THE MYSTERIOUS KARST SLOVENIA Green. Active. Healthy. www.slovenia.info #ifeelsLOVEnia 1 DISCOVER LOVE IN VARIETY A mix of the Alps, the Karst Plateau, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pannonian Basin. IN THE KARST Go deeper, all the way to the heart! IN LJUBLJANA Here, even the dragons are in love. IN THE ALPS Pay a visit to the Alpine ibex. IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Where love is salty. IN SPA RESORTS Pamper yourself! AT THE TABLE Have a seat. It’s delicious. AMONG THE PEOPLE Dare to expect more. IN NATURE Embraced by the trees. Get to know Slovenia through a digital catalogue. www.slovenia.info/eSlovenia 2 IN THE KARST Go deeper, all the way to the heart! The Karst is rock and water. While the wa- ter-soluble limestone provides the founda- tion, water shapes it. Water, either rainwater CONTENTS or water from the streams flowing from the im- permeable surrounding areas onto limestone, Postojna Cave 4 dissolves it both on and under the surface of A World-Famous Marvel the earth. This results in a variety of forma- Predjama Castle 6 tions, from the smallest grooves, to karren, do- A Majestic Symbol of Defiance lines and uvalas, as well as poljes, which can be Škocjan Caves Park 8 extremely large. UNESCO World Heritage Site The same goes for the subsurface formations, Lipica Stud Farm i.e. holes, shafts up to several thousand metres 10 The Cradle of the Lipizzaners since 1580 in depth and caves hundreds of kilometres in Natural Wonders length. The shafts in the area of Mount Kanin 12 The Classical Karst are among the world's deepest, and Postojna Cultural Heritage Cave and Križna Cave, as well as Škocjan 16 The Classical Karst Caves are among the most beautiful, might- Culinary Delights iest and most popular caves. Water phenom- 20 of the Brkini, the Karst and the Notranjska Region ena are a unique feature found nowhere else: swallets, swallow holes, ponor caves, which Major Events 22 Tradition Paired with Socialising can swallow entire rivers, and karst springs, where enormous quantities of water flow from Day Trips 24 Brkini, the Karst, the Notranjska Region great depths. The Karst Plateau (Kras) gave its name to the international scientific term – Information 27 Brkini, the Karst, the Notranjska Region each limestone-based landscape is ‘karstic’. ‘Doline’, the international term for sinkhole, Show Caves of Slovenia 38 has also been borrowed from Slovenian. For the Curious and Courageous Map of the Classical Karst 42 Academic Dr Andrej Kranjc, Prof., Brkini, the Karst, the Notranjska Region Karst Research Institute, ZRC, SAZU Map of Slovenia 44 Show Caves Cover photo: Postojna Cave Photo by Iztok Medja, source: Postojnska jama d.d. 3 Postojna Cave POSTOJNA CAVE A WORLD-FAMOUS MARVEL In the Karst, the interplay between rock kilometres of the cave’s system, but are mere 300 metres of the cave, whereas to- and water created a fairytale-like world, confident that the cave is hiding a num- day they can admire a cave section that is which welcomes all admirers of nature ber of unexplored areas. more than 5 km long. and seekers of beauty. In Slovenia, water Postojna Cave, the largest and most vis- The temperature inside the cave remains has carved more than 11,000 subterra- ited European cave, has been fascinating constant throughout the year at 8 °C. In nean caves, the most magnificent of visitors from all over the world for over the summer, it provides visitors with which is Postojna Cave. Explorers have 200 years. In the period between its respite from the heath and in the winter so far discovered and explored over 24 discovery and 1818, visitors could see a it warms them up. In the depths of the 4 thousand of years of nature’s creation a subterranean paradise abundant with cave formations a tradition of cave tours which dates back more than 200 years almost 37 million visitors, including more than 150 emperors, kings, presidents and prime ministers cave railway since 1872 electric lighting inside the cave since 1883 tour footpath without any major uphill walking or a single step the world’s oldest post office inside a cave, built in 1899 regular and adventure cave tours visitors get to see the olm www.postojnska-jama.eu earth, visitors get to experience complete and delicate mightiness, has been the darkness when the lights are turned off symbol of Postojna Cave and the Slo- for a few seconds. Over 36 million visi- venian Karst for decades. tors have so far experienced the exciting During their cave adventure visitors get cave adventures. For a number of years, to meet the dragon’s offspring – the visitors toured the cave only on foot. olm (Proteus anguinus). This one-of-a- From 1872 onwards, they were moved kind cave-dwelling animal retains most along the tracks on hand-pushed