1. TIC – Tourist Information Centre Škofja Loka

Mestni trg square is similar to a widened road that narrows like a funnel in the south direction. In the past, it was the centre of economic and social life. Both sides of the square are lined with buildings with Gothic or Baroque portals, with colourful facades and arcaded courtyards. Mestni trg 42 is home to the Tourist Information Centre, where you can get all the information about the town and the Škofja Loka area, arrange guided tours and choose from various souvenirs.   

Mestni trg 42, T: 04 620 22 01

2. St. Jacob's church

See the reliefs of guilds and altar patrons in the parish church on the picturesque Cankarjev trg square. Look at the ceiling with 16th century frescoes painted by Jernej from Loka.  Worthy of special mention is the black marble Renaissance altar of St. Catherine from 1694 and the picture of Christ on the Mount of Olives dating from the end of the 17th century. The interior of the church, the altars and the chandeliers were remodelled according to a plan by the architect Jože Plečnik. 

Cankarjev trg 13, T: 04 512 06 72

3. Gallery of France Mihelič

The gallery in the striking building of the former Kašča (Granary) on Spodnji trg square presents an oeuvre of France Mihelič, the most prominent Slovenian master of surrealist figurative painting, which he left to his hometown of Škofja Loka. The collection includes his graphics, drawings and paintings. Most of the works are from the 1970s and from his famous thematic opuses: Dafne, Kurent, Clocks and Musicians. The gallery is open by prior arrangement.

Spodnji trg 1, T: 04 517 04 00

4. Granary

The granary is one of the oldest buildings in Škofja Loka. It was erected before the earthquake that changed the town in 1511. By order of Bishop Filip, whose coat-of-arms can be seen on a late Gothic relief plate, the town was thoroughly renovated.  Next to the castle, the granary was the most important building of the landlords, as all tributes were stored in it. A special bishop’s official – kaščar (a granary man), managed the granary, which was then part of the town walls.

Spodnji trg 1

5. Town Hall

The former town hall from the 16th century was once the seat of representatives of public life in Loka, headed by a town judge. The painted and architectural elements of the building point to an important place in history at every step. Baroque frescoes, paintings of pillars, flowers and various figural details are visible on the façade.

Mestni trg 35

6. Homan's house

After the earthquake of 1511, the burgher mansion was renovated in the Gothic style with a few Renaissance elements. At the time of the restoration of the exterior, the frescoes of a medieval soldier and St. Christopher as well as some other ornaments from the 16th century came to light. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the painter – impressionist Ivan Grohar, frequented the inn above the pastry shop. You can also find his gallery at Mestni trg 37.

Mestni trg 2

7. The old rectory

Pilasters and a two-coloured facade prove that the building was originally composed of two houses, and was reconstructed between the years 1740 – 1760. Outside, there is a Renaissance plaque with a coat-of-arms of the rich and influential townsman Volbenk Schwarz, the founder of the Holy Trinity beneficium, who built a chapel in his house in 1513. The entrance portal is made from stone, the hall is cross vaulted, and the staircase is surrounded by a Baroque wrought-iron grid.

Mestni trg 38

8. DUO Arts and Crafts Centre

The centre of arts and crafts preserves the rich Škofja Loka artisan tradition. The masters organized in guilds had a strong influence on the medieval prosperity of the city. Here you can buy fair trade handicraft masterpieces bearing the Art & Craft Slovenija certificate ensuring top quality. You can also attend various handicraft workshops or watch the work of a local artisan live.

Mestni trg 34, T: 04 51 12 460

9. Škofja Loka small bread

Small Loka bread was made in the 18th century by the Clarisa nuns. Its ingredients have remained the same ever since – flour, honey and various spices. This honey bread was considered a wedding and love cake. Today, it is also baked on other occasions. In Škofja Loka, a hand-carved wooden mould is used to make an imprint in the honey dough.

10. Loka castle

Loka Castle, first mentioned in 1215 , was the seat of the Loka lordship. Beneath it, a settlement of craftsmen and merchants was formed as early as the 13th century. The castle was almost completely destroyed in the earthquake of 1511, and Bishop Filip had it rebuilt. In the castle courtyard there once stood an impressive four-cornered tower, the floorplan of which has been restored. Today, the collections of the Loka Museum are on display in the castle. 

Grajska pot 13, T: 04 517 04 00

11. Škopar's house

One of the first open-air museums has been arranged in the castle garden since 1962. You can see Škopar’s House with a typical wreath kitchen from the 16th century, a haystack and a mill. The museum presents the living culture of small farmers in the wider Loka area in the period from the 16th to the end of the 19th century. 

Loka castle garden, Grajska pot 13, T: 04 517 04 00

12. Loka museum Škofja Loka

The mighty Loka Castle is home to one of the most visited museums in Slovenia. Its diverse collections present the cultural and natural heritage of the former Loka lordship. You can learn about the origins and development of the town of Škofja Loka. Ethnological collections give an insight into everyday life and festive days in the past, the guild collections reveal the rich heritage of Loka artisans, and the Škofja Loka Passion Play collection presents the most famous town event and the importance of intangible heritage under the protection of UNESCO. 

Grajska pot 13, T: 04 517 04 00

13. The Selška and Poljanska Sora rivers

The old town of Škofja Loka is located at the confluence of the Selška and Poljanska Sora Rivers. The Selška Sora, which springs above the village of Zgornja Sorica, is the main watercourse in the northern part of the Škofja Loka hills. It is an interesting fishing river. In the past, it was an important source of hydropower, too. The Poljanska Sora springs as a stream in the northern part of ​​the Rovtar hills and is the main watercourse in the southern part of the Škofja Loka hills. Both Sora Rivers are interesting fishing rivers. The confluence of the rivers is a popular promenade.

14. Škofja Loka Passion Play

The Škofja Loka Passion Play – Processio locopolitana – is the oldest preserved dramatic work in the Slovenian language and the oldest surviving European director’s book, the only one from the Baroque period. It was written around 1715 by Father Lovrenc Marušič i.e. Father Romuald. The Passion Play is designed as a procession in 13 tableaux.  The staging on the streets and squares of medieval Škofja Loka, where thousands of participants perform every six years, was the first from Slovenia to be inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind. 

15. The stone or Capuchin bridge

The bridge over the Selška Sora River, built in the middle of the 14th century from cut stone in semicircular shape, is one of the oldest monuments of its kind in Central Europe. In 1888, it was restored and an iron fence was added. In the middle of it is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk, with the Loka coat-of-arms on the pedestal. In the Middle Ages, the Selška gate with a watchtower stood by the bridge.

Kapucinski trg

16. Capuchin church with monastery and library

The greatest treasure of the Capuchin complex, built in the Baroque period in 1709, is the library, which, in addition to incunables and old religious books, keeps a valuable manuscript of the Škofja Loka Passion Play. There is also a permanent exhibition on the Passion Play in the library, which can be entered as part of guided tours.

Kapucinski trg 1, T 04 506 3000