Exactly a year ago, forester Jože Prah from the Slovenia Forest Service brought us together at this same fair. He introduced his idea for a nationwide project that would bring together forests and reading. Through reading and the establishment of forest libraries, he aimed to connect tourism organisations and associations, forest owners and managers, local communities, educational institutions, libraries and individuals who visit forests for recreation and to enjoy peace, silence and fresh air. As partners, we at the SIAE joined the project along with the Tourist Association of Slovenia and the Forestry Library at the Forestry Institute.
The main event took place in the Herbal Center of Southeast Slovenia in the Municipality of Škocjan, where the first forest library in Slovenia was established. Many SIAE staff attended; however, reading did not take place only there. Over 60 organisers – – tourist associations, local communities, retirement homes, schools, branches of the Slovenia Forest Service and other organisations – responded to the invitation to host forest reading sessions. Across Slovenia and even in neighbouring regions, participants read together, met authors, told fairy tales and reminisced about personal stories. They exchanged knowledge and shared their love for the written word, and in doing so, they contributed to strengthening reading culture and mutual understanding.
The Book of Peace, presented at the Alpe Adria Fair, captures impressions and photographs from these events. It includes inspiring reflections on peace, reading, nature, culture, and life in general, to which the participants contributed. The joy of collaboration and harmonious coexistence with others and nature also connected us at the final event, where we especially enjoyed poetry inspired by the love of nature. The verses were contributed by the poet Ifigenija Zagoričnik, forester Boštjan Škerlep and Zlata Nataša Markelj.
However, the Book of Peace is unique not only for its content but also for its design. Its wooden covers, made from ten native Slovenian trees, were crafted by young wood designer Nejc Pižmoht from Pineks Wood in Radeče. The pages, as in any book, are made of paper. Through shared reading in the forest, we symbolically returned books to their origin. With the Book of Peace, we bring reading back to the people, however, this time with a special message.
Tourism and nature are bridges that connect cultures and people. In forest libraries, where the silence of nature meets the power of words, understanding grows, and peace is encouraged. By combining tourism and reading culture, we build paths to harmony and deeper connections between people and the world.
The Book of Peace is kept at the Forestry Library at the Forestry Institute in Ljubljana. It can be browsed through here (in Slovenian).
Let reading in the forest continue to be an opportunity to escape the everyday and reconnect with nature and oneself. For among the trees and within books lie stories that are waiting to be discovered – and to discover us.
We did not gather in the forest just to read – we came to share stories. In the embrace of the forest, where the rustling leaves sound like the most beautiful song, our words resonated more powerfully, our thoughts connected more deeply, and our stories felt even more alive.
Shared reading and storytelling in nature bring us closer – to each other, to the wisdom of the past and the imagination of the future. Sitting under the treetops, listening to the voices of storytellers, we become part of something greater – a community that cherishes words and feels the presence of nature.
The initiative will continue this year as well. All information will be available on the National Month of Shared Reading website (in Slovenian).
Alenka Štrukelj (alenka.strukelj@acs.si), SIAE
