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Finding roots – exploring lost Gottschee villages is a very individual boutique experience. It is primarily designed for visitors who come to find their roots, origins, whether from the USA, Canada or elsewhere, and are interested in where and how their ancestors lived.
Therefore, each experience is highly individualized, specifically designed for each visitor, depending on their personal family story. For example, One parent come from one village, other from another. We take every tour seriously and individually, with extensive research and a deep dive into archives. It is a personal research story to find as much as possible about the people and families who lived here. Before the tour, we are in contact with visitors, their data and knowledge, and dring the tour we try to link all these to the landscape, heritage left there and to data. All with the goal to offer you an incredible experience here, to show you how they lived, to try to relate to nowadays and open a space for discussion.
We can also visit various archives, meet locals who still live there, visit museums to learn more about the heritage and the history of Gottschee, serve you a typical dish in the village of your ancestors, but above all, we try to create a very boutique experience for you.
We visit the Gottschee village that is important for your, where your family comes from. Most likely also near by cemetary or church or remains of the the church. If you prefer, we can also include the visit of Museum with the interpretation story of Gottschee, to represent this unique heritage for better understanding.
If you need help in searching through some archives, please let us know, we are happy to help you in finding your unique and authentic story, related to your family.
Also, please, if you need support with accommodation, transfer, or have special wishes by transport, walking or dieatary needs, please, feel free to let us know. We try to offer you local food that reflects the seasons and life of peole in Kočevsko.
Hinterberg (Novi Lazi), 2025
When three of my grown children and my three eldest grandchildren expressed interest in visiting Gottschee, now Kočevje, where their grandparents originated, we decided to embark on a pilgrimage to the ancestral homeland. We searched for a guide to help us understand the area, Hinterberg (Novi Lazi) where my parents lived until 1941.
My daughter found Petra on-line, and after explaining our unique mixed mobility travelling group of eight people, aged 9 to 82 years old, Petra very kindly layed out a plan for the day. First, a visit to the beautifully renovated church in Rieg which houses the wonderful wooden sculptures depicting the Gottscheer way of life. Next, we went for a gentle hike through the forest around Hinterberg where Petra pointed out the flora and fauna common to the area as well as the animal tracks that fascinated the children. At the end of the hike, she showed them how to make plaster casts of the bear, wolf, and deer tracks which they were able to take back to Canada with them. Then a tour of the village to locate the homes of our ancestors showed us how much the village had changed since the time of my parents. The configuration of the town was different and most of the homes had been rebuilt, now surrounded by lovely gardens of fruit trees, geraniums and lilacs. Although Petra called on many of her neighbours, we could find no one among the friendly Slovenian inhabitants who actually remembered the Gottscheers or could speak Gottscharbarisch. In the original cemetery, very few gravestones were still intact, but we could gather at the large crucifix salvaged from the village church where it once stood.Petra invited us to the newly built community centre for a hearty lunch which had been prepared by a village resident. The delicious traditional “rindfleisch suppe” reminded me of my childhood and was enjoyed by all of us, particularly the grandchildren who have asked for it often since our return to Canada. Petra added her own apple strudel that was wonderful. The lunch was served on beautiful rustic pottery which was crafted by Petra herself. We persuaded her to show us her studio where the children were delighted to choose some pottery as souvenirs of our day in Hinterberg.
Petra is clearly a multi-talented woman whose interests are very broad. She is well versed in the history of the region, knowledgeable and concerned about the environment, has great command of English, and has artistic talents as a photographer and potter. She is the perfect guide, anticipating and accommodating the needs of her group. We felt very fortunate, indeed, to have discovered her website and to have engaged her for a magical day.
