Notranjska. Slovenia.

Notranjska.

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Notranjska is a small region in the south-west of small Slovenia. But it is under this region is the largest in Europe, a system of karst caves. It is now included in the biosphere reserve, and is protected by the state and international organizations of the appropriate focus.

And if someone in his life heard about cave people, then in Notran'sk was probably their biggest house. In any case, the remains of ancient people were found here repeatedly. By the way, the word "karst", which gave the name to the mentioned breeds, came from these places, which are part of the Karst plateau or in Slovenian Kars.

The plateau has an area of 241 km ² and is saturated with such geological concepts as funnels, carved fields, hollows, pits, wells and caves. The largest of the latter are Shkotsyansky.

Their glory, as an outstanding natural phenomenon, goes deep into the ancient world. And in the second century BC, they were sung by the famous ancient Greek geographer, Posidonius.

This respected democrat described in his essay the strangeness of the Timava River. The latter, after descending from the mountains, suddenly disappears in the abyss, and then appears on the surface near the sea.

And this legend is not accompanied by mythological explanation. What was at that far time strange enough for a Greek.

What to see.

The main city in these places is Tserknitsa, with a population of about 11,000 people. Its name translates as "church". What says that the first building in this place was a Christian temple. This event happened about a thousand years ago. Next to the city is one of the main attractions of these places - Lake Zercnica.

The lake is famous for being pulsating. Its water level directly envies filling from karst holes. This feature is very peculiar. At one extreme, it can be completely drained, in the other - to have an average water depth of 10 meters.

Despite this inconstancy, Lake Zercnica is Slovenia's largest lake, with an area of 38 square kilometers.

In summer, the main part of the lake dries up and its large area is covered with juicy meadow grass. The latter is happy to use in feed local livestock. But closer to the autumn, the water again fills the lake and it returns to its shores, becoming a wonderful place to relax amidst a magnificent nature.

10 kilometers from the church there is the city of Postojna. With it is connected one more local celebrity - the cave of Postojna-Yam. It is a system of karst caves 20 kilometers long. Its creator is the current on it the river Pivka, which for millions of years has ground itself underground passages.

There are many interesting events connected with the cave and the fact. The first exploration of the cave in the 17th century was conducted by Baron Valvazor. At the beginning of the 19th century, the cave was prepared to be visited by the Emperor of Austria Franz II. This event happened in 1818 and His Majesty was very pleased with what he saw.

And in 1884 the real electricity was carried into the cave. This event occurred only five years after the invention of the electric bulb by Edison. It is clear that such an expensive event, also happened at the behest of the Austrian sovereign. At that time, this was Emperor Franz Joseph.

But even before that, a landmark event in the life of the cave, in 1872 the first cave railway was laid in it. And in order not to pollute the cave, the muscular possibilities of the guides' legs were used as the main driving force of the train.

But already at the beginning of the 20th century, progress again came to the cave of Postojna-Yam and a new gas locomotive began its work. And in 1945 he was replaced by an electric one.

For inspection by tourists for today a site with a length of 5 kilometers is available. The largest grotto of the cave is the Martel Hall, whose height reaches 146 meters, the length is 300 meters, and the width is 120 meters. And before the entrance to the cave, in due time, for the reception of the imperial family was built Prekyam Palace, now used as a restaurant.

Another cave is known for its floods, the largest of which occurred in 1826. During this destructive process, the water in the cave rose to 126 meters.

How to get there.

What to see in the region of Notranjska suffices. Therefore, it makes sense to learn how to get to the cave system - Postojna-Yam.

From Ljubljana to the city of Postojna, a bus leaves every day. The journey takes 53 minutes. The ticket costs 5-6 euros. Upon arrival in Postojna, we take a taxi and go to the cave.

You can also travel to the desired city by train. From Lyubyany, passenger trains are sent here every four hours. The journey time is one hour and four minutes. The fare is 6-9 euros. From the railway station to the cave can be reached by taxi.

In the summer season, you can get to the caves as part of one of the excursions organized for holidaymakers on the sea coast. In winter, similar excursions are organized from the mountain resorts of Slovenia.

Below you can get acquainted with the most popular hotels in detail.

We live once, and you need to look so much!

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• * List of countries.
• * Notranjska.
• * Predjam Castle.
• * Bled Castle
• * Shkocyan Caves.
• * Bohinj.
• * Kranjska Gora.