Zgornja Orlica: Forest Landscape, Sgerm Spruce and Chapels

Zgornja Orlica combines a hilly, predominantly wooded landscape with specific natural and cultural features. These characteristics give you a clear impression of what makes the place distinctive when deciding on your trip: scattered farms, an exceptionally tall spruce and several chapels with different architectural details.

A landscape of scattered farms

The settlement of Orlica consists of scattered, isolated farms. Together with the hills and extensive woodland, this settlement pattern shapes the character of Zgornja Orlica. The local landscape can therefore be described in terms of individual farms and wooded scenery, rather than compact development.

If you take both natural and cultural landscapes into account when choosing a travel destination, this combination offers a specific starting point. The landscape is one highlight; the named chapels and the Sgerm Spruce each provide their own focus. This makes it possible to assess Zgornja Orlica through several different features, rather than reducing it to a single theme.

The Sgerm Spruce on the Sgerm farm

The Sgerm Spruce stands on the Sgerm farm in Zgornja Orlica. It is 61.8 metres tall and is considered the tallest spruce in Slovenia and all of Central Europe. Its precise height and regional distinction make the tree a particularly well-defined natural feature of the place.

This links the general woodland landscape with a specifically named tree at a particular farm. For travellers who choose a destination partly for its natural features, this offers a different point of reference from the wooded hills as a whole: the Sgerm Spruce is a single natural feature distinguished by its height and status.

Chapels with distinctive architectural features

The Ušman, Miklavc and Breznikova chapels also differ in the details described. Their floor plans, roof shapes and locations each provide a distinct point of reference for telling the buildings apart.

The Ušman Chapel stands south of the Ušman farm and east of the road between Zgornja Orlica and Vuhred. Inside the chapel is a statue of Mary with Jesus. It has a square floor plan and a rounded apse dating from the second half of the 19th century. This building thus combines an interior detail, a precise location and an architectural feature with a specific date.

The Miklavc Chapel stands above the residential house on the Miklavc farm, at the address Zgornja Orlica 28. Its rectangular floor plan and gabled roof covered with sheet metal are its main architectural features. Its position above the residential house also distinguishes it from the other chapels mentioned here through its relationship to the farm.

The Breznikova Chapel is masonry-built, of the closed type and has a rectangular floor plan. It stands on the Breznik farm at the address Zgornja Orlica 25, beside the local road towards Janževski Vrh. Its history adds another aspect: after being destroyed in a collision with a truck, it was rebuilt in 1984 based on its original design.

In architectural terms, the Ušman Chapel is distinguished by its square floor plan and rounded apse, the Miklavc Chapel by its rectangular building and gabled roof, and the Breznikova Chapel by its masonry construction and reconstruction. Together with the Sgerm Spruce and the wooded hilly landscape, these features create a varied picture of Zgornja Orlica to help guide your choice of travel destination.

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Go to the main travel guide: Radlje Ob Dravi.