Cerknisko Jezero

Cerknica Lake

Useful Information

photography — The rest of the lake at sunset, Cerknisko Jezero, Slovenia.

Location:	South of Cercnica. (45° 46' N, 14° 24' E)
Open:	No restrictions. [2015]
Fee:	No restrictions. [2015]
Classification:	Polje Karst Lake
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	Maximum Area 26 km².
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
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Description

Cerknisko Jezero is a so called seasonal lake. As the water of the lake is connected directly with the water table, its level shows the level of the water table. The bed of the lake is connected to a large but mostly inaccessible subterranean labyrinth that spews out or swallows up the water.

The strange behaviour of the lake was already noticed by the ancient Romans who had no explanation for it. A description of it gained the 17th century Carniolan historian Johann Weichard Frh. von Valvasor, honorary membership in the Royal Geographical Society in London.

The maximum surface area of the lake is 26 km², 10 km long and 5 km wide. In the summer it shrinks into a number of small puddles. Only one of them is permanent.

An island with a little village is located at the center of the lake. It also has a small museum about the lake with a 3D plaster model which simulates the changing water levels.