The Banjšice Plateau ( sl, Banjška planota, also or , it, Altopiano della Bainsizza) is a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

plateau in western

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

, in the traditional region of

Goriška Goriška is a historical region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. It comprises the northern part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral (''Primorska''). The name ''Goriška'' is an adjective referring to the city of ...

. It is a widely settled area, distinguished by its history and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

. Geographically, it belongs to the

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...

Geography

The plateau lies about north of the town of

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

, above the

Soča The Soča ( in Slovene) or Isonzo ( in Italian; other names fur, Lusinç, german: Sontig, la, Aesontius or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy (). An Alpine river in character, its source lies in ...

River to the west, the

Idrijca The Juridical is a river flowing through the Idrija Hills and Cerkno Hills. It is long. It rises near Vojsko, flows towards northeast and after passing through Idrija turns to the northwest. After passing through Spodnja Idrija and Cerkno it jo ...

to the north, and the narrow and deep Čepovan Valley to the east and the south. It covers about , raises from the west towards the east, and is about high in its central part. The climate is mainly

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

, though with plenty of precipitation and a long-lasting snow cover, except for the southern slopes that are subjected to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

influences. The rocks are mainly

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, with some

flysch Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building ep ...

in the northern and southern areas. The surface has been shaped by a number of tectonic faults, with the largest, the Avče Fault, dividing the plateau into the northern and the southern half.

History

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Italian and the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

fought in the

Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a World War I battle fought by the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946), Italian and Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Armies on the Italian Front (World War I), Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 191 ...

on the plateau from August until September 1917.

Settlements

The plateau was named after the village of Banjšice, which is most probably the oldest settlement on the plateau. The other settlements, comprising a number of hamlets, are Bate,

Grgarske Ravne Grgarske Ravne (; it, Raune) is a settlement north of Grgar in the Municipality of Nova Gorica in western Slovenia. It is located on the Banjšice Plateau and it forms a local community together with the nearby village of Bate, Nova Gorica, Bate. ...

Kal nad Kanalom Kal nad Kanalom (; it, Cal di Canale) is a village in the hills east of Kanal in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It lies on the southwest part of the Banjšice Plateau. Name The name of the settlement was changed from ''Kal'' to ''Kal nad Kan ...

, and

Lokovec Lokovec () is a dispersed settlement in western Slovenia in the City Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located on the Banjšice Plateau overlooking the narrow Čepovan Valley, which divides it from the Trnovo Forest Plateau ( sl, Trnovski gozd) ...

. Traditionally, the villages on the plateau used to gravitate towards

Kanal ob Soči Kanal ( or ; it, Canale, german: Kanalburg), frequently referred to as Kanal ob Soči ("Kanal on the Soča"; or ; it, Canale d'Isonzo), is a settlement mostly on the left bank of the Soča River in the Slovene Littoral, the traditional region ...

and partially towards

Grgar Grgar (; it, Gargaro) is a village in western Slovenia in the Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located under Holy Mount ( sl, Sveta gora), above the Soča Valley and below the Banjšice Plateau. Name Grgar was mentioned in written sources 1370 ...

and

Solkan Solkan ( or ; it, Salcano, german: link=no, Sollingen or ''Salcano'') is a settlement in the Municipality of Nova Gorica in the Gorizia region of western Slovenia, at the border with Italy. Although it forms a single urban area with the city of N ...

. Nowadays, they are included in the municipalities of

and Kanal.

Demography

The population on the plateau has been steadily falling. People are mainly of higher age and poorly educated.

Economy

Most of the plateau is extensively cultivated, with meadows, pastures and old high-tree orchards, however the only significant farming is husbandry. Some smaller factories opened on the plateau in the 1970s, but were later closed and today, also due to better roads, many locals work in the nearby valleys.

Biodiversity

The predominant floral species are ''

Danthonia alpina ''Danthonia'' is a genus of Eurasian, North African, and American plants in the grass family. Members of this genus are sometimes referred to as oatgrass, but that common name is not restricted to this genus. Other common names include heathgrass ...

'' and '' Scorzonera villosa'', forming

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s, in which flourish endangered and endemic species, such as e.g. '' Iris sibirica subsp. erirrhiza'', ''

Asphodelus albus ''Asphodelus albus'', common name white asphodel, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus ''Asphodelus''. Description White asphodel grows to a height of . The plain stem is supported by fleshy, thickened roots ( rhizomes). The l ...

'', ''

Muscari botryoides ''Muscari botryoides'' is a bulbous perennial plant of the genus ''Muscari'' and one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinth. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant. The flowers are close together, and are almost totally ...

'', ''

Saxifraga tenella ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 465 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...

'', ''

Scopolia carniolica ''Scopolia carniolica'', the European scopolia or henbane bell, is a poisonous plant belonging to the family Solanaceae. It has dark violet flowers on long hanging stems. It grows to in height. Its toxicity derives from its high levels of tropan ...

'', and '' Medicago pironae''. There are also some forests of ''

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though mor ...

'' and ''

Sesleria autumnalis ''Sesleria autumnalis'', commonly known as autumn moor grass, is a species of grass within the family Poaceae. It is native to southeastern Europe and often used as ornamental ground cover in North America. Taxonomy The first recorded descrip ...

'' in the southwest, and '' Carpinus betulus'' in the lower parts of the plateau. A number of birds and over 80 species of butterflies (47% of all the species in the country) have been spotted there. Among the birds, the most important species are the

European nightjar The European nightjar (''Caprimulgus europaeus''), common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar, is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia and Northwest ...

(''Caprimulgus europaeus''), the woodlark (''Lullula arborea''), the red-backed shrike (''Lanius collurio''), and the

European honey buzzard The European honey buzzard (''Pernis apivorus''), also known as the pern or common pern, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Etymology Despite its English name, this species is more closely related to kites of the genera '' Leptodon'' a ...

(''Pernis apivorus''). The significant butterfly species are ''

Euphydryas aurinia The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...

'', '' Coenonympha oedippus'' (its most northern area), ''

Zerynthia polyxena ''Zerynthia polyxena'', the southern festoon, is a butterfly belonging to the butterfly family Papilionidae. Subspecies and forms Under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Article 1.3.4, names used only below the ...

'', and ''

Lopinga achine ''Lopinga achine'', the woodland brown, is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Description in Seitz P. ''achine'' Scop. (= ''dejanira'' L.) (45 g). Dark brown: forewing with 5—6 eye-rings forming a chain, hindwing with 2—4 suc ...

''.

References

External links

Planota.si
– a website dedicated to the Trnovo and Banjšice Plateaus. *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banjsice Plateau Plateaus in the Slovene Littoral Dinaric Alps Karst plateaus of Slovenia Natura 2000 in Slovenia