Zelenci

Zelenci Springs - Zelenci Lake

Useful Information

photography — Zelenci, Slovenia. Public Domain.

Location:	Near Kranjska Gora, west of Podkoren. (46.492, 13.7378)
Open:	no restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Karst spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	D=3 m, T=5-8 °C (water), A=1,200 m asl.
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	TIC - Tourist info center Kranjska Gora, Kolodvorska ul. 1c, 4280 Kranjska Gora, Tel: +386-4-580-94-40. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1992	declared a nature reserve by the decree of Jesenice municipality.

Description

Zelenci (Green Spring) is the source of the Sava Dolinka river, a tributary of the Danube. Sava Dolinka and Sava Bohinjka meet after some kilometers in Radovljica and form the Sava river. The Sava is with a length of 221 km the longest Slovenian river. It is a karst spring which is the resurgence of the Nadiža Creek. Zelenci is a lake with an exceptional green color and is the reason for its name, zelen means green in Slovenian.

"The valley of the Save, with its cataracts and lakes, particularly struck me. I have seen nothing so beautiful in Europe."
Sir Humphry Davy, the Cornish naturalist visited the area in the 19th century.

The beautiful lake was the reason for numerous visitors during the 19th century. Beneath the Cornish naturalist Sir Humphry Davy the painter Ladislau Benesch (1845–1922) visited the spring.

The Zelenci natural reserve has a size of 47 ha and is home to various interesting flora and fauna. Exceptional are the carnivorous sundew, the amphibians and the nesting birds. The spring is surrounded by the Drni moorland which is 1,200 m long and up to 200 m wide. The spring is developed with an elöevated wooden trail and numerous explanatory signs.