Easy hikes and walks around Cerkniško lake

Starting point for great hikes on one of the largest karst seepage lakes in the world. The parking lot is free during the week.

Here you can buy inexpensive honey from Krajner bees. The 800g jar for 14 euros.

Cerknica is a town with approximately 4,000 inhabitants and the center of the municipality of the same name. It lies on the northern edge of the Cerkniška field, at the mouth of the Cerkniščica river valley, below Gradišče (858 m), which is the western jetty of Slivnica (1114 m). The old town center of Tabor is the top of a low rise, part of it is also below the rise of Kamna gorica. The newer part of the settlement expands at its foot along the gravel peak of Cerkniščica to the isolated Sinja Gorica and Peščenk pod Gradiščem. The karst field is dominated by meadows that are occasionally flooded, fields are only on the top of Cerkniščica. Under the road to Martinjak, there are large double haystacks on the edge of the field. South of Cerknica, at the bottom of the karst field, there is an intermittent Cerknica lake. Its level fluctuates between 546 and 552 m above sea level. With an area of 26 km², the lake is the largest in Slovenia. Cerknica is the starting point of the route to Slivnica, and there is a serviced mountain hut below the peak. Pastures on Slivnica are shrinking due to gradual afforestation and overgrowth. According to folk tales, Slivnica is the home of witches, otherwise it is a viewing point of the Cerkniško field and the surrounding karst plateaus. Just below the peak is the Coprniška cave, from which warm, moist air rises in winter. The moisture condenses into mist, which has helped to give rise to the legend that cobras live in the cave. In June, the Carniola lily blooms here. Cerknica is home to the headquarters of the Notranjski regional park, the Krpanova sales gallery and the Museum - Interpretation Center Cerkniško jezero Jezerski hram in the nearby Dolenje jezero. Every year in Cerknica, during the carnival season, a traditional carnival is held. Composer Fran Gerbič, psychiatrist Alfred Šerko, painter Marko Šuštaršič and poet Jože Udovič were born in Cerknica. History Prehistoric settlement was documented in the Slivnica area. Remains of a dry wall were discovered at Gradišče (858 m). Findings of coins prove the existence of the settlement even in the Roman era. Iron Age finds were excavated near the parish church. In antiquity, the population settled in the flat part along the Emona-Tarsatica road. Roman finds from the 1st and 2nd centuries were discovered near the cemetery. A larger Roman settlement was on the Sinja gorica hill. Archaeological excavations have shown the existence of a large number of cremated graves, which were lined with bricks or stone slabs. Among the grave goods, ceramic and glass products predominate. Among the metal objects, there were most iron curved knives with bone handles. The graves are from the 1st and 2nd centuries. The ancient settlement can be located next to the parish church. Next to the church, Slavic graves from the 10th and 11th centuries and the remains of a building that was supposed to represent a sacral building from the 9th century were also discovered. Although the church is first mentioned in 1265, the creation of the parish can be dated to after 1040, when the area belonged to the patriarch of Ogle. In 1296, Cerknica was one of the three Ogle parishes "on the Karst". In 1395, the Ogle patriarch granted it to the Carthusian monastery in Bistra, and later it was the property of the Haasberg family from Planina. In the Middle Ages, the craft and trade of salt was important. It was loaded from the littoral via the freight route via Lož and Menešija towards Ljubljana. The Vrhnika-Postojna road built in the 18th century and the Ljubljana-Trieste railway line in 1857 bypassed Cerknica. In addition to agriculture, the extensive forests in the hinterland and the water energy of Cerkniščica were the basis for sawmilling and wood trade. On this basis, the Brest furniture factory was created after the Second World War. This later broke up into several smaller companies located in the industrial zone in Podskrajnik, west of the settlement. A few classicist and art nouveau buildings have been preserved in the city. On the left defensive tower, there is a commemorative plaque to the poet and storyteller Jože Udovič. On the northern side of the camp walls, the birthplace of the composer and singer Frano Gerbič is marked with a memorial plaque. In 1952, a monument to fallen fighters in World War II was erected along the main road, and in the parish there are memorial plaques bearing the names of villagers from the surrounding villages who fell on the anti-communist side in 1942-1945.[3] The ruins of Loško Castle can be seen west of the place. It was originally the property of the Palmburg noble family, for a while it was owned by the Auerspergs, from the middle of the 17th century it was the property of the Bistra Carthusian monastery, and after its dissolution, it was bought at an auction by the Galle family.

Velika Slivnica is a 1114 m high peak located north of Cerkniško polje. From the top, where the entry box is located, the view is quite limited due to the nearby forest and transmitters.

The ephemeral lake of Cerknica / Circonio is a spectacle: a real lake during the rainy season, a fertile plain during the dry ones.

Cerknika is a village where life is good which is best known for its lake Cerknisko Jezero, which is the largest intermittent lake in Europe. That is, in summer it recedes and decreases. In times of high water the lake begins about 2.5 kilometers south of Cerknica, in the village of Dolenje Jezero where the lake museum is located, which presents the functioning of this nature reserve. Cerknica has a bike workshop, which can come in handy in case of repairs. You will find camping by the lake and accommodation in the town centre.

Lake Cerknica is one of the largest intermittent lakes in Europe; it appears every year on the karst polje (plain), caught between the Javorniki hills and the Bloke plateau on one side, and Mount Slivnica on the other. During the dry season, the lake disappears.

Cerkniško Jezero (Zirknitzer See). Natural wonders, sometimes water, sometimes nothing. Very well-known seepage lake, due to the karst landscape. Have only seen a small part, it is worth more. More info: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerkni%C5%A1ko_jezero