Triglav National Park is a national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 located in Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

 and the only one in the country. It was named after Mount Triglav

Triglav

Triglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. While its name, meaning "three-headed", can describe its shape as seen from the Bohinj area, the mountain was most probably named after the Slavic god Triglav. The mountain is the preeminent symbol of the Slovene...

, the highest peak of the Julian Alps

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. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...

 and a symbol of Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

 and Slovenian character.

Triglav stands almost in the middle of the national park. From it the valleys spread out radially, supplying water to two large river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 systems with their sources in the Julian Alps

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. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...

: the Soča

Soca

The Soča or Isonzo is a 140 km long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, at an elevation of around 1,100 metres...

 and the Sava, flowing to the Adriatic

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

 and Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

, respectively.

History

The proposal for conservation

Conservation ethic

Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...

 dates back to 1908, and was implemented in 1924. Then, at an initiative by the Nature Protection Section of the Slovene Museum Society together with the Slovene Mountaineering Society, a twenty-year lease was taken out on the Triglav Lakes Valley

Triglav Lakes Valley

The Triglav Lakes Valley or the Lake Triglav Valley is a rocky hanging valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, below the sheer sides of mountains Tičarica and Zelnarica to the southwest of Triglav. The valley is also called the Seven Lakes Valley , although there are ten and not seven lakes in the...

 area, some 14 km². It was destined to become an Alpine Protection Park; however, permanent conservation was not possible at that time.

In 1961, after many years of effort, the protection was renewed (this time on a permanent basis) and somewhat enlarged, embracing around 20 km². The protected area was officially designated as Triglav National Park. Under this act, however, all objectives of a true national park were not attained and for this reason over the next two decades new proposals for expanding and modifying this protection were put forward.

Finally, in 1981, a rearrangement was achieved and the park was given a new concept and expanded to 838 km², the area it continues to cover to this day.

Hydrology

Waters in Triglav National Park consist of two watersheds: the Sava River watershed and the Soča

Soca

The Soča or Isonzo is a 140 km long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, at an elevation of around 1,100 metres...

 River watershed.
Many waterfalls can be found in the park, and most of them are located in the valleys of Soča River and its tributaries. The highest waterfall is Boka

Boka

Boka can refer to:* Boka * Boka Kotorska, geographical region in Montenegro* Boka , village in Vojvodina, Serbia* Bauka, California* Arthur Boka, Ivorian footballer...

 Falls (106 m).
The lakes in the park are all of glacial origin. The largest among them is Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia. Lake Bohinj is located in the Bohinj municipality in the north-west of the country, and is inside Triglav National Park.-Description:Lake Bohinj is 4.2 km long and 1 km at its maximum width...

. Others are the Triglav Lakes (located in Triglav Lakes Valley

Triglav Lakes Valley

The Triglav Lakes Valley or the Lake Triglav Valley is a rocky hanging valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, below the sheer sides of mountains Tičarica and Zelnarica to the southwest of Triglav. The valley is also called the Seven Lakes Valley , although there are ten and not seven lakes in the...

), Lake Krn, and Lower and Upper Križ Lake.

External links

• Triglav National Park. Official site.
• Triglav National Park. Slovenia-Landmarks. Virtual panoramas of sights in the Triglav National Park. Boštjan Burger
  Boštjan Burger
  Boštjan Burger is a Slovenian informatician, geographer, a panoramic and VR panoramic photographer and a speleologist. He was founder of the Burger.si website and had retired as computer programmer in the 1990s to become a geographic researcher on the hydrology of waterfalls. He used VR panoramas...
  
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