Cave Vilenica

Vilenica Cave was the first cave in Europe open for tourists. Located about 3 km away from the world-famous horse-breeding farm Lipica, this Karst beauty was the chosen home of fairies, giving the cave its name - “vila” in Slovene means “fairy”. What mischief did the fairies get up to and how they treated a young, poor yet good-hearted local girl?

For Google Arts & Culture, the story is interpreted by folk tale enthusiast and researcher Dušica Kunaver.

Illustration by Meta Wraber.

Source: Slovenske ljudske pripovedke/Slovene legends, collected, translated and adapted by Dušica Kunaver, Ljubljana, 1999.