Weissenstein, 2025
Our family had an unforgettable day exploring the Gottschee region of Slovenia with Petra Draškovic Pelc as our guide. This was far more than a typical tour—it was a deeply personal journey into our ancestral homeland. Petra guided us on a day long hiking and research tour to the former site of the village of Weissenstein, helping bring to life a place that otherwise exists only in records and memory. Her knowledge of the history of the Gottschee Germans, the landscape, the wildlife, and the specific village site is remarkable. She has a unique ability to connect historical detail with what you’re actually seeing on the ground, which made the experience incredibly meaningful for our family. For example Petra pointed out nut trees near the village site with signs of farming, these trees were at least 80 years old. Beyond her expertise, Petra is simply a wonderful person to spend the day with—warm, engaging, and genuinely invested in making the experience special. She took the time to understand our family’s history and tailored the day to it, which made all the difference. We also enjoyed a fantastic lunch together, which was the perfect complement to a day. If you are interested in Gottschee history, genealogy, or simply exploring this beautiful and historically rich part of Slovenia, I cannot recommend Petra highly enough. This was a truly memorable and meaningful experience for our entire family.
Alttabar (Stari Tabor), Viderzug (Vimol), 2025
As a person aged 94 years, I have had the opportunity to travel to many wonderful destinations. I have often found that my travel money is better spent on quality guides and tours than on five star accommodations, and my experience with Petra has greatly reinforced this philosophy for me. That is to say I have had a lot of wonderful guides, but but none has everbeen better than Petra. I joined up with Petra on my fourth visit to Gottschee (Kočevska), and I saw more on that visit than I had on my previous three visits combined. Petra showed us the area in a way that provided a good understanding of the whole ecosystem, giving us very intriguing insights into the lives of my two grandparents who were born in the mountains above Tsermosnitz (Črmošnjice). In addition to her vast knowledge of the ecosystem, history, and various cultures of the area, Petra is charming and hospitable. She is an excellent driver with a comfortable car. One of my favorite moments of the tour came when Petra served a delicious lunch that would exceed any expectation of a fine dining establishment and did so on beautiful ceramic dishes of her own making. Should you have the opportunity to enjoy such a meal with her, I recommend it highly. Petra not only showed me the land where my ancestors lived and died, but also helped me more deeply appreciate their way of life over the centuries. I think that if you can spend time with Petra, you will go home with a deeper and more meaningful understanding as well. A day with Petra is a day never to be forgotten!
Alttag (Stari Log), Kletsch (Kleč), 2026
I began by playing around with an ancestry website and went down the rabbit hole. I found my grandmother’s family information. This is the grandmother I loved best. She never shared anything about her family’s emigration to the United States but she said they were German. She still prayed German at 90. After some digging, I found she was actually born in Gottschee. All of this to say how important it was to me to find her past. Skip to this past February, I found Petra Draskovic. Partly through people I emailed with from the Gottschee Heritage and Genealogy Association and shear good luck. She was my angel. I forwarded only the basic information about my family and even before I left on my trip, she had found tomb stone of my family. And sent photos, which blew me away at her sleuthing and attention to detail. She suggested B&Bs in Kocevje and train schedules. All of this was everything I wanted in my trip but I couldn’t expected. She anticipated my needs and comfort. She did all the leg work which made the trip calm, informative and relaxed. This was a bespoke, peronalized tour experience. After picking me up at the train station, we went on a wonderful journey. We had narrowed my family to two villages. Kletsch and Altlag. These are village the were razed through the war years. Without her local knowledge, I would have never found these sites. I stood on the land on which my grandmother was born. I am still processing the joy this brought me. Petra brought a picnic lunch and we had time to get to know each other. I haven’t mentions her extensive knowledge of the areas history but also the flora and fauna. Her education and experiences are vast enabling her to be comfortable with all new people - making her perfect tour guide. Finding a tour so specific to the Gottschee area was such a gift. Being able to see the land of my grandmother instead of searching a website or checking censuses is the adventure I was looking for. I was looking for my grandmother and found a friend who made that dream come true.
Oberwetzenbach, Masern, 2019.
I highly recommend booking a tour with Petra. We booked a family tour in 2019 and it was one of the most wonderful tours we have ever done. She located areas in Gottschee that our family is from originally that we never would have found on our own. Her tour was excellent in every way. Ingrid Vascellaro
