The Alps - the high mountain world of Slovenia

If the Alps are the most attractive part of Europe, then the alpine world is the most picturesque part of Slovenia. The tourist slogan “The Country on the Sunny Side of the Alps” is a valid label for Slovenia from the meteorological point of view as well since the easternmost part of the Alps is the first to receive the morning sun. In his poem “Baptism beside the Savica,” Slovenia’s greatest poet France Preseren wrote that “the Province of Carniola has no more beautiful spot than this vision of paradise.”

Slovenia’s alpine world covers the high mountain world of the Julian Alps (Triglav, 2864 m), the Kamniske-Savinjske Alps (Grintovec, 2558 m), and the Karavanke Mountains (Stol, 2236 m). Mount Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia, is a symbol of Slovene identity, and its silhouette of three peaks appears in the national coat of arms. Our alpine world is composed largely of limestone and dolomite and is distinguished by sheer rocky peaks and sharp conical shapes. Glaciers left their mark on the steep slopes and overhangs in shady positions of the northern slopes. Due to the great solubility of the limestone, the vast high mountain karst plateaus are without streams, and small karst relief forms, deep abysses, and underground caves developed, along with strong karst springs at the foot of the mountains. Snow remains in sinkholes well into spring and because of the barren landscape can be seen from far around. The deep mountain valleys with their fans of limestone gravel and the light green colour of the mountain streams leave a deep impression.

The bare peaks are encircled by dense forest, and individual trees and many endemic alpine plants grow above the tree line (1600 to 1900 m). The economy of this region is based on the exploitation of the forest and pasturing dairy cattle, and tourism plays an important role. All the peaks are accessible by marked mountain trails, and a multitude of mountain lodges provide shelter to hikers and mountain climbers.

The Julian Alps are the most extensive alpine chain and form the largest watershed in Slovenia. Almost the entire Slovene part of this mountain range is included in Triglav National Park (84,805 hectares) which encompasses and protects a unique natural and cultural heritage. The highest peak Mount Triglav is almost at the geometrical center of the park, from where the magnificent alpine valleys of Planica, Vrata, Kot, and Krma spread in the shape of a fan to the north, and Koritnica and Trenta to the south. Thick layers of limestone compose the picturesque, three-kilometer long and thousand-meter high north wall of Mount Triglav, the second highest wall in the Alps. Just below the peak on a steep scree lies the Triglav Glacier (300 x 400 m). The glacier has retreated rapidly in recent decades, and in 1955 an icy abyss was discovered at its edge where the ice reaches more than 280 meters into the depths. To the north, powerful mountain streams flow into the Sava Dolinka and the Sava Bohinjka rivers which unite in the Sava River near Radovljica; to the south, the streams flow into the Soca River. The center of the park is enlivened by the Valley of the Triglav Lakes with its seven glacial lakes, and below Mount Krn (2244 m) is the karst Krn Lake.

Interesting karst relief forms developed in the Kaninski podi area below Mount Kanin (2587 m) and below Velika vrata (1941 m); there is a major system of abysses in the karst of Mount Prsivec (1761 m); and Malo polje below Mount Triglav is the only high-mountain karst polje in Slovenia with a disappearing stream. The large (40 x 80 m) and small windows on Mount Prisojnik are also interesting natural features. Alpine folk architecture has been preserved in the settlements of Gorjuse, Koprivnik, Studor, Stare Fuzine, and Zgornja Radovna. On the edge of the Julian Alps, the tourist centers of Bled and Bohinj developed on the shores of the lakes of the same name, Kranjska Gora grew as a winter sport center, and Planica has become an international venue for ski jumping and ski flying competitions.

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Planica ski jumps

The Kamniske-Savinjske Alps are the second most extensive alpine mountain chain in Slovenia. At 2558 meters, their highest peak Mount Grintovec is the thirteenth highest mountain in Slovenia. This mountain range is steep, and the narrow, glacier-carved river valleys of Logarska dolina, Robanov kot, and Matkov kot have steep sides and flat bottoms. In 1993, an abyss on the Dleskovska planota-Veza plateau was measured at 1135 meters, among the deepest in the world. On the southern slope of Mount Raduha (2062 m) at Planina Arta (1600 m), access to the glacial Snezna jama cave has been arranged for tourists. An indirect consequence of the Ice Ages is the picturesque 90-meter Rinka Waterfall. Its water disappears below the falls and reappears in the middle of the Logarska dolina Valley as a source of the Savinja River. The Kamniske-Savinjske Alps are heavily forested, and the tree line runs from 1550 to 1650 meters. Logging and dairy farming on the mountain pastures form the region’s economic foundation, and tourism also plays an important role. Hiking trails lead from Logarska dolina to the highest peaks, and there is a chairlift to the ski center in the Golte mountain range.

The Karavanke Mountains are the lowest part of Slovenia’s alpine world. This border mountain chain between Slovenia and Austria extends in length about one hundred kilometers, from the valley of the Gail River in the west to the valley of the Mislinja River in the east.

The length of the mountain range has always presented a major obstacle for traffic, and to a great extent it was this natural barrier that influenced the decision of the Carinthian Slovenes in 1920 to live outside their native homeland. The Karavanke Mountains are sparsely settled, and isolated farmsteads reach very high; the Bukovnik farmstead (1327 m) below Mount Olseva, for example, is the highest inhabited farmstead in Slovenia. The scientist Srecko Brodar found traces of Ice Age man below Mount Olseva in 1928. The ancient mountain passes of Koren (1073 m), Jezerski vrh (1218 m), and Ljubelj (1369 m) lead across the Karavanke Mountains. A road tunnel runs under Ljubelj at 1058 meters. Parallel to the railway tunnel built in 1906 is the 7864-meter long road tunnel between Jesenice and Rosenbach completed in 1991 that is now the primary traffic route between Slovenia and Western Europe.