carriag- of its larval physical features into adult- es by cave guides, and today they tour the hood. Although it has lungs, it breathes cave with the famous electric train, which with gills. It has a lifespan of 100 years makes Postojna Cave the only cave in the and is still exactly the same as its fore- world with a double-track railway line. bears, hence it is called a living fossil. In The cave adventure begins with a 3.7-kilo- addition to olms, the cave is inhabited by metre long train ride and continues on over 150 animal species, owing to which foot among the colourful and diverse Postojna Cave is famous as the world’s karst features when visitors set off on richest subterranean area in terms of bi- foot to admire the cave's many passag- odiversity. It is considered to be the cra- es, galleries and halls. The footpath takes dle of speleobiology and provides visitors them past the Brilliant, the cave’s most with an opportunity to see the most in- beautiful stalagmite. This 5-metre tall teresting specimens of cave-dwelling an- dripstone, which mesmerises admirers imals at Vivarium Proteus. Brilliant, the symbol of Postojna Cave with its dazzling whiteness, soft form 5 PREDJAMA CASTLE A MAJESTIC SYMBOL OF DEFIANCE 9 kilometres from Postojna Cave a picturesque, majestic, defiant, mysterious and impregnable castle has been perched in the middle of an over 123-metre high cliff for over 800 years the largest cave castle in the world, listed as one of the Guinness World Records as the only fully preserved cave castle in Europe, it offers a unique insight into the construction techniques and ingenuity of medieval people, who found a safe haven right at the cave entrance an appealing and inspiring legend about the courageous and clever knight Erazem of Predjama, who remained undefeated until he was betrayed by one of his servants a network of cave passages around the castle Cave under Predjama Castle is the second longest show cave in Slovenia and an important archaeological site; it is inhabited by several bat species Predjama Castle Erazem’s Passage Fiženica Great Stable HallHall Main Passage Old Cave Dragon’s Hole Muddy Passage 100m Cave under Predjama Castle 6 Planina Cave PREDJAMA CASTLE CAVE UNDER PIVKA CAVE The majesticPredjama Castle, the larg- PREDJAMA CASTLE The viewpoint at the entrance toPivka est cave castle in the world, is perched Cave offers a wonderful view of the six- The secondlongest show cave in Slove- in the middle of a 123-metre high cliff, ty-five metre deep collapse shaft; the trail nia was created by the sinking stream in the mouth of a cave whose subterra- around the cave leads up the river along Lokva and its propulsive strength. The nean passages stretch under, behind and the river bank. cave is inhabited by numerous colonies above the castle. The castle has been stir- of bats and is popular with visitors, who ring people’s imagination for centuries, admire its splendours. generating plentiful excitement with its BLACK CAVE eventful history of over 800 years. The The cave is connected to the Pivka Cave castle inhabitant that has proven most OTOK CAVE with a man-made passage. More than two interesting for visitors was Erazem of hundred years ago, the Black Cave was Otok Cave (Otoška jama) is a dry hori- Predjama, who, during a siege, managed the first to presentolms to the people. zontal cave with an abundance of stalac- to receive the supplies through a secret tites and stalagmites, and is connected to passage, which made him undefeatable. other caves through the passages of the He was finally betrayed by one of his men, PLANINA CAVE subterranean River Pivka. Owing to its Planina Cave (Planinska jama) is the place who lit a candle in the window of Erazem‘s unique beauty, it has served as a filming where the rivers Pivka and Rak become room, thus making it possible for the be- location for a number of feature films. one. The two rivers created the cave’s splen- siegers to shower Erazem with stone balls. dours first on their own and then together. Otok Cave Pivka Cave Black Cave 7 Mahorčič Cave, Škocjan Caves Park 8 Collapse doline Velika dolina Cerkvenik Bridge Waterfall in a natural window ŠKOCJAN CAVES PARK A guided tour of the world- famous Škocjan Caves: the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE tour takes visitors through the Silent Cave, which is abundant In the Classical Karst, where the karst eas within the UNESCO's Man and the with stalactites and stalagmites, world meets the non-karst world, at the Biosphere Programme (MAB). The caves through one of the largest River Reka ponor, nature has created a were created by the River Reka, which underground canyons in Europe magnificent natural monument – the flows on the surface for about 50 kilo- and ends in Velika dolina.