Natural and cultural treasures
Beautiful images that will be etched in your memory.
Crystal clear waters, mysterious gorges mighty waterfalls, beautiful churches, interesting museums and of course the famous Aljaž Tower. Find out what awaits you in the Triglav National Park.
LAKE BOHINJ
Lake Bohinj is 4 km long, 1.2 km wide and up to 45 m deep, making it the largest natural lake in Slovenia. It can hold almost 100,000,000 m³ of water. With the Fužine massif in the north and the Bohinj mountains to the south, the lake fills the tectonic valley carved out by glaciers. The moraine marking the end of the old glacier slows the water as it drains. The Savica stream flows through the lake, which is at 526 m above sea level.
THE NADIŽA SPRING
Close to the Tamar refuge is the bountiful Nadiža karst spring. As it emerges, the water falls through a cleft in the dolomitic rock. The Nadiža wends its way via waterfalls to the valley bottom, where it disappears underground beneath the scree.
The stream only reemerges at Zelenci.
THE SOURCE OF THE SOČA
The Soča spring in Zadnja Trenta is one of the most beautiful karst springs in our mountains. The waters collect close to Jalovec, Šita, Travnik and Mojstrovka and well up from a cave with a small underground lake then cascade down to the river bed.
The Soča quickly carved its way into the karst, forming a large number of gorges – even for Slovenia, where they are common.
THE MARTULJEK WATERFALLS
The Martuljek stream tumbles down 500 m of steep slopes and walls in the form of waterfalls and rapids.
THE PERIČNIK WATERFALL
When the ice receded at the end of the last Ice Age, it left a hanging valley from which the Peričnik forms a waterfall to reach the lower Vrata valley. Spodnji Peričnik is over 52 m high and is one of the few natural waterfalls in Slovenia.
Zgornji Peričnik then drops a further 16m over a layer of conglomerate (solidified sediment combined with at least 50% of gravel or scree).
THE ŠUM WATERFALL IN THE RADOVNA RIVER
The waterfall forms part of the Vintgar gorge, which was first discovered as a site of natural beauty by visitors to Bled over a century ago. It is the only river waterfall in the Triglav National Park.
As the Radovna leaves the unspoiled scenery of the Vintgar, it cascades down approximately 13 m.
THE SAVICA WATERFALLS
The water wells up from a karst spring and flows out of the Velika Savica cave, which was formed by a break in the Komarča face. The waterfalls measure 78 m in total.
They were immortalised by the great Slovenian poet France Prešeren in his epic poem "Krst pri Savici" (The baptism at the Savica).
ZELENCI
The Sava Dolinka begins in the Tamar valley, but the river soon disappears, only reemerging at Zelenci as several springs on the surface.
The water forms tiny emerald-green pools, which are surrounded by a variety of plant life.
THE POKLJUKA GORGE
Measuring nearly 2 km, the Pokljuka gorge was formed by the river Ribščica as the glaciers receded over 10,000 years ago. In some places the gorge narrows to just a few metres; in places its sides are 50 high.
By the 1930s, several wooden bridges had been built over the narrowest sections. The gorge is also the largest source of fossils in Slovenia.
THE GORGE AT SOČA VALLEY
The best-known gorges on the Soča river are at the village of the same name. They are around 750 m long and up to 15 m deep. In some places the sides are only 2 m apart.
Visitors can view the gorges from a platform.
THE MLINARICA GORGE
The Mlinarica starts below the Prisank and Razor mountains and feeds into the Soča. The lower section of the Mlinarica valley forms a unique kilometre-long gorge that is up to 70 m deep. The narrowest sections are only about 1 m across.
Fallen boulders have stuck and formed natural bridges in several places.
THE KLUŽE CASTLE
Kluže castle is 4 km from Bovec on the way to the Predel pass. The former Venetian castle was built in the 15th century to repel the Turks, and was conquered by the Austrian army in 1509. It was extended in the first half of the 17th century. It played an important role during the first round of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was destroyed in 1797.
In 1882 a new castle was built on the same site, which served as the Austro-Hungarian army headquarters during the First World War.
THE ALJAŽ TOWER ON THE TRIGLAV
In 1895, Jakob Aljaž, Dovje's priest and a mountain-lover, commissioned the construction of the metal tower on the summit of the Triglav (2864 m). He had already bought the summit from Dovje commune for the price of one Austrian gulden. He later donated the Aljaž tower to the Slovenian Alpine Club.
The tower is now an incredibly valuable landmark and has become a distinctive symbol of Slovenia.
