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Hotel Starkl, Bled 1928 Visit
The pump, two Fords and panels in the courtyard beside Hotel Starkl
Starkl Museum

The story of Hotel Starkl

The hotel's story is the story of Mlino on Lake Bled: of mills, pletna boatmen, the first cars and a family marked by war and nationalisation.

  1. 9th century

    Before the hotel

    The first settlement along the Jezernica stream, the only outflow of Lake Bled, dates back to at least the 9th century. The village got its name from the mills powered by the stream's natural drop. A second part of the village, called Zazer ("behind the lake"), developed along the road to Bohinj.

    From 1004, Bled and its surroundings were under the rule of the prince-bishops of Brixen in South Tyrol for 800 years. The easiest way to reach the shrine on the island was by boat from the Mlino shore. As transport connections improved, the number of visitors grew rapidly and inns, guesthouses and hotels appeared along the lakeshore.

  2. 1928

    Hotel Starkl

    Adolf and Josipina Starkl buy the property on the lakeshore, with all its appurtenances, from the bankrupt wholesaler Ivan Benko and rename it Hotel Starkl. In front of the hotel stands the first gas pump in Bled, seen on an old photograph beside a car.

    Before cars arrived, travellers on the way towards Bohinj changed their tired horses in the Starkl stables.

    The story of the stables is the hotel owner's account.

The starting point

The photograph where it began

The museum began with one old photograph of Hotel Starkl with a gas pump standing in front of it. The sign Adolf Starkl is visible on the side building on the left.

An old photograph of Hotel Starkl with a gas pump in front of the entrance
  1. 1935

    The apprentice Jože Rožman

    Jože Rožman, a nephew of Josipina Starkl and a member of the Mlino brass band, learns his first trading skills as an apprentice at Hotel Starkl, home to Bled's first gas station.

    Source: Hotel Starkl Archive (panel Jezernica's Impact on Local Economic Development).

  2. Second World War

    War by the lake

    German soldiers were stationed around the hotel, and representatives of the German staff came for lunch. At the same time, wounded partisans were hidden in the hotel.

    Most of the inns and guesthouses along the lake were removed after the war.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

  3. 1946

    Nationalisation

    The hotel is nationalised. Adolf Starkl is sentenced by a military court; he is tortured in prison and dies there.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

  4. 1979

    The first director of Petrol

    After the war Jože Rožman becomes the first director of Petrol and leads it successfully until his retirement in 1979. He becomes known for introducing the petrol stations as we still know them today.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

  1. 1984

    Josipina

    Starkl's wife Josipina lived in the hotel until 1984. A special sparkling wine of the hotel is named after her, and it has a story of its own.

  2. Pension Mlino

    A building under a new name

    The building became the Mlino guesthouse, run by the hotel and tourism company Hotelsko-turistično podjetje Bled.

  1. 1990 – 1999

    Denationalisation

    Jože Rožman, an heir on the Starkl side, starts the denationalisation procedure in 1990. It lasts ten years and ends in 1999.

  2. Late 1999

    The Galičič couple buy the building

    At the end of 1999 the building is bought by the couple Andreja and Robert Galičič. Until 2019 they rent it out.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

  3. 2019

    The Galičič family

    When the last tenant's contract expires in 2019, the Galičič family takes over the hotel, at the request of the staff, who asked that no new tenant be brought in.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

  4. 2021

    Renovation

    The Galičič family renovates the hotel and keeps the Starkl history at the heart of the design.

  5. How the museum began

    One photograph that changed everything

    A former mayor sends Robert Galičič an old photograph of the hotel with the gas pump by e-mail. He begins researching it, and the Starkl Museum grows out of that story, followed by pletna boatmaking, the mills along the Jezernica and the story of the chocolate bell.

    A story told by the hotel owner.

Sources

The texts of the panels in the museum, the Hotel Starkl Archive, private archives and the account of the hotel owner Robert Galičič. Stories told by the owner are marked.

Next

The story has its objects

The Wayne 615 pump, two Fords and the panels stand beside the hotel. See what is written on them.

The collection
The pump, a black and a red Ford and panels in the courtyard beside the hotel