Declaring independence in 1991 from Yugoslavia, Slovenia has quickly established a successful democracy. With the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe, the country’s excellent infrastructure, education system and political and cultural openness have created an economic model for nascent republics in the region and abroad. Slovenia is situated at the intersection of central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkans. The Alps reach toward the sky in the north, near Austria; the coastline along the Adriatic extends from Italy to Croatia in the southwest; the Pannonian plain in the east and northeast stretches toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders.
While small, the country offers an abundance of natural and cultural attractions. Postonjna Cave, a network of over 12 miles of passages, galleries and chambers, is the most visited tourist cave in Europe. Only 6 miles away, Predjama Castle has stood on a 403-foot cliff for over 700 years (and host to a medieval festival every July). Feeding into Bohinj Lake, the Savica Waterfall is the most famous in the country, 255 feet high. On an island in Bled Lake, the Church of the Assumption rises from the water with a bell tower that has tolled since 1534.