The Tolmin Gorge, a popular tourist spot in the west of the country, is welcoming visitors again starting from 24 May after being inaccessible for almost four months due to a rockslide.

According to the Tolmin municipality, the clean-up work on the road leading to the Tolmin Gorge was completed faster than expected. The initial plan had been to reopen it on 8 June.

Meanwhile, another major sight in the area, the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit on the Javorca hill near Zatolmin, will remain cut off a bit longer, but should be accessible again in early June.

The reason is that several other sections of the road leading up to the Javorca required thorough maintenance, including the renovation of two support walls.

As the Tolmin Gorge finally opens for the season, the regional tourist office advised visitors to buy tickets online. The spectacular gorge attracted a record 121,000 visitors last year and had to cap the number admitted per day.

The situation looks a bit more grim for the UNESCO-listed Franja Partisan Hospital in the Cerkno area to the east of Tolmin, which is set to remain closed for a while longer after being badly damaged in a storm in July 2023.

Three of the WWII hospital's 14 sheds were swept away and another three were damaged, while a flood wave also destroyed the last part of the access path and electricity infrastructure.

Nestled deep in a narrow gorge near Cerkno, the iconic monument had already been dealt a heavy blow by a storm in 2007, when it had to be almost completely renovated.

Extensive work will also be required this time, with the initial cost estimate exceeding €1 million, but renovation has not even started as it is yet to be determined how to go about it to prevent a repeat of similar weather-related incidents.