Andrej Medved

Andrej je od vseh letnih časov najbolj zaljubljen v poletje – kakopak, tako se za pravega Primorca tudi spodobi. Če bi ga srečali kjerkoli drugje kot v Šmarjah, bi zagotovo povedal, kje je doma: v Šmarjah. Z ženo skrbita, da se obiskovalci in turisti v Šmarjah počutijo kot doma. O obnovljenem vaškem trgu, življenju in dogodkih, ki ga je ta prinesel v vas, ter o načrtih za prihodnost najverjetneje le redko kdo govori s tolikšnim zanosom kot ravno Andrej. Obiskovalce vedno sprejme kot prijatelje – odprtih rok, s pripovedmi o doživetjih in veliko dobre volje, vsakogar popelje skozi vas in njeno okolico. 

Če ga ujamete v trenutku, ko ne koordinira nobenega dogodka ali načrtuje projekta, imate blazno srečo in bodite brez skrbi, da vam bo ponudil kozarček domače malvazije ali vas popeljal na pristno lokalno kulinarično doživetje. 

Poleg neskončnega generatorja idej je Andrej tudi predsednik upravnega odbora Lokalne akcijske skupine (LAS) Istre in je zares prava lokalna faca ter neutrudni načrtovalec in povezovalec lokalne skupnosti. Društva, odbori, obrtniki, vinarji, oljkarji, šolarji in obiskovalci – domače se počuti prav z vsemi. Je tudi navdušen kolesar, ki ga istrsko gričevje ne prestraši in zato nenehno spoznava nove skrite kotičke slovenske Istre in drugih krajev.

Na kratko: Andrej je ljubitelj (slovenskega) podeželja in poosebitev pristnega istrskega gostoljubja. Z njim ni nikoli dolgčas.

Andrej’s favorite season is summer. Of course, living so close to the sea this befits him. If you were to meet him anywhere outside of Šmarje, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you where he comes from: Šmarje. He and his wife make sure that visitors and tourists feel like Šmarje is also their home. You would struggle to find anyone who speaks with more enthusiasm about the renovated village square, the liveliness it brought to the village and about the village plans for the future. His visitors are always welcomed as friends – with arms wide open, accompanied by stories about real-life experiences and a lot of goodwill he takes everyone through the village and its surroundings. 

If you catch Andrej in one of the rare moments when he is not coordinating any events or making any project plans, you are extremely lucky. Don’t worry, in that case he will most definitely offer you a glass of local Malvasia or take you to authentic culinary experience or pristine local trip. 

Besides being an endless generator of great ideas, Andrej is also the chairman of management board of Local Action Group (LAG) Istre and he is a real local hero and facilitator in local community. Societies, committees, craftsmen, winemakers, olive growers, schoolchildren and visitors – he feels at ease with everyone. He is also an enthusiastic cycler who is not afraid to conquer Istrian hills and therefore he is very eager to find new hidden gems of Slovenian Istria and other districts.

In short: Andrej is a great fan of (Slovenian) countryside and a perfect personification of pristine Istrian hospitality. Stick to him and you will never ever be bored. 

Kaj je prva stvar, ki jo naredite, ko se zjutraj zbudite?

(smeh) Pregledam Facebook in maile.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? 

[Laughter] I check Facebook and emails.

Če bi si lahko izbrali nadnaravno moč, katera bi to bila?

Izobraževanje ljudi pa financiranje projektov. 

If you could choose to have a superpower, what would it be? 

Educating people and financing projects.

Imate najljubši del vasi?

Vaški trg (pokaže). Vaški trg, ki smo ga 15 let razvijali in tudi dosegli. 

Do you have a favourite spot in the village?

Village square [he points to the village square]. Village square that we were building for 15 years and is now finally finished.