On 18 September 2023, the department went on a traditional excursion to the Kočevsko region. This time we walked through the Borovec and Krempa Saddle beech forest reserves on the outer borders of the Krokar virgin forest, which has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2017. It is one of the most important remnants of the beech forests that survived the Ice Age and spread across Central Europe and the Carpathians.
(https://www.europeanbeechforests.org/world-heritage-beech-forests/slovenia/krokar)
On another exciting excursion to the Kočevsko region on 20 October 2021, our department visited Tabor Rock (Taborska stena), the natural habitat of the snake Vipera ammodytes ammodytes (nose-horned viper; modras), and Tabor Cave (Taborska jama). The Tabor Cave, named after "tabor", the Turkish word for camp, provided shelter for peasants during the Turkish invasions and also housed partisans during the World War II. The whole area is also interesting for many large predators, bears, wolves and lynxes.
On 12th October 2019 our programme group organized another guided excursion to Kočevsko area. This time we visited a local beekeeper and the exhibition about a long tradition of beekeeping in Kočevska in the castle Kostel.
Our group organized on 12 June 2018 an excursion to the SE region of the country. On a guided tour, we visited a wood processing industry in the region and took a walk by the Rog hiking trail on the edge of the Rajhenav virgin forest. Along the trail our guide Dr. Petra Draškovič Pelc had showed us many wild forest treasures - from the Queen of Rog fir tree to the bear tracks on the fallen trees.
On Thursday, 16 June 2016, we had a departmental picnic together with the Department of Biotechnology (B3), also from the Jožef Stefan Institute, with a great barbecue.
One of previous informal events where three of our colleagues celebrated 50th anniversary.