Awaken your inner Kurent! - visitptuj.eu

Awaken your inner Kurent!

Experiencing Ptuj’s mysticism in a place of UNESCO heritage

Only when winter starts turning to spring you can meet ancient Kurents on the Ptujsko Polje plain, safeguarding unique world heritage under UNESCO’s protection with their door-to-door rounds. Nevertheless, whenever you visit Ptuj, you can find Kurent’s power within yourself. Choose the light! Feel the vibrations of the bells. Toast to the rhythms of nature. Get your Kurent ribbons, handkerchiefs, flowers. Don Kurent’s sheepskin coat. Discover the home-place of Kurent and ancient mysticism. You will find your true self here!

Info

Duration

5.5 h

BOOKING + INFORMATION

TIC Ptuj
Mestni trg 4, SI-2250 Ptuj
T: +386 2 779 60 11
E: info@visitptuj.eu

Available*

All year round with a booking
*The menu may change according to the season

Kurenti na Ptuju.
Earn the honor of having your measurements taken for your own Kurent costume

Kurent’s every move and every detail of its costume carry a meaning. When you learn and truly understand this meaning it becomes easier to connect with your deepest inner self. When you are awakened by encounters with people who have been preserving ancient local traditions, talking to them will give you answers to many of your life’s questions. When you find your inner Kurent, the artisans might even take your measurements to create a real mystical character!

 

Visit the welcoming people in Ptuj and Korant’s land

In the oldest Slovenian town, the home of the Kurentovanje carnival, you will be welcomed by people who believe in eternal values and in the preservation of tradition embodied in Kurents. You will taste dishes that, like the rest of the carnival traditions, have been passed down from generation to generation and are also favorites of Kurents. In Markovci, where Kurent/Korant originated, you will be warmly welcomed and served refreshments while watching a presentation of the village’s Shrovetide customs.


What to expect
  • We will begin our search for Kurent’s true powers and values in the heart of medieval Ptuj, a place of UNESCO heritage.
  • We will learn about the significance of the god Sol and ancient rituals in Sončni Park by the Dominican Monastery.
  • At the Kurent House, we will learn about Kurents/Korants, their rituals and the evolution of the character and traditions over time using modern interactive technologies. We will discover the many stories of Shrovetide and Kurentovanje, meet people who turn into Kurents during the carnival or are close to them.
  • We will visit some of the artisans preserving our ancient culture as we follow the paths of the famous Kurentovanje parades.
  • Walking through the streets lined with reliefs of demonic/Kurent masks, we will head down to the River Drava and learn more interesting facts about Shrovetide customs and the history of the medieval town center.
  • We will go to a traditional inn for a real Kurent feast with traditional carnival dishes.
  • We will leave Ptuj and visit the countryside, where Kurent was born. We will be greeted by traditional characters from Kurent’s entourage. On the way, we will drop by a workshop where full Kurent costumes – kurentijas are made.

Kurent v Kurentovi hiši.
Time and duration

The tour lasts up to 5.5 hours, usually between 10:00 AM and 3:30 PM, but can be arranged at other times.
Meeting point: Dominican Monastery

Price
  • €99.00 per person for groups of 9 or more people
  • €129.00 per person for groups of 5–8 people
  • €149.00 per person for groups of 5–8 people
  • €232.00 per person for 2 people
The price includes
  • tour with a local tourist guide, organization of the tour and all sightseeing and entrance fees included in the tour
  • food and drinks: Kurent’s feast, welcome refreshments in the countryside

Kurent trivia
  • Kurents’ door-to-door rounds in Ptujsko Polje were entered in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.
  • Kurentovanje in Ptuj, which is ranked among the top 10 carnivals in the world by the renowned guidebook Lonely Planet, attracts over 100,000 visitors every year!
  • Kurent’s costume is called kurentija. It consists of the head covering and coat made of sheepskin, a belt with cowbells, ježevka (a wooden club with hedgehog skin), black boots and red or green knitted leg warmers.
  • There are two types of Kurents, distinguished by their headdress: feathered and horned. In addition to the whiskers made of twigs and a long tongue, the headdress is decorated with crepe paper ribbons and flowers, and handkerchiefs given to the Kurent by young women.
  • Kurent’s wine Mistik is Ptujska Klet’s special bottling of a selected single-estate wine. The grapes for that wine are picked by members of the Association of Kurent Societies. Mistik is a wine that merges Ptuj’s oldest stories – wine and Kurents.

Zbirka pustnih mask in likov, PMPO, Ptujski grad, Pokrajinski muzej Ptuj Ormož, kurent, Kurentovanje, tradicionalne pustne maske, tradicionalni pustni liki.
EXPLORE FURTHER

Ptuj Castle houses rich museum collections. We recommend visiting the entire Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum, especially the collection of traditional carnival masks.

You can extend your exploration of the home of UNESCO heritage with a visit to one of the wine cellars, where you can see for yourself why Ptuj and its surroundings are also known as the land of excellent wine.

Soba v Hotelu Mitra.
Extend your stay in Ptuj

Extend your stay and explore the oldest Slovenian town.

You can select from a variety of accommodation options: from a 4*Superior wellness hotel to town and boutique hotels, hostels and private rooms, mobile houses and camping.


Bookings and information

TIC Ptuj, Mestni trg 4, SI-2250 Ptuj

+386 2 779 60 11
info@visitptuj.eu


The activity is part of the “Sustainable transformation of public tourist infrastructure in the tourist destination of Ptuj” project (“Ptuj is also Top”), co-financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility – Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Slovenia (RRP).

Plakat I Feel Slovenia.

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