Savica: The First Agreement on the Stewardship of a Natural Resource in the TNP Area
Savica: The First Agreement on the Stewardship of a Natural Resource in the TNP Area
The amendment to the Nature Conservation Act, which takes effect in December 2025, has revised the rules governing fees for visiting natural sites: the minister decides on the charging of fees and the fee amounts for natural heritage sites of national importance, and such fees may only be collected by the manager of the protected area or the custodian, which must be a public institution.
As a result of this change, the Triglav National Park Public Institution, as the managing authority; Turizem Bohinj, as the custodian; and the Municipality of Bohinj entered into an agreement on July 24, 2026, a stewardship agreement for the Savica natural landmark —the waterfall—the first agreement of its kind in the Triglav National Park area.
A custodian was selected based on a publicly announced call for proposals (July 13, 2026), which was open to all public-law entities headquartered within the park or in a local community within the protected area that meet the published eligibility requirements. Services at the entrance point are provided by a contractor selected through a public procurement process—the Bohinj Tourist Association, which has been maintaining the Savica area since 1951 and collecting entrance fees since 1956. It sells tickets on behalf of and for the account of Turizem Bohinj, while also handling the maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep of the area. Thus, the work on the ground remains in local hands.
A contract is a form of horizontal public partnership >pursuant to the sixth paragraph of Article 28 of the Public Procurement Act. It is not a concession and does not confer the right to commercially exploit a natural asset; the value of the partnership is limited to reimbursement of actual eligible costs. Each party contributes from its own public responsibilities—the park provides the technical basis, supervision, and infrastructure; Turizem Bohinj handles the operational implementation of the visitor management system; and the municipality is responsible for spatial planning and development, transportation, parking policy, sustainable mobility, and the maintenance of public areas along access routes.
Joint decisions are made by The Savica Management Board, which met for the first time on July 30, 2026: Aleš Zdešar (chair) and Majda Odar representing the Triglav National Park Public Service Agency, Klemen Langus representing Bohinj Tourism, and Silvo Režek representing the Municipality of Bohinj; members do not receive meeting allowances.
Services at the entry point are provided by a contractor selected through a procedure in accordance with the Public Procurement Act—the Bohinj Tourism Association, which has been managing the Savica area for decades.
For visitors starting August 1, 2026: Admission fee: 4.00 EUR (including VAT) for visitors 16 years of age and older; free for children 15 years of age and younger; free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month.
Entrance point hours: August and September 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., October 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., November and December 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The entrance point is closed in the event of heavy rain, storms, snowfall, black ice, high water, or the risk of falling rocks.
The funds raised are earmarked and are used within the Bohinj municipality, with priority given to the natural heritage itself. The amount of funds raised and their allocation by purpose are publicly disclosed each year.
