DistantNews
Vintgar Gorge Management Dispute: No Agreement on Liability Between Park Institute and Mayors
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Slovenia /Environment & Climate

Vintgar Gorge Management Dispute: No Agreement on Liability Between Park Institute and Mayors

From Delo · (8m ago) Slovenian Mixed tone

Translated from Slovenian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Triglav National Park Public Institute and local mayors met to discuss the management and liability for the Vintgar Gorge.
  • The Institute refused to sign an agreement assuming full liability for accidents, citing legal precedent that typically exempts landowners.
  • High visitor numbers at Vintgar Gorge are straining capacity, prompting calls for online reservations, while a lawsuit from a tourist injured in 2021 remains unresolved.

Delo reports on the ongoing dispute between the Triglav National Park (TNP) Public Institute and the mayors of Bled, Gorje, and Jesenice concerning the management and liability for the Vintgar Gorge, a popular tourist attraction. A recent meeting failed to resolve the key issue of liability, with the TNP Institute refusing to sign an agreement that would absolve the Gorje municipality, as the landowner, of responsibility in case of accidents.

Uroลก Breลพan, director of the TNP Institute, stated that such an agreement is unnecessary and potentially illegal, citing legal practice that generally exempts landowners and places liability on the managing entity. This stance is based on advice from legal expert Rajko Pirnat. The Institute, which gained management rights over Vintgar Gorge following a recent amendment to the Nature Conservation Act, has a temporary arrangement with the Gorje Tourism Association, which has managed the site for 130 years. Under this arrangement, entrance fees go to the Institute, which then pays the association for services like parking and mobility.

Za podpis dogovora z gorjansko obฤino tako ni nobene potrebe, prav tako za to ni nikakrลกne podlage v zakonodaji

โ€” Uroลก BreลพanDirector of the TNP Public Institute stating there is no need or legal basis to sign an agreement with the Gorje municipality regarding liability.

The issue of liability has been exacerbated by a lawsuit filed by a Hungarian tourist injured in 2021 when a rock fell on her in the gorge. The lawsuit names not only the TNP Institute and the Gorje Tourism Association but also the state, as the owner of the land where the accident occurred. Meanwhile, Vintgar Gorge is experiencing overwhelming visitor numbers, reaching its daily capacity of 2,290 people on the first day of its opening last month. The Institute urges visitors to book online in advance, with adult tickets costing 15 euros. Mayor Peter Torkar of Gorje remains insistent on a signed agreement, highlighting legal opinions that suggest the landowner could be held liable under the Law of Obligations.

po obligacijskem zakoniku odลกkodninska in kazenska odgovornost na lastniku zemljiลกฤa, na katerem se doloฤena dejavnost izvaja

โ€” Mayor Peter TorkarMayor of Gorje citing legal opinion that liability rests with the landowner where an activity takes place, according to the Law of Obligations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog