Each nation has its own element that is its connecting and unifying element. When Slovenians began considering separating themselves from the German culture at the end of the 19th century and later from the Yugoslav culture, skiing as a sport began coinciding with national growth. Slovenians already had a formed national identity when they entered their own country. This is also evident in the development of the national sport in Slovenia – in the development of ski jumps and flights. As a part of Yugoslavia, Slovenians were the only nation that practiced ski jumps and flights, none of the other nations of that country paid attention to this discipline. Aside from that, ski flights became an independent discipline of ski jumps at the initiative of Slovenians. The fact that Planica marked the Slovenian everyday life can also be seen in Slovenian National Music. Ansambel bratov Avsenik (Avsenik Brothers Ensemble) wrote a song in honour of Planica titled Planica, Planica, which sings praise to the beauty of the »snow queen«. In addition, Ljubljanske mlekarne (Ljubljana Dairies) produce an ice cream called Planica. Each year at the end of March, many Slovenians gather under the Julian Mountain peaks to watch the ski jump World Cup matches. In the thesis I focused on showing the chronological development of Planica ski jumps and the influence of Planica ski jumps on the national identity.
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