Main content

Slovenia

Slovenian diplomat Matej Zatonjsek reveals how mountains are more than a beautiful backdrop for his people - they are crucial to their sense of self and national identity.

Moving westwards from Japan and China, this week's essays about the relationships different peoples have with their mountains reaches Europe, and Slovenia. Matej Zatonjsek, the Cultural Attache at the Slovenian Embassy in London, explains how his people are a nation of mountaineers, with three-quarters of the population climbing in the Julian Alps every year. Endowing mountains with Slovenian names was an expression of independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and a commitment to the language. The country's national myth is centred on Triglav, the country's highest peak and climbing this for Slovenians is akin to making the pilgrimage to Mecca for muslims, a sacred duty and an assertion of identity.

Producer: Julian May.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 14 Mar 2012 22:45

Broadcasts

  • Wed 9 Feb 2011 23:00
  • Wed 14 Mar 2012 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast