The Banjšice Plateau (, also or , ) is a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

plateau in western

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, 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 ...

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

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. Geographically, it belongs to the

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

Geography

The plateau lies about north of the town of

Nova Gorica Nova Gorica () is a town in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy. It is the seat of the Municipality of Nova Gorica. Nova Gorica is a planned town, built according to the principles of modernist architecture after 1947, when the Treaty of pe ...

, above the

Soča Soča (, in Slovene) or Isonzo (, in Italian; other names: ; ; or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy (). An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps ...

River to the west, the

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

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 * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

, 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

influences. The rocks are mainly dolomite and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Italian and the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

fought in the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo 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, Kal nad Kanalom, and Lokovec. Traditionally, the villages on the plateau used to gravitate towards Kanal ob Soči and partially towards Grgar and

Solkan Solkan ( or ; , 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 Nova Gorica today, it has maintained th ...

. 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'' and '' Scorzonera villosa'', forming

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

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

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'', ''

Scopolia carniolica ''Scopolia carniolica'', the European scopolia or henbane bell, is a poisonous plant belonging to tribe Hyoscyameae of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It bears dark brownish-violet nodding flowers on long, slender pedicels. It grows to in heig ...

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

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the Fagaceae, beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' i ...

'' and '' Sesleria autumnalis'' in the southwest, and ''

Carpinus betulus Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

'' 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 (''Caprimulgus europaeus''), the woodlark (''Lullula arborea''), the

red-backed shrike The red-backed shrike (''Lanius collurio'') is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family, Laniidae. Its breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia. It is migratory and winters in the eastern areas of ...

(''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. Taxonomy The European honey buzzard was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in ...

(''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 realm, Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The p ...

'', '' Coenonympha oedippus'' (its most northern area), '' Zerynthia polyxena'', and '' Lopinga achine''.

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