Discover Renče

Renče brings together nature observation, architectural history and memorial sites with regional customs. At its heart, in Grajski vrt, stands a century-old plane tree, protected as a natural monument of local importance.

Nature and trails

Southwest of Renče, in the lower reaches of the Vipava River, lie the Renče clay pits and their immediate surroundings. Together, they form the Important Bird Area of the same name. The Renče clay pit is Slovenia’s only confirmed breeding site of the greylag goose. A birdwatching station is located near the disused clay pit.

A two-kilometre walking trail runs around the lake to the birdwatching station at the Renče clay pit. The Path of Peace covers a different scale: a 22.6-kilometre section runs through the Municipality of Renče-Vogrsko, between Nova Gorica and Lokvica. From Renče, the path begins to climb towards the Karst.

History in the townscape

The parish church of Saints Mohor and Fortunatus was first mentioned in 1470. The present-day late Baroque church building was constructed in the second half of the 18th century. A remnant of Renče Castle shapes today’s Stari plac. The castle’s origins date back to the 13th century, when a medieval manor stood on this site.

The Field Hospital Museum is housed in the former mortuary of the Renče cemetery and presents the work of the Renče field hospital. The exhibition includes original objects and the uniform of a nurse from Austria-Hungary. The museum can be visited during the opening hours of TIC Nova Gorica; after a phone call, staff open and close the exhibition remotely. If you are planning a visit, check the TIC’s opening hours and access arrangements in advance, as operational details may change.

A small museum collection in Renče is dedicated to the Aleksandrinke: women from Renče and the surrounding area who worked in Egypt from the second half of the 19th century until the Second World War.

Memorial sites and local culture

The Vinišče First World War Memorial Park is located in a hamlet in Renče. It preserves trenches, bunkers, a cavern and laid-out paths. Beside the cavern on the hilltop stands a six-metre-high wooden, bell-shaped tower as a memorial. The park is part of the Path of Peace between the Alps and the Adriatic.

A trail starts in Renče. An information board features a short biography of Simon Gregorčič; at each stop, boards provide information about the poet’s life and anecdotes about his writing.

Škuljanje is a traditional social and sporting game of the Primorska region. Individual players or teams throw a flat, shaped stone or half a brick into a playing area; the aim is to get the stone as close as possible to the target stone. One association has a section in Renče. Demonstrations of the game are part of the Municipality of Renče-Vogrsko’s tourist offering on holidays and at gatherings and events.

Wine is also connected with a recurring custom: every year, divers lower an iron cage filled with wines from local winemakers into the Vipava beneath the bridge in Renče.

Discover more destinations: Nova Gorica, Šempas, Lokve, Kanal, Solkan, Podsabotin, Prvačina, Miren.

Back to the main travel overview: Nova Gorica.