Krka (from poljes to the spring and confluence with the Sava River)

virtualna ekskurzija

Krka River from the source below Krško Cave to the confluence with Sava near Brežice is entirely the Slovenian River. From its springs below the Krška jama (cave) at an altitude of 312 meters at the village of Krka, between the hamlets Gradiček and Trebnja Gorica, southeast of Grosuplje to the confluence with the Sava River below Čatež pri Brežice at an altitude of 141 m, 93.1 km elapsed. Krka is thus among the longest completely Slovenian rivers (only the Savinja River with 94.5 km is longer). The characteristic of the river are numerous lean sills and, due to the plural water, interesting waterfalls. Just 400 m from the entrance to the Krška jamais the source of the first right tributary of the Krka, the Poltarica stream. Above the Poltarica is a recently discovered Karst cave.

Krka begins to flow along the surface in the western dry landscape in the shaking valley, surrounded by forested limestone slopes in the semicircle. At its bottom is a picturesque karst spring below the cave, a few meters lower than the Krška jama. It comes to the surface of the waters from the wider karst hinterland, the largest part from the 5 km distant sinks at the southeast end of Radensko Polje. A little lower from the left is joined by a Poltarica stream, which also flows from the Karst spring on the south side of the village of Gradiček, and a little further from the Višnjica, the only non karst tributary in the entire upper stream.

However, like the Ljubljanica River, Krka raises water from the wider Karst area. The esophagus of the Rašica stream are located at the Eastern 700 m (location of the field length in the direction of Azimut 150 °) and 160 m wide polje. Rašica flows from the Veliki Log area and from there the underground flows towards the southern area of Radensko Polje, where it flows as a Šica stream to the surface.

Radensko Polje lies 3 km southeast of Grosuplje. The largest settlement along the edge of the polje is Velika Račna. The characteristic of Radensko polje is *Hum Kopanj (389 m), which in Slovenia is the only example of such morforological forms in the Karst. Kopanj is known as the place where the Slovenian poet France Prešeren survived part of his youth. A well is also an attraction of bathing on the north side, originating 10 m above the level of the Karst field. Despite its small surface (water reservoir) - the well -being - human constant water, which does not dry even in the largest drought. The length of the Radenska field is 4500 m (S-J), altitude: ~ 329 m. Radensko Polje is a beautiful 'school case' of the Karst field. Water from the Grosupelj field and the Škocjan Podolje and Rašica (esophagus Rašice near Ponikva) flows into the field. There are three sinks across the Radensko field: Dobravka (sinks north of the field - esophagus in the key), Zelenka and Šica (sink in the southern part of the field - Lazarjeva jama, Cave Cave). The water from the Karst field drains the underground to 5 km away from the Krka source.

*Hum is a hill on the straight bottom of the Karst field, which remained as part of the former higher surface before the Karst field was formed. Hum is caused by greater resistance to the stone against dissolution. The bottom of the Karst field was reduced by corrosion, and the poorly soluble part of the rock remained like a hill. The only humming in Slovenia is the Kopanj hill in Radensko Polje. Humu -like karst form is Fenglini in the Chinese Karst.

Krka initially runs the first 28 km away south -east along the wide valley, formed along the Žuzemberk Break, which has a very unusual cross -section: the river runs most of the path along the narrow, 10-25 m deep valley with steep slopes, which it made into a vibrant base the older valleys, from which the bottom is 1-2 km wide on both sides of the river, on which many villages and their fields were found. On the way through the dry landscape, Krka is rising imperceptibly, as water from the Karst underground of the dry landscape flows into it on both sides. Many are tiny springs that only strengthen in long rain, and some are precisely mighty, such as. Globočec, right tributary at Zagradec, from which a large part of the dry landscape is supplied with drinking water. Tominčev Studenec on the right bank of the Krka below Podgozdu is one of our most criminal karst springs - with high water, it reaches a flow of up to 10 m3/s. The peculiarity of this part of the valley is Lehnjak's sills, as Krka is our only larger river that leans tufa; The most numerous waterfalls and most beautiful are between Zagradec and Žužemberk and between Dvor and Gornji Kot.

