Today, the Triglav Lodge celebrates its 120th anniversary.

Conceived at the end of the 19th century by priest Jakob Aljaž, a pioneer mountaineer, the lodge was built on land that Aljaž bought and officially opened in 1896.

But the present-day lodge, most widely known as Kredarica for the plateau on which it is built, bears little resemblance to the modest shelter built over a century ago.

It was first expanded in 1909 due to high demand for shelter by climbers braving Mt Triglav, with annexes added in 1954 and then in 1983. Now it offers 300 beds and has room to feed 300 people at the same time.

At peak season, which lasts from June through September, even this is barely enough, as long lines of climbers await their turn to brave the last bit of steep terrain leading up to the 2,864-metre peak.

In a good season the lodge records 40,000 visitors, about a quarter of whom also spend the night there, according to the Ljubljana-Matica Mountaineering Association, which has been operating the lodge since the 1950s.

The anniversary celebration will be a modest affair as the weather forecast is gloomy and snow is expected. The actual ceremony has therefore been postponed to September.