Golica (1835 m) () is a peak in the Western

Karawanks The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks (; , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west direction, the Karawanks chain is o ...

, on the border between

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, above the Slovene town of

Jesenice Jesenice (, ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is the tenth-largest town in Slovenia, located in the traditional province of Upper C ...

. It is known mainly for its fields of wild white

narcissi ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''I ...

, swathes of which cover Golica and surrounding pastures in late April and early May. This marks the beginning of a popular time for mountaineers to visit, extending through the end of summer. The slopes provide great views of the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , , , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large part of the Julian Alps is inclu ...

and Austrian

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

; the

Ljubljana Basin The Ljubljana Basin () is a basin in the upper river basin of Sava. It is the most populated area in Slovenia and it is metropolitan area of Ljubljana. Its main rivers are the Sava, the Kamnik Bistrica and the Ljubljanica. Cities and towns * ...

can be seen from the summit on clear days. Golica also gained considerable fame as the subject of the 1955

Slavko Avsenik Slavko Avsenik (November 26, 1929 – July 2, 2015) was a Slovenia, Slovene composer and musician. Beginning in 1953 with the formation of the Avsenik Brothers Ensemble, Avsenik produced more than 1,000 songs and garnered success both in Slovenia ...

polka '' Na Golici'' (On Golica), the Avsenik Ensemble's most popular song. Despite having given the song this title, Avsenik was never in his life on Golica. 250 m below the summit, there is a

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

at an altitude of 1582 m, with 40 sleeping berths. The original hut on this site - as well as a second hut at the summit itself - were burnt down during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

to prevent their use by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

soldiers. The hut at the summit was never rebuilt.Jesenice Mountaineering Association website
/ref> The slopes of Golica are today used as pastures for

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, but until 1957 locals from settlements at its foot would clear the entire slope of grass for

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

(a possible etymology of the name, which derives from the adjective "''gol-''," or "''bare''."). The best way to reach the peak is from

via the mountain village of

Planina pod Golico Planina pod Golico (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 145.) is a mountain village in the Municipality of Jesenice, in the Upper Carnio ...

, which bears the peak's name.

Gallery

Image:Narcise-Golica1.jpg, Narcissi fields under Golica Image:Kocha na Golici Julijci.jpg, Golica mountain hut Julian Alps from Golica

References

External links

Information about Golica on Hribi.net
* {{Jesenice Mountains of Upper Carniola Municipality of Jesenice Karawanks Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Carinthia Austria–Slovenia border One-thousanders of Austria One-thousanders of Slovenia