TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK
The Triglav National Park is situated in the northwestern
part of Slovenia, covering about 850 km2 of the Julian Alps region.
It is named after the 2,864-meter high Mount Triglav, the symbol
of Slovenia that is situated almost in the middle of the protected
area. The most famous tourist resort, situated in the heart of
the park, is Bohinj; other tourist resorts, e.g. Bled, Kranjska
Gora and Bovec, lie on the edge of the park.
The History of the Park
The first proposal for conservation dates back to the year of
1908 but it was not realized until 1924. On the initiative taken
by the Nature Protection Section of the Slovene Museum Society
and the Slovene Alpine Association, a twenty year lease was taken
out on the Triglav Lakes Valley area, an area of about 1,400 hectares.
It was destined to become an "Alpine Protection Park",
however permanent conservation was not possible. In 1961, after
many years of effort, the protection was renewed - this time on
a permanent bases and somewhat enlarged, embracing about 2,000
hectares. The protected area was officially designated as "The
Triglav National Park". Under this act, however, all objectives
of a true national park were not attained and for this reason
over the next two decades, new proposals for the extension and
rearrangement of the protection were put forward. Finally in 1981,
a rearrangement was achieved and the park was given a new concept
and enlarged to 838 km2, the area which it continues to cover
to this day.
Watersheds
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Two valleys are stretching
from Mount Triglav. Their water is flowing down to two large
rivers with springs in the Julian Alps region: the So·a
River that flows into the Adriatic Sea, and the Sava River
that flows into the Black Sea.
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Glacial
Lakes and Waterfalls
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All glacial lakes in Slovenia lie within the
Triglav National Park: from Lake Bohinj, the largest one,
to the groups of ponds known as the Triglav Lakes, the Križ
Lakes and the Krn Lakes, all situated high in the mountains.
Among the park's waterfalls, the largest and most beautiful
ones are especially worth mentioning: the Savica waterfall
in Bohinj, the two Peri·nik waterfalls in the Vrata valley,
the Šum waterfall in the Vintgar ravine, the Sko·nik waterfalls
in Beli potok and the Nadiža waterfall in the Tamar valley.
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Some rivers have cut deep gorges with sheer
rock faces; such gorges or ravines can be found in the So·a river
basin in the Trenta valley, along the Koritnica near Kluže and
at the confluence of the So·a and Zadlašcica rivers. On the other
side where the Sava flows, there is the well known Vintgar ravine
near Bled as well as the Mostnica gorge in Bohinj.
Limestone and Rocks
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Like in all parts of the Julian
Alps, limestones predominate also in the Triglav National
Park. These are mostly sediments from the Triassic period
some 200 million years ago. In some places, limestones were
deposited in thick layers, as can be seen in the rocks of
Triglav North Face and the massive rock out of which Kanjavec
and Travnik were sculpted. At other places, however, the
sedimentations are not in layers but unstratified. Interesting
fossils can be found in the less frequent Jurassic layers
(for instance, the ammonites in the Triglav Lakes Valley).
Notwithstanding its considerable fossil uniformity, from
the topographic and geomorphic aspects the Julian Alps are
still very diversified. In addition to the famous peak of
Triglav, the most picturesque peaks and mountain ranges
within the park are: Jalovec (2,645 m) and Mangart (2,679
m) in the north-western part; Prisojnik (2,547 m), Razor
(2,601 m), Škrlatica (2,738 m) and the Martuljek Group with
Špik (2,472 m) on the northern side; Kanjavec (2,568 m)
and Lepo Špi·je (2,398 m) in the central part, and the long
Bohinj mountain-ridge together with Krn (2,244 m) on the
southern edge. The relief of the Julian Alps in very dissected,
there are steep and deeply cut valleys, their slopes were
smoothed down by glaciers and the bottoms are flat and enlarged
or covered with the sediments originating from glacial and
postglacial periods. The only large plateau is the wooded
Pokljuka, situated at an altitude of about 1,200 m.
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| Other high-mountain plateaus are
smaller and of a very well developed Karst type. In fact,
most of the park area is exceptionally rich in various Karst
phenomena, including a special type of the mountain Karst. |
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Flora
The rich flora of the Julian Alps has attracted the attention
of famous European botanists already in the 18th century, when
they visited the area and found new indigenous species. The flora
in the national park is mostly Alpine, but due to its marginal
position, intermingling with neighboring floral regions also occurs.
Particularly frequent are islands of thermopile vegetation with
illyric and even submediterranean species. Specially the grassland
of ·rna prst, the slopes of Krn, Rde·i rob and Mangart are well-known
for its reach flora.
Fauna
Similar as for the flora can also be said for the fauna in the
park. Various animal species, many indigenous to the area, can
be found in the park. Most interesting among vertebrates are the
So·a trout, the golden eagle, the capercaillie and the black grouse.
The species of chamois is the most characteristic and numerous
among other animal species in the park. In the last few decades,
some alien as well as almost extinct species, e.g. the ibex, the
marmot and the mouflon, have been reintroduced in the national
park.
Life and History
The narrow valleys of the Julian Alps did not offer favorable
conditions for settlement in the past. Traces of older settlements
can be found particularly in the Bovec basin, the Bohinj area
and the upper valley of the Sava river. The mountain way of life
has given an indelible stamp to this mountainous region. A great
part was played by cattle-breeding; the inhabitants pastured their
cattle in the mountains very early (the pastures on the slope
of Krn were first mentioned in 1178) and they established seasonal
hamlets on the mountain pastures. From early times, people were
also engaged in producing iron – they extracted ore near their
residences and then traded iron products. This economic activity
reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries when the ironworks
by the rivers in the Trenta valley, in the Bohinj area and in
the Jesenice basin were established. At the same time, forests
were thinned extensively to obtain charcoal from wood for the
needs of the iron working industry. Because of a lack of ore and
timber, the ironworks in Trenta were closed in 1778, while obsolete
technology and arrival of the railway, led to the closing of the
ironworks of Bohinj in 1868.
Both World Wars fatally interfered with the landscape and its
people, leaving consequences which can be felt to this day. During
World War I, one of the bloodiest battles in Europe took place
along the So·a river, and both sides, Italy and the former Austro-Hungary,
suffered about one million casualties. Today we can still find
a number of burial-grounds, strongholds, fortifications and paths
bearing witness to these events.
Cultural and Historical Heritage
The area of the park has a rich natural as well as historical
heritage. Settlements with churches and secluded farms on high
plateaus and alpine meadows, built in a typical rural style, are
characteristic of the park. The remains of ironworks, monuments
and memorials to the battles from the Napoleonic period, World
War I as well as World War II can be found within the area. Archaeological
sites of finds from ancient times are also located within the
park. Another characteristic feature of the Slovene Alps was the
development of mountaineering that has been one of the oldest
and most popular activities in the country. It led to the foundation
of the famous Slovene Alpine Society which played a special role
at the time when Slovenia was under the Austro-Hungarian rule.
The interest in mountaineering grew together with the interest
taken in the Central Alps. In 1778, four locals from Bohinj made
the first successful ascent of Triglav. The first alpine society,
named "Triglavski prijatelji" (The Triglav Friends),
was set up in the village of Srednja vas in Bohinj in 1872. The
first mountain huts within the park area were built at the end
of the 19th century and rapidly spread after 1893 when the Slovene
Alpine Association was founded. Today, uniformly marked alpine
paths spread across the whole park, and the Slovene Alpine Association
runs more than 32 houses and huts.
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