The house that you can rent as your holiday home is the main farmhouse of a large homestead in the village of Goričice, which is situated on a small hill above the intermittent Lake Cerknica. The Dormouse House was built at the end of the 18th century; the original wooden ceiling in the main room bears the year 1791. For perspective, the Dormouse House was built at the time of the French Revolution!
Many of my childhood memories are connected with the Dormouse House, as this used to be our weekend cottage. That is probably a reason why I decided to move to this region after finishing my studies in the city of Ljubljana.
My grandfather Janez, had a passion for old things. In 1964, he bought a part of a homestead with two houses. He committed himself to preserving the old, historic farmhouse and saving it from further decay.
When he bought the house, the straw-thatched roofs were already being replaced with clay roof tiles. But he decided to keep the original tiling of the roof. Nowadays, that is one of the last thatched houses in the wide region. Since 2005, the house has been protected as a cultural heritage of local importance.
The interior of the house has a special architecture as you enter a large hallway with a high, arched ceiling. The heart of the house is a large room with a wood stove. The stove is operated from another room, which is the kitchen. In the past, houses with straw roofs did not have chimneys because they were too afraid of fires. The ceiling in the kitchen had an opening to the attic, and the smoke was spreading out through the roof. That is why the kitchen was covered with a thick layer of sand and was therefore called “the black kitchen”.
After the chimney was built, we modernised the kitchen and made a small modern kitchen corner where you will be able to prepare your meals. We also built a small bathroom in a part of the cellar and added electric heating panels and wireless internet. We kept the old that is functional and gives charm to the house but added some modern items to make your stay pleasant.