Škocjan Caves Regional Park, Slovenia
Encyclopedia
Škocjan Caves
Regional Park is located in the Škocjan Karst
, a vast flat landscape that lies at an elevation between 420 and 450 m in the southeast part of the Karst
area. Following its independence, the Slovenia committed itself to protecting the Škocjan Caves area; for this reason, it established Škocjan Caves Regional Park and its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.
covers 4.15 km² and encompasses the area above Škocjan Caves
, the Reka
Gorge, and the surrounding collapse dolines. It comprises the villages of Škocjan, Betanja, and Matavun. The area of influence of the park comprises the entire Reka River watershed and covers 450 km². It lies at the extensive junction of the karst and nonkarst areas. At the easternmost border of the area of influence, the 1,796 m Mount Snežnik (Snežnik, Slovenia (mountain)
)reigns; it is the highest non-alpine mountain in Slovenia.
At first sight, the Škocjan Karst surface appears to be flat, but in reality it is very dynamic. This characteristic landscape
that developed in limestone
s is named karst, derived from the name of the Karst area. The solubility of rocks that form the Earth
's surface is the most effective agent of karstification. Falling water in the Karst sinks and drains underground through fissures. The caves are formed in this way; on the surface this occurs in different karst depressions of various sizes. The most frequent karst depressions are sinkholes.
Natural heritage
in the protected area is protected by law
. In 1996, the following natural phenomena from Škocjan Caves Regional Park were declared to be natural monuments due to their outstanding natural and aesthetic value:
and fauna
. Collapse dolines and their surroundings offer shelter to rare and endangered bird
species and several bat
species, and an extraordinary ecosystem
that has developed due to particular geomorphologic and microclimatic conditions has been preserved. The underground is rich with several species of cave animals: both those living on land and those living in water.
, which gathers most of its waters on the impermeable flysch
rock. It flows from the Škocjan Caves through the Karst underground and emerges to the surface in Italy
some 35 km away at the springs of the Timavo
River. Its flow is for the most part unknown and can only be reached in few deep shafts (up to 320 m deep), but the siphons hinder any further exploration along the underground channels.
During a high water period, the Reka River flow can exceed 300 cubic m per second. Because of this, following heavy rains, it floods in the cave, usually reaching levels up to 30 m; the highest recorded rise in the water level was 132 m.
Park has attracted people; it is exceptionally rich in archaeological sites. The nature of this area is also reflected in the preserved medieval ground plan of the village
of Škocjan and its position on a large natural bridge beneath which the Reka River carved out Mahorčič and Marinič caves.
This position is not coincidental. The village of Škocjan named after the church of St. Cantianius (sv. Kancijan) was presumably settled in the prehistoric period and undoubtedly in the Roman period. It was around this church that the village developed, leaning on the partly preserved hill fort walls inside which it is situated.
In present times, the village is almost deserted except for during the tourist season
, when visitors to the two permanent museum
exhibitions bring it back to life. Škocjan is so far registered as settlement monument in the park.
Cultural heritage properties in the area are protected by law and since 1996 some structures have been declared as cultural monuments due to their special value. Since then, the park contains various settlement monuments,archaeological monuments, historical art monuments, ethnological monuments, technical monuments, and historical monuments.
of influence of Škocjan Caves
Regional Park encompasses the entire Reka River
drainage basin
and covers 450 km². It includes the Snežnik mountain chain, the Reka Valley
, Brkini, Vremščica, the Košana Valley, Prestranško-slavinski ravnik, Sajevško polje, and the Škocjan Caves Park area.
Škocjan Caves
Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Slovenia. Due to its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the caves as one of the natural treasures of...
Regional Park is located in the Škocjan Karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
, a vast flat landscape that lies at an elevation between 420 and 450 m in the southeast part of the Karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
area. Following its independence, the Slovenia committed itself to protecting the Škocjan Caves area; for this reason, it established Škocjan Caves Regional Park and its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.
Position and surface
The narrow protected areaArea
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
covers 4.15 km² and encompasses the area above Škocjan Caves
Škocjan Caves
Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Slovenia. Due to its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the caves as one of the natural treasures of...
, the Reka
Reka River
The ' , also ' is a river that starts as in Croatia, on the southern side of Mount Snežnik, and flows through western Slovenia. The river is 54 km long. At the village of Škocjan it disappears underground through Škocjan Caves , flowing 38 km underneath the Slovenian Karst...
Gorge, and the surrounding collapse dolines. It comprises the villages of Škocjan, Betanja, and Matavun. The area of influence of the park comprises the entire Reka River watershed and covers 450 km². It lies at the extensive junction of the karst and nonkarst areas. At the easternmost border of the area of influence, the 1,796 m Mount Snežnik (Snežnik, Slovenia (mountain)
Snežnik, Slovenia (mountain)
Snežnik is a karstic limestone plateau with an area of about in the Dinaric Alps of Slovenia. Its highest peak Veliki Snežnik has the altitude of . There is a mountain hut named the Drago Karolin Hut just below the Veliki Snežnik peak towards the border with Croatia.- External links :*...
