A Homestead that tells the story of Rečica
The Mrak Homestead stands in Rečica, one of Bled’s historic villages. It is one of the few surviving examples of Bled’s traditional rural architecture and offers visitors an insight into life on a prosperous farm, where home and work were closely intertwined.
The farmhouse, outbuildings, courtyard, garden, and orchard once formed a complete and self-sufficient whole. Over the generations, the homestead evolved and adapted to the needs of its inhabitants. Its oldest structural elements date back to the 17th century, while much of the property reflects the character of an 18th-century Upper Carniolan homestead.
Today, visitors can experience a glimpse of life as it once was in Rečica and rural Bled, preserved within the authentic setting of the homestead.
THE FAMILY AT THE MRAK HOMESTEAD
A Family’s Connection to the Homestead
The story of the Mrak Homestead is closely linked to the family of sculptor Slavko Oblak. Anton Slivnik (born in 1870), a native of Rečica, lived at Pr’ Mrako with his wife Marija, née Jamar, from Bohinjska Bela. They had four children: Anton, who became a doctor in Radovljica; Jerca, who married into the Rajner family; a daughter who married into the Kapus family; and Ivanka Slivnik, who later married Leopold Oblak.
Ivanka was the mother of sculptor Slavko Oblak. Together with her mother, Marija Slivnik, she built the Pr’ Klemenu homestead. Ivanka married Leopold Oblak from Škofja Loka. They had two sons, Leopold and Franc Alojz Oblak (born in 1934), who later officially changed his name to Alojz Slavko Oblak and became known as the sculptor Slavko Oblak.
EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE HOMESTEAD
Life at Pr’ Mrako
For more than two hundred years, the Mrak Homestead was home to generations of families. The farmhouse, outbuildings, courtyard, and former orchard together formed the setting for everyday life and work.
The house was designed to combine living spaces with areas for storing produce and preparing food. The ground floor contained the entrance hall, kitchen, and storage rooms, while the bedrooms were located upstairs. The entrance hall served as the central passageway, providing access to the other parts of the house. Over the centuries, everyday life changed, and the way individual rooms were used changed with it.
One of the distinctive features of the homestead is that, despite numerous alterations over time, it has retained the character of a traditional farmhouse. Today, it therefore offers a valuable insight into life in the villages around Bled before the major changes of the 20th century.
How was the Homestead designed?
The residential house
The oldest researched parts of the present-day house date back to the second half of the 17th century. At that time, the building had only a ground floor. The main entrance led into an entrance hall, next to which stood an open hearth that also served to heat the tiled stove in the main living room. In the 18th century, the house was enlarged and an upper floor was added. It was during this period that it acquired much of the form it has retained to this day.
The entrance hall, kitchen, and storage rooms
The entrance hall connected the main rooms of the homestead. Around it were various storage areas, including a cellar, a granary, and an upstairs storeroom, as well as other spaces used in everyday life. One particularly interesting feature was the traditional smoke kitchen. Rather than escaping through a chimney, smoke collected beneath the vaulted ceiling before leaving the room through openings. The kitchen originally had an open hearth, while a masonry stove was added later.
The outbuilding, courtyard, and orchard
The farmhouse was complemented by an outbuilding. Together, they formed a functional farmstead in which everyday life and work were closely connected. The courtyard lay between the residential and agricultural buildings, while an orchard surrounded the homestead. The outdoor areas were therefore not simply the surroundings of the house, but an integral part of daily life on the farm.
Traces of the old house
During your visit to the Mrak Homestead, you can still discover traces of different periods in its long history. Look out for the stone window and door frames made from green Peračica stone, or tuff, as well as the vaulted ceiling in the entrance hall. Traces of former hearths and later alterations have also been preserved, revealing how the way people lived in the house changed over time. Particularly interesting are the remains of the traditional smoke kitchen, where smoke once spread freely beneath the ceiling. Small recesses in the walls show where burning wooden splints were placed to provide light.
The house was therefore not built in a single phase. Its walls, openings, and rooms tell the story of numerous alterations and of how the building was continually adapted to the needs of the people who lived there.
