virtual excursion
SLOVENŠČINA| Site Name | Divje jezero |
| Lake Type | Karst siphon lake |
| Spring Type | Vauclusian spring |
| Explored Depth | 160 m |
| Outflow River | Jezernica (55 m) |
| Water Temp | 7 - 10 °C |
| Status | Nature Monument (since 1967) |
| Distinction | First Slovenian museum in nature |
Divje jezero ('Savage Lake') is a karst siphon lake situated about 2 km south of the town of Idrija. The lake lies at the bottom of a stony kettle below hundred-metre-high precipitous walls that border the northern edge of the Črnovrška plateau.
The lake is also a (*) vauclusian spring, as water flows into the lake from a steeply descending tunnel, which has been explored to a depth of 160 m so far. From this spring flows the river Jezernica, which is the shortest surface-flowing river in Slovenia, joining the Idrijca river after only 55 metres.
(*) Vauclusian spring type is named after the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse spring in the Provence region of southern France. It is characteristic of these types of springs that water rises to the surface from great depths under pressure through steep channels.
The water temperature in Divje jezero fluctuates only between 7 and 10 °C throughout the year. Since 1972, it has been arranged for visitors as the first Slovenian museum in nature. While usually a "tranquil" and idyllic lake, it becomes truly wild when the water level rises and the surface of the lake appears to "boil."