Intermittent Lake Cerknica, that “miracle of nature” as Valvasor called it, never ceases to amaze. Now the lake is in the process of disappearing; its waters are retreating, lush meadows are emerging again and streams are returning to their meandering channels. (Lake Cerknica from the west. In the foreground the meanders of Zerovniscica stream are … Read more
River Sava is moody and powerful – and there were many attempts to tame it and to harness its power. We’ve shown you how Austria-Hungary tried to restrain Sava north and east of Ljubljana – and how she destroyed or ignored almost everything done. But upstream the power of Sava was put to some use … Read more
River Ižica is one of the few rivers in Ljubljana Marshes that retained its natural course. Almost all the others were ‘meliorated’, deepened and straightened to reduce flooding. The ancient pile-dwellers made their homes in the area 6.500 years ago – when Ljubljana Marshes were covered by a shallow lake. These were taken with Canon … Read more
When the waters of Lake Cerknica disappear through the caves and sinkholes, they travel underground first to Rakov Škocjan, emerge there and then sink again, flowing into Planina cave, joining with river Pivka coming from Postojna cave (in a unique underground river confluence); and after all this drama the waters burst out from Planina cave … Read more
Lake Cerknica is a true wonder of Nature: an intermittent karstic lake, one of the largest in Europe, that is very good at playing “now you see me – now you don’t” … When it is full, it is by far the largest lake in Slovenia, covering up to 38 square kilometers. Then the waters … Read more
Ljubljana Marshes boast a rich and complex history. 6.500 years ago there was a shallow lake covering the area, and people settled on it – they built so called pile dwellings, platforms and houses bitld on stilts, driven deep into lake bottom. Many of these pile dwellings were found around the river Ižica, one of … Read more
Kite aerial photography in urban areas is exciting and intense (you always worry about a multitude of imaginary mishaps), but the results are usually well worth the effort. Very little story this time – just nice photos of northern Ljubljana suburbs, with Stožice Arena and Stadium (by Sadar & Vuga architects) in the foreground. . … Read more
Strunjan is a village on Slovenian coast between Izola and Piran in northern Adriatic. It is a quiet, pleasant coastal village – and at the first sight it does not look like one of the pillars of the prosperity of the region, spanning many centuries. Yet it was: at the end of the bay there … Read more
While cemeteries are inherently somber places, they can be beautiful too. Žale – the largest cemetery of Ljubljana – are both. (Northwestern part of Žale cemetery – ‘New Žale’ – with urn and coffin burial plots. The hills on the right are a place for scattering ashes.) First burials were performed here in May 1906, … Read more
Beyond the northwestern end of famous and beautiful Cerknica intermittent lake lies the village of Zelše. And on the top of the hill just beyond the village there is a small church, dedicated to saint Volbenk – as bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg is known in Slovenia. (Church of St. Volbenk, Zelše, Slovenia – from a … Read more