THE JULIUS KUGY MEMORIAL
Dr. Julius Kugy (1858 – 1944) was a great admirer of the Julian Alps and the Trenta valley. With the help of local mountain guides, he established new routes on many peaks in the Julian Alps.
In his books, he praised the beauty of the mountains and lyrically expressed his love for the local inhabitants and for the small, hidden treasures. In doing so, he created a permanent memorial to the Julian Alps and the residents of Trenta.
THE CURCH OF THE HOLY GHOST IN JAVORCA
In 1916 Austro-Hungarian soldiers from the 3rd Mountain Battalion built a church in Javorca in memory of their dead, using a design by Remigius Geyling. They searched long and in secret for the best place to build the chapel: it had to be unseen by the enemy but also a good distance from the battleground.
On the south and north walls of the nave, the names of 2808 soldiers who died in the surrounding mountains have been etched into wooden panels.
THE RUSSIAN CHAPEL
The chapel was built in 1917 to commemorate the tragic fate of the Russian prisoners of war who were killed by an avalanche while building the road over the Vršič pass. One hundred and ten prisoners and several guards were killed.
They are buried in a vault marked by a stone pyramid. A chapel with two onion domes was built alongside the memorial.
THE FOUR BOLD MEN
The monument is a tribute to the four local men who first climbed the Triglav on 25 August 1778. It is the work of sculptor Stojan Batič and was commissioned in 1978 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first ascension.
THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN
To the east of Lake Bohinj is Cerkev svetega Janez (church of St. John). The original nave was Romanesque, the presbytery is Gothic and the vaulted ceiling is late Gothic. The tower is Baroque. The wall paintings are famous: the fresco of John the Evangelist is one of the oldest in Slovenia.
It depicts a scene from the medieval Golden Legend, in which John drinks from a poisoned chalice in the presence of Aristodemus the priest.
THE ST. CATHERINE'S CHURCH
St. Catherine's church above Zasip is a Gothic church with a masonry portico, a late Gothic presbytery with frescoes and Baroque altars. It is located at a wonderful viewpoint.
The church is enclosed by a fortified wall; in the past it was a pilgrimage church.
JULIANA ALPINE GARDEN
The Juliana Alpine Garden is the only Alpine garden in Slovenia. It was created in 1926. Nowadays the garden is managed by the Slovenian Museum of Natural History.
Around 1000 different plant species flourish in the 2570 m2 grounds, most of them native to the Julian Alps.
THE CASTEL AND MEMORIAL AT PREDEL
In the early 19th century the Austrians built a castle close to the Predel pass. The complex is divided by a road, and comprises one main building and several connecting buildings and wings.
This was the scene of the battle against Napoleon's troops in 1809, in which most of the soldiers on the Austrian side were killed. The fallen were buried in a crypt below the road.
THE POCAR FARM HOUSE IN ZGORNJA RADOVNA
Pocar Farm house in Zgornja Radovna is one of the oldest preserved farmhouses within the Triglav National Park. It dates back to 1775. The interior also contains all the original décor. Nowadays,
Pocar Farm house is a museum displaying the life, work and construction skills of bygone days.
THE STUDOR VILLAGE
Studor is a village perched in the upper Bohinj valley, immediately below the steep peak of the same name. The one-storey buildings include typical examples of rural Baroque and classical ornamentation.
Some black Bohinj kitchens also remain – kitchens with no flue.
THE MUSEUM OF ALPINE DAIRY FARMING
The Museum of Alpine Dairy Farming has been created in the old village dairy, and the original decor has been preserved.
Displays show how life in the Alps revolved around cheesemaking: the shepherd's huts, cheese dairies and cheesemaking in the mountains, transporting the cheese down to the valleys, etc.
THE MOSTNICA WATERFALLS
The Mostnica carves its way through the rock in the upper Voje valley. The water drops into deep basins in three different locations. At 21 m, the middle waterfall is the largest, and therefore the most visited. From the refuge in the Voje meadow to the village of Stara Fužina, the river has carved one of Bohinj's most breathtaking gorges.
The deepest point (20 m) is at Hudičev most – the devil's bridge. In some places the gorge is only one metre wide.
VINTGAR GORGE
The 1600 m Vintgar gorge was formed by the course of the Radovna between the Hom and Boršt mountains. The gorge is full of rapids, potholes and whirlpools. The steep, plunging sides are between 50 and 100 m high.
The beautiful Vintgar gorge is one of Slovenia's main tourist attractions.
