Zreče

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Zreče is a town in northeast Slovenia and the seat of the Zreče Municipality. It sits on the slopes of Pohorje in the upper valley of the Dravinja River. The area is in the traditional region of Styria and is now part of the Savinja Statistical Region. The town covers about 2.17 square kilometers and sits at 396 meters above sea level. In 2018, about 2,900 people lived there.

The economy is mainly based on tourism, especially in winter because of the Rogla ski resort nearby. Agriculture also plays a role. Local companies include Unior (tools and car parts), Weiler Abrasives, and the spa company Unitur.

Zreče is about 100 kilometers northeast of Ljubljana, 42 kilometers from Maribor, 25 kilometers from Celje, and 4 kilometers from Slovenske Konjice.

Archaeological finds show Neolithic settlement in the area. The first written records date to the late 10th century. Zreče became a single settlement in 1987 when the villages Zgornje Zreče, Spodnje Zreče, and Nova Dobrava joined.

The parish church is Saint Giles, and it belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor. Two other churches on Mount Juniper are Saint Agnes and the Virgin Mary.

The Rogla resort has become important for the local economy, with many hotels, spas, and other facilities. It is most active from December to mid-March and has 13 ski slopes.

Tourism at Rogla began before World War II, with the first observation tower built in 1934. After the war, development continued, aided by Unior, a local company. Major upgrades in the 1970s and 1980s added hotels and ski lifts, and by the 1990s Rogla could host over 1,200 beds and 12,000 skiers per hour. Further improvements from 2000 to 2004 added more chairlifts and snowmaking, making Rogla one of Slovenia’s best ski destinations.

In 2005 Zreče became twinned with Sedbergh in the United Kingdom, a partnership highlighted by a BBC documentary.