Snežnik (; , , , , ) is a wide

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 ...

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) ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

with an area of about in 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 ...

. It can also be viewed as a southern extension of the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , , , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large part of the Julian Alps is inclu ...

. The main part of the plateau is in

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 ...

, while the southern part extends into

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and connects to the mountain region of

Gorski Kotar Gorski Kotar () is the mountainous region in Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka. Because 63% of its surface is forested it is popularly called ''the green lungs of Croatia'' or ''Croatian Switzerland''. The European route E65, which connects B ...

Geology and climate

It mainly consists of

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

, with

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 143.1 Mya. ...

limestone and a small amount of dolomite at the top. The surface was transformed by ice in the last glacial period. It is generally level, but has numerous dry valleys, sinkholes, about 300 caves and shafts, and

cold-air pool A cold-air pool is an accumulation of cold air in a topographic depression, such as a valley or basin. The cold air is produced by radiative cooling at night along the slopes and sinks down, as it is denser than the surrounding air, settling at th ...

s with temperatures reaching in the coldest part of year. The surface is mainly stony, covered with patchy and shallow soil, except for the larger depressions. Because the plateau is only from the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, it has up to of precipitation per year. It is covered by snow in winter. Due to the karst nature of the plateau, there are no surface streams. The plateau has the following two main peaks: * Big Mount Snežnik (), , Slovenia * Little Mount Snežnik (), , Slovenia Note that on the Croatian side of the border, 20 km to the south in the

Risnjak National Park Risnjak National Park () is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Gorski Kotar, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country, about 15 km inland from the Adriatic Sea. The park covers an area of 63.5 square kilomet ...

, there is a mountain also called

Snježnik Risnjak National Park () is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Gorski Kotar, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country, about 15 km inland from the Adriatic Sea. The park covers an area of 63.5 square kilomete ...

or Snežnik with an altitude of

Biology

The vegetation of Snežnik was first studied in the 19th century by Heinrich Freyer, who was later the curator of the Estate Museum of Carniola in Ljubljana. It is Central European, with a large contribution of

Southern European Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...

species and montane flora above the timberline. In sinkholes, vegetation inversion and a lower timberline (otherwise rare in Slovenia) may be observed. The plateau is covered by

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

forests, except for the highest parts covered by dwarf pine and grass. The area of Snežnik above covers and was protected in 1964 as a natural landmark. It is a habitat for ''

Edraianthus graminifolius ''Edraianthus'' (rock bells or grassy bells) is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae. ''Edraianthus'' species are native to mountain regions of the Balkan, including Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, ...

'', '' Arabis scopoliana'', '' Campanula justiniana'', ''

Nigritella rubra ''Gymnadenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae) containing 22 terrestrial species. The former genus ''Nigritella'' is now included in ''Gymnadenia''. They can be found in damp meadows, fens and marshes, and on ch ...

'', '' Gentiana clusii'', '' Gentiana pannonica'', and other flowers. The animals living there include brown bears, wolves, deer, wild boars, and

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

, as well as a number of bird species such as the

Ural owl The Ural owl (''Strix uralensis'') is a large nocturnal owl. It is a member of the true owl family, ''Strigidae''. The Ural owl is a member of the genus ''Strix (genus), Strix'', that is also the origin of the family's name under Linnaean taxonom ...

corn crake The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff ...

, western capercaillie,

hazel grouse The hazel grouse (''Tetrastes bonasia''), sometimes called the hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido, and as far west as eastern a ...

, and

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

Hiking

Big Mount Snežnik is the highest non-

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

peak of Slovenia and the highest peak along the National Liberation War Courier and Signal Operator Trail (). It may be seen from many other parts of Slovenia and is a popular hiking destination. It offers an extensive view and has a

toposcope A toposcope, topograph, or orientation table is a kind of graphic display erected at viewing points on hills, mountains or other high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen ...

. It is most easily accessible from Sviščaki, a hamlet of the dispersed settlement of Snežnik, on the plateau. The Drago Karolin Lodge () is located just below the peak of Big Mount Snežnik towards the border with

. It was first built as a shelter under the leadership of the professor and mountaineer Drago Karolin, the president of the Snežnik Ilirska Bistrica Mountaineering Club. It was expanded from 1977 to 1994 and named after its first builder.

In popular culture

In ''

The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola ''The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola'' (, ) is an encyclopedia published in Nuremberg in 1689 by the polymath Johann Weikhard von Valvasor. It is the most important work on his homeland, the Duchy of Carniola, the present-day central part of Slov ...

'', published in 1689, the polymath

Johann Weikhard von Valvasor Johann Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor or Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor (, ) or simply Valvasor (baptised on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, present-day Slovenia, and a Li ...

wrote the following about Snežnik: The Triestine author

Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (; born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been ...

published a story about Snežnik in his 1997 collection of stories ''Microcosms''.

References

External links

Point Veliki Snežnik (Peak)
A map and general information about the access and climbing to Kojca. Pespoti.si.

VR panoramas (surround photography) of Snežnik. Boštjan Burger. (Rich media - may be viewed with QuickTime). {{DEFAULTSORT:Sneznik (mountain) Dinaric Alps Nature reserves in Slovenia Karst plateaus of Slovenia Mountains of Inner Carniola Plateaus of Inner Carniola Two-thousanders of Slovenia

Geology and climate

Biology

Hiking

In popular culture

References

Further reading

Entomology

Tourism

External links