Klek is mountain in north-western

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, near

Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in north-western Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the ...

Karlovac County Karlovac County ( hr, Karlovačka županija) is a county in central Croatia, with the administrative center in Karlovac. The city of Karlovac is a fort from the times of the Military Frontier. It was built as a six-side star fort in the 16th cen ...

. It is the easternmost mountain of the

Velika Kapela The Velika Kapela (; lit. ''Great Chapel'') is a large mountain range in the east of Gorski Kotar, Croatia. The highest peak is Bjelolasica-Kula at 1533 m.a.s.l. It overlooks Velebit, Plješivica, islands Krk, Cres, Lošinj, and the Kvarner Gul ...

range of 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 ...

. The mountain is one of the best-known Croatian botanist reserves and home to a number of protected species of mountain flora. According to the 17th century tale, during the nights of storm, the summit of Klek is a midnight gathering point for

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

es and

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

. In the early 20th century, Klek's east and south face nurtured numerous Croatian rock climbers. The longest route length exceeds 200 m, with difficulty up to 5.12a. Peak of Klek mountain

Geography and geology

Klek is positioned as a prominent ridge on the eastern tips of

, and its slopes descend toward

and the valley of Dobra. The peaks are steep and rocky, and there are two most important ones, Klečice or Mali Klek (1058 m), and Veliki Klek (or just Klek, 1182 m), with its prominent vertical 200 meters high "southern rock". Klek rose during the Alpine orogeny in

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

, and geologically it consists of carbon sediments, i.e.

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

limestone and dolomite, while the peak part is made of

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

limestones. There are several speleological objects on the massif: the ''Horvat's'' or ''Klek'' cave (''Klečka spilja'' in Croatian), the ''Half-cave'' (''Polupećina'' in Croatian), the ''Jarunčica na Zakopi''

pit cave A pit cave, shaft cave or vertical cave—or often simply called a pit (in the US) and pothole or pot (in the UK); jama in South Slavic languages scientific and colloquial vocabulary (borrowed since early research in the Western Balkan Dinaric ...

, and two pits found in this century, the ''Witch's pit cave'' (133 m deep), and another one whose entry is near the peak, at the height of 1162 m. The climate is mountain with heavy rainfall, which encourages the formation of seeping and torrent streams that gather in Klek's ravine (''Klečka draga'' in Croatian) or Peras' gulch (''Perasov jarak'' in Croatian). Behind Peras' gulch on the northern slope of Klek there is also a ruin of the old Frankopan castle

Vitunj Vitunj is a small village in Karlovac, Croatia, a suburb of Ogulin. Seven kilometers west of Ogulin at the river Vitunjčica, a tributary of the River Dobra (Kupa), are the ruins of the medieval Frankopan city Vitunj, about which little is ...

, above a village named the same.

References

External links

description at Summitpost.org

Klek climbing routes at Rockclimbing.com
{{Authority control Landforms of Karlovac County Mountains of Croatia Ogulin

Geography and geology

See also

References

External links