* The tufa is made of calcium carbonate (CACO3), but because it is deposited on mosses and other water vegetation, it is very hole and lightweight and relatively soft and was once used as a construction stone.

There were many mills and saws on the river waterfalls, which are all but one abandoned today.

Under the Dvor settlement, the character of the Krka Valley changes completely: the wide valley passes into a narrow, some 5 km long gorge between the steep slopes of the Ajdovska planota (plateau) on the north and Kočevski Rog on the south side. At the lower end of the gorge are the remains of the castle of the same name, and shortly after it makes the river a distinct knee and turns northeast. From the right, Radščica and Sušica join her, and the valley expands into a small Straška valley. This is one of the youngest tectonic depressions in Slovenia, since according to geologists, it has only sunk in Pleistocene. From the left, the stream is flowed into it, and from the right, there are some smaller tributaries from slopes of Gorjanci hills.

A little further, Krka River is again traversed into a vivid base and in two beautiful turns runs through Novo mesto, which is squeezed to the inside of Krka's clock with the old part. It continues to flow through the narrower valley 20-30 m lower than the slightly wavy and slightly sacrificed terraces, all the way to Otočec, where the Otočec Castle stands on the river islands. A little lower, at Dolenje Kronovo, Krka turns into a slow lowland river. Next to it is an increasingly wider floodplain, which is barely noticeably rising on the right side into a huge Šentjernej peak. From the right side, several streams from Gorjanci flows into it, from the left near Dobrava Radulja, then winds forward east and near Kostanjevica on Krka again approaches the foot of Gorjanci. On the left side it is accompanied by an extensive Krakovski gozd (forest), the largest lowland forest in Slovenia.

In the plain of Krško-Breežice, the Sava Raiver in the last ice age was a large pebble, which again pushed Krka River right at the foot of the Gorjanci slopes, so that it can only be poured into the Sava River just at the foot of the hills near Brežice.

At the upper flow of Krka, many mills and saws once operated, as it was the only source of water energy for the entire dry landscape. “In the 2nd half of the 19th century, they were regularly grinded in 24 mills, Phali barley, millet and buckwheat in 3 foot, made succinn in 2 rollers, sawed on 14 saws and forged in 5 blacksmiths. The latter number does not take into account the large blacksmithing and ironworks in Zagradec and Dvor, as well as a paper mill and a tannery in Žužemberk. "

After the end of World War II, water establishments were dying one after the other, some abandoned still stand (eg in Prapreče), and only Štupnik's mill in Zagradec operates in the entire upper valley. The municipality of Žužemberk proclaimed Dimchch's mill in Budgunja vas and Jožmanov Mlin in Drašče vas as a cultural monument of local importance. Of the former saws, only a saw at the lower end of the gorge works, but for a long time not on a water drive.

Modest but once important in ancient times, iron ore deposits in the dry landscape and elsewhere in Dolenjska region were one of the basics that allowed the flourishing Hallstatt culture, from which are the remains of numerous buildings and pile graves. Also in the Middle and New Age, the valley was important in the valley, especially at Zagradec, where Fužine is known in the 16th century, Žužemberk and especially in Dvor, where former Fužine in the 19th century grew into a large ironworks, far known for its products made of cast iron, which had to be closed in 1896 due to foreign competition. Today, it is directly connected to the river, both in the Upper Stream, where there are several tourist farms along the river, as well as along the lower stream, where the most important tourist destination is Otočec Castle with a rich tourist offer (hotel, restaurant, golf course, autocamp). A large fish farm operates in the court, and is smaller in the village of Krka.

Burger Landmarks / MojaSlovenija.si

Digitalizacija dediščine: (c) Boštjan Burger, (1993) 1996-2024