Inn and Restaurant Avsenik
Inn and Accordion
Short description
Everybody in Slovenia knows about the Avsenik brothers. And there are also many others beyond Slovenian boarders, who are familiar with the name of Avsenik that has become synonymous with traditional country-style entertainment music. The Avsenik band records have been sold in millions of copies, particularly in the German-speaking part of Europe.
Contact data
- Address
- Begunje na Gorenjskem 21
- Post
- 4257 Begunje
- Telephone
- 04 533 34 02
- Telefax
- 04 533 41 64
- Web site
- http://www.avsenik.com
- avsenik@avsenik.com
The family inn however has been around for even longer than their music. It dates back to 1865 when Janez Avsenik, who came from one of the larger Begunje farms, married Katarina Pretnar Jurjeva from Begunje. Janez was a cabbie – he drove guests and tourists in his carriage to nearby places – while his bride wanted to have an inn. When Jožovc, the cabinetmaker in Begunje, was selling his house and some land with the house being situated by the main road of what was then a lively village, Avseniks bought it and kept the old name of the house: Jožovc's. It has stuck to the present day and that is just as it should be.
Begunje was frequented by summer visitors who admired the natural beauty of Gorenjska and loved the fresh air. Among them there were many Englishmen; some even came to Begunje from Bled. The young innkeeper Katarina refurbished the inn so it had 24 guest rooms, and also had wild chestnuts planted in the outdoor dining area instead of fruit trees, so the guests could enjoy their meals in the shade.
Business was brisk; every day they would serve 200 or even 300 dinners. Katarina also bought a property at Trata at Begunje, where she opened another inn in 1880. Soon the Jožovc inn was taken over by Katarina's son Žan who married Johanca Jekler, the daughter of a Bled hotelier. They had six children. It was their son Ivan who carried on the family tradition. After World War II, Ivan Avsenik was leasing the inn like many other innkeepers, which is how the government treated private-owned hospitality establishments in those days. After Ivan and his wife Mara had passed away, the inn was taken over by Gregor Avsenik and his wife Katarina. Gregor was also a well-known musician and the son of respected and world-famous Slavko Avsenik. Today, adjacent to the inn, there are also a picture gallery, a permanent museum collection of the Avsenik band and an art store; since 1997, there is also a large concert hall with a recording studio that is situated by the beautiful garden.
Today, Avsenik Inn and Restaurant that was awarded the Order of St. Fortunat Maison de Qualité some years ago, is famous for their home-style cooking. The most popular among cold entrées are the Avsenik cold cuts that are always served with Bohinj cheese. Guests love mushroom soup; consommé with homemade noodles or consommé Célestine also served daily. House specialties include Begunje-style roast beef, Shepherd's lunch (strips of pork fillet, sauté potatoes and cabbage with ham, cooked and served in the pan), Košir goulash, Merry Gorenjc (shish-kebab with three kinds of meat and vegetables), veal legs, various medallions and an impressive selection of salads. Their a-la-carte menu also includes excellent boiled strudel with cottage cheese filling as well as numerous other, mouth-watering dishes.
Favourite desserts include Gibanica - layered strudel with different types of filling, and in recent years chestnut slice. As a rule however, the table is mostly laden with seasonal delicacies.
Their varied and delicious food selection is complemented by excellent Slovenian wines. As we have come to expect in the Gorenjska region, there is always good, tart Cviček wine from Dolenjska to be had as well as a selection of premium wines from other parts of Slovenia. If you are really lucky however, they may even be serving Cviček made and supplied by the famous musician Lojze Slak. In fact, the food menu allows for a number of different combinations that include wines from all three Slovenian winegrowing regions, from fresh tasting fruity wines to dry, semi-dry and predicate white wines, to full-flavoured and mellow dry red wines.
The Avsenik Inn and Restaurant with its beautiful grounds offers special pleasures to the guests, being situated amidst all the natural beauties of Gorenjska and in the hands of good hosts who know how to prepare a delicious home-style cooked meal. The new generation, headed by Grega Avsenik, is carrying on the family tradition while continually working on preserving the old house and its original image, which is deserving of all commendation. That way, innovation and demands of the present times beautifully compliment the ancestors' cultural legacy thus affirming the fact that the Avsenik inn – »Jožovc's« – is indeed a home of culture.
Begunje was frequented by summer visitors who admired the natural beauty of Gorenjska and loved the fresh air. Among them there were many Englishmen; some even came to Begunje from Bled. The young innkeeper Katarina refurbished the inn so it had 24 guest rooms, and also had wild chestnuts planted in the outdoor dining area instead of fruit trees, so the guests could enjoy their meals in the shade.
Business was brisk; every day they would serve 200 or even 300 dinners. Katarina also bought a property at Trata at Begunje, where she opened another inn in 1880. Soon the Jožovc inn was taken over by Katarina's son Žan who married Johanca Jekler, the daughter of a Bled hotelier. They had six children. It was their son Ivan who carried on the family tradition. After World War II, Ivan Avsenik was leasing the inn like many other innkeepers, which is how the government treated private-owned hospitality establishments in those days. After Ivan and his wife Mara had passed away, the inn was taken over by Gregor Avsenik and his wife Katarina. Gregor was also a well-known musician and the son of respected and world-famous Slavko Avsenik. Today, adjacent to the inn, there are also a picture gallery, a permanent museum collection of the Avsenik band and an art store; since 1997, there is also a large concert hall with a recording studio that is situated by the beautiful garden.
Today, Avsenik Inn and Restaurant that was awarded the Order of St. Fortunat Maison de Qualité some years ago, is famous for their home-style cooking. The most popular among cold entrées are the Avsenik cold cuts that are always served with Bohinj cheese. Guests love mushroom soup; consommé with homemade noodles or consommé Célestine also served daily. House specialties include Begunje-style roast beef, Shepherd's lunch (strips of pork fillet, sauté potatoes and cabbage with ham, cooked and served in the pan), Košir goulash, Merry Gorenjc (shish-kebab with three kinds of meat and vegetables), veal legs, various medallions and an impressive selection of salads. Their a-la-carte menu also includes excellent boiled strudel with cottage cheese filling as well as numerous other, mouth-watering dishes.
Favourite desserts include Gibanica - layered strudel with different types of filling, and in recent years chestnut slice. As a rule however, the table is mostly laden with seasonal delicacies.
Their varied and delicious food selection is complemented by excellent Slovenian wines. As we have come to expect in the Gorenjska region, there is always good, tart Cviček wine from Dolenjska to be had as well as a selection of premium wines from other parts of Slovenia. If you are really lucky however, they may even be serving Cviček made and supplied by the famous musician Lojze Slak. In fact, the food menu allows for a number of different combinations that include wines from all three Slovenian winegrowing regions, from fresh tasting fruity wines to dry, semi-dry and predicate white wines, to full-flavoured and mellow dry red wines.
The Avsenik Inn and Restaurant with its beautiful grounds offers special pleasures to the guests, being situated amidst all the natural beauties of Gorenjska and in the hands of good hosts who know how to prepare a delicious home-style cooked meal. The new generation, headed by Grega Avsenik, is carrying on the family tradition while continually working on preserving the old house and its original image, which is deserving of all commendation. That way, innovation and demands of the present times beautifully compliment the ancestors' cultural legacy thus affirming the fact that the Avsenik inn – »Jožovc's« – is indeed a home of culture.
