Did you know that Gorenje was founded in Slovenia? With the upcoming European Championship England v Slovenia match this Sunday, we thought we would take the opportunity to tell you a little more about the country we hail from.

Slovenia, officially called the Republic of Slovenia is located in Europe, sandwiched between Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Italy. It has a population of over 2 million people and covers 20,273 square kilometres. Well, that’s the basic stuff out the way, now it’s time for our top three fun facts about Slovenia;

1. The oldest vine in the world lives here
   Slovenia is home to the world’s oldest vine and it’s still in use today! It is located in Maribor, a city in the north-east and Slovenia’s second largest city. It is estimated that the vine is over 400 years old and it even holds its own Guinness world record.
    
2. You can pay to stay in a prison cell
   It’s true! Although, it’s not a prison any more but a youth hostel called Hostel Celica, located in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. The building served as a prison for over 100 years and has since been renovated into a funky art hostel. In 2001, more than 80 local artists combined forces to save the building. They were each given 2600 Euros to renovate their own cell, which resulted in every room having its own unique style.
    
3. Your wildest wish may come true
   There’s a wishing bell located in the beautiful church on Bled Island. As legend has it, a young widow Poliksena who lived in Bled Castle had a bell made for her late husband. However, as it was being moved to the church, a terrible storm struck. The boat sank with the crew and the bell, which is still said to ring from the depths of the lake. After the widow had passed away, the Pope blessed a new bell and sent it to Bled Island. It is believed that if you make a wish and ring the bell, your wish will come true.

We hope you have learnt a little more about our home-country, it may not have quite persuaded you to support Slovenia, but may the best team win...!