Lake Palčje

Intermittent water

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The Palčje Lake (Slovenian Palško Jezero ) is a seasonally dry falling Still waters in the Slovenian karst area in the municipality Pivka north of the eponymous village Palčje.

The 1.5 km long and 0.5 km wide lake fills an oval geförmte depression in karst. His reason lies at an altitude 543-557 m, the lake has steep banks. Among the lakes in the municipality Pivka it is the largest with an average maximum dimension of 1 km ².

The seabed is at ground height, so that the amount of water depends on the hydrological conditions. Usually fills the lake after heavy rains in late autumn and again in spring. On average, the lake area is filled for three months a year. The main tributary of the lake is the Ponor the Matijahöhle, from which the water flows from the Javorniki hills to well out of the sip hole.

Use

The lake is filled to a significant part of the year so that it can not be used agriculturally. The grass -lined ground but is used or mowed to a part of the remaining time as pasture. Cattle Drive to the bottom of the lake usually begins in late July, when the remaining grazing areas around are exhausted. On the seabed growing garlic in part, the taste of the milk changes so that the hay used for horses rather than cattle feed.

From the late 18th to the mid 20th century Eisgewinnung was an additional source of income - farmers from Pivka broke out the ice blocks, they kept till spring, and then transported them with horse and cart to Trieste, where they in before the invention of the refrigerator meat and fish shops and restaurants were needed. Women gathered medicinal plants, mostly juniper berries, plantain, yarrow, thyme and others. Willow branches that grew around the lake were cut in basketry.

Abandoned military facilities in the neighborhood occupy the military use of the area. The wider area around the lakes of the community Pivka was first used by the army of Austria-Hungary and later by the Italian armed forces and the Yugoslav People's Army. For military exercises, the residents were often compensated. The military use was discontinued in 1991 and the damage to the sea bottom have been fixed.

Today, the lake and its surroundings form part of a Natura 2000 site. To date, the mowing continues and there are efforts ecotourism and sustainable agriculture to develop.