Tuhinj Valley
The Tuhinj Valley is in Slovenia. It runs east to west, linking the Celje Basin with the Ljubljana Basin along the Nevljica and Motnišnica rivers. The western part of the valley was formed by the Nevljica watershed (which flows into the Kamnik Bistrica), while the eastern part is formed by the Motnišnica, a tributary of the Savinja. The dividing point between the two watersheds sits at Kozjak Pass, about 655 meters high, between Cirkuše v Tuhinju and Špitalič.
The largest settlements are Laze v Tuhinju, Šmartno v Tuhinju, and Motnik. The valley has many old villages, showing it was an important route in the Middle Ages and later as a passage between Lower Styria and Upper Carniola.
The Tuhinj region appears in records around 1400 with spellings such as Tuchein, Tuchen, and Tucheiner alben. The name comes from a Slavic personal name, and its roots appear in other place names like Tuhinje in Herzegovina, Tuin in Macedonia, Tukhin in Russia, and Tuchyňa in Slovakia.
Brown coal was mined near Motnik until the mid-20th century. Recently, tourism has grown with the Snovik Spa.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:53 (CET).