Loka: Drava Landscape and Archaeological Heritage

Loka offers several distinct points of interest for planning a trip: archaeological heritage, local folklore and a landscape closely connected with the Drava. The Loka–Rošnja section of the Drava Cycling Route is another feature that helps define the area. You can decide which of these will shape your stay according to your own interests.

Loka and the Drava Landscape

The name Loka comes from meadows and pastures interspersed with small groves. These groves are locally called “loka.” Behind the houses, fields stretch towards the Drava Canal. Towards the old course of the Drava near Loka lies Drava Landscape Park. The park area is part of the European Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Its landscape includes oxbow lakes, terraces, numerous gravel banks, riparian forests and marshy meadows. The meadows and fields around the settlement and the park’s river landscape thus represent distinct aspects of the surrounding area.

Rare and endangered birds breed among the river channels, eroded banks and gravel banks of the landscape park. These include the common sandpiper, the little ringed plover and the kingfisher. Species and populations may vary seasonally. If you are choosing Loka with nature and river landscapes in mind, the park is a distinct point of interest in your trip planning; its described habitats also extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the settlement.

Burial Mound and Archaeological Heritage

Loka pri Staršah – Gomila is listed as archaeological heritage in Slovenia’s Register of Cultural Heritage. In Loka, beside the road to Ptuj, stands a freestanding burial mound with a burial chamber and a chapel. The vaulted burial chamber was discovered in 1891. The mound, its chamber and the chapel give the place a clear archaeological and architectural significance. For travellers interested in history, this is a specific point of interest distinct from Loka’s natural and river-related features.

Folklore and Folk Singing

The folklore group of the KUD Franc Ilec Loka–Rošnja cultural association presents stage performances featuring elements of dance and other traditions from eastern Slovenia. The association also has a folk-singing group. Dance and other traditional elements performed on stage, and singing, are thus two distinct ways of experiencing local culture. Information about the association offers a cultural point of interest for planning your trip, but does not imply that performances take place regularly.

Drava Cycling Route and Getting Around

The Loka–Rošnja section of the Drava Cycling Route runs directly alongside the Drava. In June 2024, Starše Municipality reported that this section had been renovated. Check route information before setting out. A municipal notice from October 2018 stated that a one-sided pedestrian path and a cycle path had already been built in part of the settlement of Loka. This describes the state of the infrastructure at that time. Loka is also situated along the regional road between Maribor and Ptuj. For orientation, these are different kinds of information: the settlement’s location by the road, the route section that runs along the Drava, and the dated report on the pedestrian and cycle paths.

Travel Interests and Finding a Hotel

The connection with the Drava also differs depending on the activity you have planned. The Drava Cycling Route describes a section of the route along the river; fishing is possible in the old channel of the Drava near Loka. A permit is required. Check locally for current permit arrangements before fishing. Then compare specific offers based on the location and amenities actually listed.

Discover more destinations: Bresternica, Starše, Limbuš, Pernica, Hočko Pohorje, Malečnik, Maribor, Miklavž na Dravskem Polju.

Back to the main travel overview: Maribor.