 1813 it was the part of Illyrian provinces – set up by Napoleon, and then came back under the rule of Austrian emperors. In 1838 it was made a present to the bishop of Briksens for the last time.
Very early on it was a popular tourist destination. The first visitors were the pilgrims who came from all the surrounding counties to visit the Marry on the island. Apart from the pilgrimage they also talked about the beauty of the place attracting more and more people to visit. The nobility also traveled to Bled. The historian and member of the British royal academy Janez Vajkard Valvasor, mentioned the thermal springs of Bled in his history of Dukedom of Kranjska. Ever since, the tourism has been developing to the level it’s at today.
The lake, which is a leftover of the Glacier of Bohinj has a beautiful island in it, with the curch of Marry’s assumption. There are many legends about the island and one was used by Slovene’s biggest poet France Prešeren, who said it was the home oh ancient Slavic goddess Živa and was protected by Bogomil and Staroslav.
The Bled Castle is a place where many exhibitions take place. Near the chapel is the place which shows the oldest history of Bled, from the first settlements to the various stages of development. The collection is not all from the castle itself, but it is very representative of culture through different periods. The history of the castle dates back to 1004, and the above mentioned emperor Henrik II.
The gorge of Vintgar some 4 kilometers from Bled Jakob Žumer (mayor and cartographer) and Benedikt Lergetporer (fotographer) found an otherwise impassable gorge, because the water level was extremely low in 1891. The natural beauty was so stunning they decided to set up a commeety that would make a bridge path and open the gorge for visitors. It was open on August 26th 1893. It’s 1.6km lonk and between the steep rocks of Hom and Boršt, with the river Radovna with its waterfalls and lakes. Vintgar has been marked as one of the most important tourist destination in Slovenia.
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