|
The Julian Alps, whose name originates from ancient times after the ruling dynasty of that era (Julius Caesar), extend over more than 4,000 square kilometers. They are divided into Eastern and Western Julian Alps. The Eastern Julian Alps, whose highest peak is Triglav (2,864 m), are entirely located on Slovenian territory, while the Western ones are mostly on the Italian side with the highest peak Montaž (2,753 m). The dividing line between the Eastern and Western Alps runs from the Predel border pass and further along the Predilnica River; when it merges with the Koritnica, then along the Koritnica to the Soča River, which further bisects the mentioned groups of the Julian Alps. In the Julian Alps, there is also the only national park in Slovenia, called Triglav National Park (TNP).
TNP extends over more than 80,000 hectares and has the highest peak Triglav, located in the heart of the Eastern Julian Alps. The lowest point of the TNP is in the Tolmin Gorges at a modest 180 m.
In the Julian Alps, many animal and plant species live, which are protected by the TNP law.
The Julian Alps are also very attractive for tourism due to their beauty. The largest share of tourists is attracted by one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, the queen of the Soča Valley, the Soča River.
The Soča River springs from a karst abyss at the beginning of the Zadnja Trenta Valley. Just a few meters after the source, a waterfall drops, but in dry periods it almost dries up. The Soča, which has carved several beautiful gorges on its path, also has quite a few alpine tributaries of ice-cold rivers. One of these is the Koritnica, which with its power and roaring can be heard in the mountains above the mentioned valley.
For visitors to the Julian Alps, the lakes are also inviting. The largest lake in the TNP is Bohinj Lake, which is fed by the small Savica River, better known as the Savica Waterfall. During storms, another waterfall called Govic rages above Bohinj Lake. North of Bohinj Lake, over Komarča, we climb to the most beautiful part of the Julian Alps, the Triglav Lakes. Seven permanent and a few smaller lakes, located in the Valley of the Seven Lakes, take the breath away from many visitors to this mountain world. In the Eastern Julian Alps, we also know the Kriš and Krn Lakes. The highest-lying mountain lake in Slovenia is the Upper Kriš Lake (2,158 m).
In the Western Julian Alps, the tourist attractions include Mount Lussari (Svete Višarje), reachable by a modern cable car. Also Kanin with its cable car, which takes visitors to over 2,200 m, attracts many tourists.
There are also many alpine valleys in the Julian Alps. For many, the most beautiful is the Zajzera Valley, located on the Italian (western) side of the Kanin massif. For others, the most beautiful is the Tamar Valley or perhaps Vrata, Kot, Krma, Trenta, Bavšica, or Koritnica. All these alpine valleys hide secret corners accessible only to a few. In the valleys of the Julian Alps, many beautiful waterfalls are hidden from view, some accessible only to very experienced hikers. Not all waterfalls are hidden. On the Slovenian side, there are several easily accessible waterfalls. The mightiest is Boka Waterfall, very interesting is Peričnik Waterfall, and the most visited is Savica Waterfall. All these waterfalls are most abundant at the end of spring, when snow melts in the mountains, or during longer heavier rainfall.
|