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Bled (; , Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru, vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also Feldes)de Luca, Ignaz. 1790. Geographisches Handbuch von dem östreichischen Staate, vol 2. Vienna: Johann Paul Krauß, p. 137. is a town on Lake Bled in the region of northwestern Slovenia. It is one of Slovenia most visited Resort town. The town is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Bled.
A number of rises (Grad 599 m, Straža 646 m, Kozarca 558 m, Osojnica 756 m, and Ravnica 729 m) separate the localities of Bled around the lake, the former villages of Grad, Mlino, Rečica, Zagorice, and Želeče.
The lake is long and wide. In summer, the surface water reaches and retains a temperature up to until autumn. As such, it is suitable for swimming. During colder winters, the entire lake freezes and can be used for ice skating; the island can then be reached on foot.
There is a thermal spring () near the lake, next to the Bled Fault. Its water is used in indoor pools in two hotels.
The bishops very seldom visited their remote possession 300 km away. Initially, the lordship was administered by ministeriales (bonded knights), castellans, and castle staff in accordance with feudal practices, but in the middle of the 14th century the prince-bishops decided instead to lease the estate. Under one of the 16th-century lessees, Bled Castle became a Protestant stronghold for a time. When the leasehold era came to an end, the prince-bishops began to appoint governors to manage their distant lordship. Until the middle of the 18th century, those administrators were exclusively aristocratic, but later they included non-nobles.
In 1803, Brixen's rule came to an end when the prince-bishopric was secularized in the course of the German Mediatization. Bled then came under Austrian sovereignty but in 1808, along with Carniola, it was included in the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces. It returned under Austrian sovereignty in 1813, and in 1838 the Austrian Emperor returned Bled to the bishops of Brixen as a private estate. With the abolition of the feudal system in 1848, Bled ceased to have the characteristics of a feudal economy and from then on it experienced several changes in ownership, including industrialists and a bank.
After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Bled and the rest of Carniola came under the rule of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and became a summer domicile of the ruling House of Karađorđević, a tradition that Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito continued when he built his residence here in 1947.
Naturopath Arnold Rikli (1823–1906) from Switzerland contributed significantly to the development of Bled as a health resort in the second half of the 19th century. Due to its mild climate, Bled has been visited by aristocratic guests from all across the world. Today it is an important convention centre and tourist resort, offering a wide range of sports activities (golf, fishing, and Equestrianism). It is a starting point for mountain treks and Hiking, especially within nearby Triglav National Park.
A small island in the middle of the lake is home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church; visitors frequently ring its bell, due to an old legend claiming it provides good luck.
Human traces from prehistory have been found on the island. Before the church was built, there was a temple consecrated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a traditional flat-bottomed wooden boat (), part of a fixed fleet of 23 boats to protect the lake's cleanliness, run by a family-owned business since the 18th century. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent.
In 1961 the Grand Hotel Toplice in Bled was the site of one of the most important international tournaments in chess history. In 2002, the 35th Chess Olympiad was held in the city.
Bled hosts one of the largest Lindy Hop events, known as "Swing Bled". Swing Bled
In 1959 the first 14 rounds of the 4th Chess Candidates Tournament were held in this city, the rest were played in Zagreb and in Belgrade.
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