Izviri v Močilnik

Močilnik Valley Springs

Useful Information

Location:	1360 Vrhnika. A1 exit Vrhnika, turn left on 409 towards Logatec. After the town and a long right-hand bend, turn left at the Lubljanica Spring sign. (45.9539688, 14.2922890)
Open:	no restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Karst spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:
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 Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana Marsh). 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.

There are two main springs, Veliki Močilnik (Big Močilnik Spring) and Mali Močilnik (Little Močilnik Spring). If you follow the route description above you will first reach the Mali Močilnik spring. It’s only a few meters right of the road, at the foot of a limestone cliff. The road crosses the river and on the left is a building with the number 1802 in the roof tiles. This is a former mill which used the water of the spring. There is no official car park, but it’s possible to stop after the mill and walk back.

When you follow the single lane road further, there is a small car park on the right. It is marked by a limestone rock with a plague in honor of France Habe, a famous geologist from the Postojna Karst Institute, who did research at the springs. He is well known to cavers and geologists who visited the institute between the 1960s and 1980s. He was always helpful in organizing cave visits or giving valid background information on karst related topics. From here the trail starts to see the spring. It is actually a loop, and it is possible to return on the other side of the river and return to the car park on the road bridge. On the other side of the river there is another car park, which is today officially for the spring. There is a building which seems to be a normal house today, but some years ago it was a pub or brothel, and the car park was the car park of this venue.

Močilnik is a valley, cut deep into the limestone. The spring at the border between flysch and limestone caused the erosion of the limestone, and so the limestone above the cave was removed. As a result the spring moves continually back into the ridge, forming the valley. This is called a steephead valley, and in this case it is 180 m long. The water forms a river which is named Mala Ljubljanica (Little Ljubljanica River). Veliki Močilnik is located at the foot of a spectacular 40 m high limestone cliff named Hudičeve skale (Devil’s Cliffs).

A legend tells that this place was mentioned in the Greek story about Jason and the Argonauts. They tried to cross the continent by following the Danube upstream, then the Drau/Drava, and finally the Ljubljanica. Their ship sailed the Ljubljanica upstream until they finally reached the springs. Jason was furious, and he hit the rock with his fist, because there was no continuation. There is a hole in the rock which he reportedly caused. So they disassembled their ship and carried it on their shoulders to the Adriatic Sea. The emblem of the town Vrhnika is the ship Argo because of this legend.