Lying at an elevation of 1,178 metres above sea level, Trdinov Vrh (“Trdina’s Peak”), is the highest peak of the Gorjanci, a mountain range in the Dolenjska region stretching along Slovenia’s southern border. The peak, named by Slovenes after the writer Janez Trdina in 1922, is actually on the Croatian side and is marked by a tall concrete viewing tower. The international border between Slovenia and Croatia runs along the summit, separating the settlements of Gabrje and Cerov Log on the Slovenian side from Rajakovići on the Croatian side. Gravel roads from Gabrje and Rajakovići lead up to the peak.
Two small churches once stood on the summit, which Croatians call Sveta Gera (Slovene equivalent: Sveta Jera). The first, dedicated to St Gertrude (Gera/Jera), now lies in ruins; the second, a chapel dedicated to St Elijah (Ilija or Elija), stands on the Croatian side. On the Slovenian side there is also a military barracks, occupied since 1991 by soldiers of the Slovenian army.
The Trdinov Vrh old-growth forest area lies on the northern slope and reaches almost up to the barracks. Below Trdinov Vrh, to the east of Miklavž and St Michael’s Church, is the source of the Pendirjevka stream.
Originally, the peak had no official name and locals simply referred to it descriptively as Vrh Svete Jere (“St Gertrude’s Peak”) after the church dedicated to St Gertrude. Older German and Hungarian sources refer to it as St Geraberg or Gorianc. In 1922 a Slovene proposal to name the peak after the local writer and historian Janez Trdina was adopted by the central Yugoslav government. The official naming ceremony took place the following year, on 15 August 1923.
Trdinov Vrh is a popular destination for day trips and hikes and is part of or the end point of many hiking trails. Since the summit is surrounded by forest, views over the surrounding area are slightly limited, although on clear days it is possible to see part of the Julian Alps and the Kamnik–Savinja Alps. At the summit there is a viewpoint indicator and a box containing a summit register and stamp. Novo Mesto and the wider Novo Mesto Basin can be seen from here. A telecommunications mast with transmitters, visible from the valley below, also stands on the peak.