Contemporary Wood Design -Slovenija- maker of Bled "pletna" boats

 

Anže Logar – maker of Bled "pletna" boats

Ane Logar, who creates exquisite wooden boats at Zazero na Mlinem in Bled, is among the best contemporary artisans who use wood as their primary material. His major offering is the pletna, the recognisable wooden boat that has been a fixture of Lake Bled for decades.


According to certain documents, these vessels were first employed in the 12th century to transport building supplies to the island.The boats were initially referred to as ledenice and then plitvice.
The testimonies from the second half of the 16th century, which describe pilgrims being transported to the island by boats, are more trustworthy. It is unknown exactly when the term "pletna" first appeared.
But because of this, people are aware of its etymology, which reveals that this was a flat-bottomed ship known as Plätten in Bavarian German and Plette, Plettn in Carinthian German.Flat-bottomed boats were referred to as plata or platta in Latin.The Pletna, which has dimensions of 7-8 metres and 2 metres and can accommodate up to 20 people, is the typical Bled boat.The craft is driven standing up (using the "Stehruder" technique) by specially trained pletnarji while utilising two oars.

For ages, the ability to row these boats has been passed down from father to son. On Lake Bled, there are currently 23 of these boats. In addition to the iconic Bled boat, Anže Logar makes other outstanding wooden craft.