Lipica Horse Stud is home to one of the world’s most famous breed of horses, the Lippizaner. Founded by Archduke Charles of Austria in 1580, the farm has continuously bred the sturdy white horses for over four centuries and some of the best of these perform at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

The farm, extending over 311 hectares in the Kras countryside, was proclaimed a place of special cultural heritage in 1996, and has since that time been state-owned and managed by the Republic of Slovenia. At present the farm is home to around 350 white horses. Lipica, marketed as a jewel of the Kras region, is a major tourist attraction. The various activities at the stud farm attract over 110,000 visitors every year, most of them foreign.

As well as watching the horses perform at the Classical Riding School at Lipica, visitors can also take the reins of a thoroughbred Lippizaner themselves. There are also pony rides for children. Other activities on offer here include horse-drawn carriage rides, tennis, cycling and walking among the lime groves and oak forests. It is also possible to spend an entire holiday on and around the stud farm; the two on-site hotels provide swimming pools, a fitness centre, sauna, casino and nightclub.