Lintvern

Useful Information

Location:	Near Vrhnika. A1 exit Vrhnika, left on 409 through Vrhnika. Turn right to Lintvern, single lane road.
Open:	no restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Karst spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:
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

Description

The river Ljubljanica, which flows through Slovenian Capital Ljubljana, is the river with seven names. A complex system of caves and poljes is the source of this river. It is called Ljubljanica when the water finally reaches the Ljubljana Marsh (Ljubljansko barje). Here is a huge number of springs, where the limestone ridge ends and the impermeable flysch plain begins. The four most important springs of Ljubljanica are Retovje, Močilnik, Bistra, and Lintvern.

Lintvern spring is the source of the Bela rivulet. It is a typical karst spring with a variable yield. After snow melt or heavy rains the water gushes out with great force. But in dry seasons, after periods of drought or generally in autumn and winter, the spring completely dries up. Nevertheless, the water of the Buna was used to power a water mill named star maln (Old Mill). There is only a dam and the old mill wheel, but there is also a lodge and the place is quite popular. The lodge is run by the Tourist Association Blagajana Vrhnika and is a nice, shady place to spend a hot summer day.

The historical importance of Lintvern is the fact that it was visited by the Slovenian naturalist Janez Vajkard Valvasor. In 1689, he wrote that the Lintvern Spring spews out baby dragons. These dragons were olms or human fish (Proteus anguinus).