Zelenci Springs is a nature reserve near the town of

Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora (; german: Kronau) is a town in northwestern Slovenia, on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora. Name Kranjska Gora wa ...

, in the far northwestern corner of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. It is the source of the Sava Dolinka River, a tributary of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. At Zelenci Springs, water from underground Nadiža Creek (originating in the Planica Valley) re-emerges through the porous bottom of a 2 m deep

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, whose waters are noted for their deep, brilliant green. The spring and its surrounding area are named after this colour (''Zelenci'' is a deadjectival plural noun from Slovene ''zelen'' 'green'.)

Geology

The

Upper Sava Valley The Upper Sava Valley ( sl, Zgornjesavska dolina) is an alpine valley in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. The Sava Dolinka River flows along it. It begins in Rateče at an elevation of 870 m and ends at Moste at 560 m. It is the geographic ...

is the result of action by the Planica glacier, creeping from below Mount Jalovec, the Ponce Range, and Mount Mojstrovka. The area contains many lake sediments, suggesting that Zelenci Springs is a remnant of the once much larger Lake Koren, created by the retreat of the glacier, which carried along much debris. In retreat, the bulk of it was deposited at what is now Podkoren, damming the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

with the Koren Pass, which hemmed in glacial melt and formed an extensive lake. The Sava then tunneled through this natural dam, lowering the water level of Lake Koren until only Zelenci Springs and its surrounding wetlands were left. Zelenci Springs is considered the beginning of the longer of the two sources of the

, the longest

n river at 221 km. The spring is actually the re-emergence of underground Nadiža Creek, whose first source is near the mountain lodge in the Tamar Valley, but which spends most of its course underground after disappearing at the Ledine gravel basin near Rateče. The porous chalk of the Zelenci Springs lake bed allows the constant upwelling of groundwater in the form of tiny jets, a phenomenon unique in Slovenia. The lake formed by the springs has a constant year-round temperature of 5 to 6 °C. From the lake, the water flows into a stream, which empties eastward into the shallow Blata Marsh, which is 200 m wide and 1 km long. The actual riverbed of the Sava Dolinka does not begin until after this, at Podkoren beside the slopes of Mount Vitranc.

History

Zelenci Springs was declared a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

in 1992, both for its geological interest and as home to numerous

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

animal and plant species. The area of the nature reserve is 47 ha. The maintained trails feature informational signage, as well as viewing bridges and an observation tower. The natural environment, multiple springs and emerald-green lake also drew the attention of the painter Ladislau Benesch (1845–1922). Sir

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for ...

, the Cornish naturalist and a visitor to the area in the 19th century, wrote of it:Davy, Humphry. 1839. ''The Collected Works of Sir Humphry Davy'', vol. 1. ''Memoirs of His Life.'' London: Smith, Elder and Co. Cornhill, p. 389.

Flora

The surroundings of the spring are hospitable to plant life adapted to riparian habitats:

carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

, and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

s, and an assortment of flowering plants: * Bogbean ('' Menyanthes trifoliata'') * Bog cotton ('' Eriophorum angustifolium'') * Marsh arrowgrass ('' Triglochin palustris'') * Marsh lousewort ('' Pedicularis palustris'') * Water crowfoot ('' Batrachium sp'')

Fauna

In addition to

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

, which inhabit the lakes and feed on

mayfly Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the orde ...

(''Ephemeroptera'') and

stonefly Plecoptera is an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. Stoneflies are believed to be one of the mos ...

(''Plecoptera'')

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e, the area has several endangered species on the Red List of Endangered Animal Species of Slovenia: * Common rosefinch ('' Carpodacus erythrinus'') * Whiskered bat (''

Myotis mystacinus The whiskered bat (''Myotis mystacinus'') is a small European bat with long fur. Although uncommon, ''M. mystacinus'' is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat (''Myotis brandtii''), from which it ...

'') * Viviparous lizard ('' Lacerta vivipara'') * European adder ('' Vipera berus'') * Sand lizard ('' Lacerta agilis'')

Sources

* Decree on Declaration of Zelenci Springs as a Nature Reserve, ''Official Gazette'' nos. 53/92, 17/94, ''Official Gazette of Upper Carniola'', no. 32/96 (Odlok o razglasitvi Zelencev za naravni rezervat, Uradni list št. 53/92, 17/94, Uradni vestnik Gorenjske, št. 32/96) * Sinfo (Jan 2006) http://www.ukom.gov.si/fileadmin/ukom.gov.si/pageuploads/Sinfo/2006-januar.pdf

References

External links

* {{coord , 46.492, N, 13.7378, E, region:SI_type:landmark, display=title Nature reserves in Slovenia Springs of Slovenia SZelenci Municipality of Kranjska Gora Natura 2000 in Slovenia Articles containing video clips