DIVJE JEZERO LAKE – THE WILD LIKE

The mysterious karstic lake Divje jezero nearby Idrija is one of the most beautiful places of Slovenia’s natural heritage. The lake is hidden under the precipitous rock faces of the northern edge of the plateau of Črni Vrh and linked to the secret world of the underground water. The research done so far has verified the assumption that the lake has got a typical ‘vaucluse’ spring which has a steep and deeply sunken siphon shaft that turns back up only at a great depth. Divers have reached a depth of 160 m below the surface.

The emerald green surface of the lake is usually calm and tranquil, but when there is a strong rainfall, a great amount of water starts spewing out from the vast area of the plateau of Črni Vrh and the karstic world under the Javornik Hill.
The water from the lake flows is Slovenia’s shortest river that flows on the surface and it is called Jezernica (55 m long). In times of heavy rain, it even happens that its flow is larger than the one of the Idrijca river.

The lake and its immediate vicinity shows off with extremely rich fauna and flora: we can find brown trout, in the cave part there are many small underground animal species and even the famous human fish – the Proteus Anguinus.

In cracks in the rocks or on small ledges above the lake you can find the Carniolan primrose – Primula Carniolica, a Slovenian endemic. Its purple flower opens up in the second half of April. We can also find the henbane bell – Scopolia carniolica, and many species of Pteridophytes.

The mysterious karstic lake Divje jezero nearby Idrija is one of the most beautiful places of Slovenia’s natural heritage.