About the highest one in the geopark.

Who will meet here? You, a dragon, a sea urchin and a brown bear.

Where? At 2,000 metres above sea-level!

And right here, on the first stage of the Karawanken-Karavanke Trail. But don't worry, since brown bears are very timid, rare and strictly protected. It's a lot more likely that you will come across a sea urchin.

On this stage another mythological creature awaits us: a few centuries ago a cock owned by a blacksmith escaped to Koschuta from a village beneath Ljubelj. It left an egg from which a dragon hatched. The dragon hid in the mountain where it grew into a huge monster and split the mountain into two. Today, the huge rocks still attest to the rockfall that made the earth shake.

Did the dragon thus cause a shift in the tectonic plates and in doing so the formation of the northern and southern Karawanken-Karavanke mountains? We are actually right here on the Periadriatic Fault System.

We are setting off, therefore, on a journey through time! Millions of years of geological history have shaped the scenery that reflects the play of nature. While wandering through the meadows and pastures of the spectacular mountainous landscape, which is home to numerous species of animals and plants, fossils and fossilised life can be found time and again. We are accompanied by splendid vegetation: Hochobir is home to the wonderful and rare Carniolan lily, Xanthoria parietina lichen, primula wulfeniaba – a real sea of flowers. At 2,139 metres above sea-level, Hochobir is the highest peak in eastern Karawanken-Karavanke, and also the highest point of the Karawanken-Karavanke Trail.

The trail is edged by sycamore trees, thanks to which the forest continually plays a game of changing colour and creating a unique atmosphere for hikers in every season.

Which mountain, therefore, is the highest here?

Hochobir is legitimately known for its splendid panoramic peak, which offers panoramic views as far as the eye can see. To the south, one can admire the unusual Kamnik-Savinja Alps, and to the north, the Drava river and the Carinthian lakes. The mountains, meanwhile, have even greater power! Legend has it that all southern Carinthians should reach its summit once a year to save them from seven Carinthian troubles: poverty, illness, loneliness, inclement weather, lack of water, danger in the mountains, and preparation of Carinthian cheese dumplings on Fridays.