The beach on Lake Velenje in the north of the country has been declared Slovenia's best natural bathing site based on a vote in which bathers chose their favourite bathing spots in six categories.

Lying on the edge of a city of the same name, Lake Velenje was formed as a result of lignite mining. It has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years.

The Velenje beach won the natural bathing sites vote for the sixth year running, beating Šobec Lake at Šobec campsite near the lakeside resort town of Bled, and the San Simon Bay beach by the seaside town of Izola.

Slovenia's Best Bathing Sites competition is organised by the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija with the bathers casting their ballots at the www.najkopalisce.si site or at the bathing spots.

More than 60 sites participated in this year's campaign with bathing spots in Slovenj Gradec and Ljubljana winning the other two available categories not designated for spa sites.

The public swimming pool in the northern town of Slovenj Gradec received the highest number of votes in the outdoor swimming pools category ahead of those in Brestanica in the east and Murska Sobota in the northeast.

Meanwhile, the Atlantis Water Park in the capital Ljubljana was victorious again in the indoor bathing sites category, pipping the Bohinj Aquapark and the Špik World of Water at Gozd Martuljk, both of which are located at the foot of Alpine peaks.

Terme Paradiso in Dobova in near the Croatian border again took the top place among small thermal bathing sites, while Bioterme Mala Nedelja won the medium-sized spa category and Aqualuna at Terme Olimia spa won the most votes in the large thermal sites category.