)reigns; it is the highest non-alpine mountain in Slovenia.
At first sight, the Škocjan Karst surface appears to be flat, but in reality it is very dynamic. This characteristic landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
that developed in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s is named karst, derived from the name of the Karst area. The solubility of rocks that form the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's surface is the most effective agent of karstification. Falling water in the Karst sinks and drains underground through fissures. The caves are formed in this way; on the surface this occurs in different karst depressions of various sizes. The most frequent karst depressions are sinkholes.
Natural heritage
Natural heritage
Natural heritage is the legacy of natural objects and intangible attributes encompassing the countryside and natural environment, including flora and fauna, scientifically known as biodiversity, and geology and landforms ....
in the protected area is protected by law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. In 1996, the following natural phenomena from Škocjan Caves Regional Park were declared to be natural monuments due to their outstanding natural and aesthetic value:
- Mala dolina and Velika dolina all the way to the collapse doline edge
- Okroglica abyss
- Walls and banks of the Reka Valley in the radiusRadiusIn classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of any such segment, which is half the diameter. If the object does not have an obvious center, the term may refer to its...
of 150 m before the entry into Mahorčič Cave - Underground caves in the area of the Park:
- Škocjan Caves (Škocjan cave system)
- Jama na Prevali II. (Mušja jama)
- Mala jama na Prevali (Skeletna jama)
- Škrlica Cave
- the stalactiteStalactiteA stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
in Lipje Caves near Divača.
Flora and fauna
Škocjan Caves, a well-known and well-explored outstanding natural phenomenon, has long been recognized as exceptional due to its extremely varied terrain and exceptionally diverse floraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. Collapse dolines and their surroundings offer shelter to rare and endangered bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species and several bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
species, and an extraordinary ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
that has developed due to particular geomorphologic and microclimatic conditions has been preserved. The underground is rich with several species of cave animals: both those living on land and those living in water.
The Reka River
The cave was formed by the disappearing Reka RiverReka River
The ' , also ' is a river that starts as in Croatia, on the southern side of Mount Snežnik, and flows through western Slovenia. The river is 54 km long. At the village of Škocjan it disappears underground through Škocjan Caves , flowing 38 km underneath the Slovenian Karst...
, which gathers most of its waters on the impermeable flysch
Flysch
Flysch is a sequence of sedimentary rocks that is deposited in a deep marine facies in the foreland basin of a developing orogen. Flysch is typically deposited during an early stage of the orogenesis. When the orogen evolves the foreland basin becomes shallower and molasse is deposited on top of...
rock. It flows from the Škocjan Caves through the Karst underground and emerges to the surface in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
some 35 km away at the springs of the Timavo
Timavo
The River, known in Slovene as the or , is a 2-km river in the Province of Trieste. It has four sources near San Giovanni near Duino and outflows in the Gulf of Panzano between Trieste and Monfalcone , Italy....
River. Its flow is for the most part unknown and can only be reached in few deep shafts (up to 320 m deep), but the siphons hinder any further exploration along the underground channels.
During a high water period, the Reka River flow can exceed 300 cubic m per second. Because of this, following heavy rains, it floods in the cave, usually reaching levels up to 30 m; the highest recorded rise in the water level was 132 m.
Cultural heritage
From time immemorial, the landscape in the area of Škocjan CavesŠkocjan Caves
Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Slovenia. Due to its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the caves as one of the natural treasures of...
Park has attracted people; it is exceptionally rich in archaeological sites. The nature of this area is also reflected in the preserved medieval ground plan of the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Škocjan and its position on a large natural bridge beneath which the Reka River carved out Mahorčič and Marinič caves.
This position is not coincidental. The village of Škocjan named after the church of St. Cantianius (sv. Kancijan) was presumably settled in the prehistoric period and undoubtedly in the Roman period. It was around this church that the village developed, leaning on the partly preserved hill fort walls inside which it is situated.
In present times, the village is almost deserted except for during the tourist season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
, when visitors to the two permanent museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
exhibitions bring it back to life. Škocjan is so far registered as settlement monument in the park.
Cultural heritage properties in the area are protected by law and since 1996 some structures have been declared as cultural monuments due to their special value. Since then, the park contains various settlement monuments,archaeological monuments, historical art monuments, ethnological monuments, technical monuments, and historical monuments.
Area of influence
The areaArea
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
of influence of Škocjan Caves
Škocjan Caves
Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Slovenia. Due to its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the caves as one of the natural treasures of...
Regional Park encompasses the entire Reka River
Reka River
The ' , also ' is a river that starts as in Croatia, on the southern side of Mount Snežnik, and flows through western Slovenia. The river is 54 km long. At the village of Škocjan it disappears underground through Škocjan Caves , flowing 38 km underneath the Slovenian Karst...
drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
and covers 450 km². It includes the Snežnik mountain chain, the Reka Valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, Brkini, Vremščica, the Košana Valley, Prestranško-slavinski ravnik, Sajevško polje, and the Škocjan Caves Park area.