Divje jezero lake - the Wild Lake

The mysterious karstic lake Divje jezero nearby Idrija is one of the gems of Slovenia’s natural heritage. As early as 1967 it was protected as a monument of natural heritage and since 1972 it has been arranged for visitors, being the first ever outdoor museum in Slovenia. 

It is located about 2 km to the south of the town.

The lake is hidden in the rocky hollow under the precipice of the northern edge of the plateau of Črni Vrh and connected to the mysterious world of the underground water currents. The research work done so far has confirmed the presumption that the lake has got a typical ‘vaucluse’ spring that has a steep and deeply sunken siphon shaft that turns back up only at a great depth.

Having used 420 m of supporting rope going down the siphon, divers have reached a depth of 160 m below the surface.  The emerald green surface of the lake is usually idyllic and peaceful, but only a few days of strong rainfall and the water starts spewing out of the siphon. Gathering from the entire area of the karstic plateau of Črni Vrh and the Javornik Hill (in total 125 km2) extreme quantities of water (up to 60 cubic metres per second) burst out from the underground.

The water from the lake flows into the Idrijca as Slovenia’s shortest river (that flows on the surface) Jezernica (55 m long). In times of strong rain it even happens that its flux is larger than the one of the Idrijca. This river changes its nature incredibly, because in cases of drought it nearly disappears.

The lake and its immediate vicinity boast with immensely rich fauna and flora: inside the lake there are brown trout, in the underground part of it there are numerous tiny underground animal species and even the famous human fish – the Proteus Anguinus. 

The living conditions in the immediate vicinity of the lake give chance for many, even Alpine, plant species to grow. In cooler shady places some of them have managed to survive even the Ice Age. In cracks in the rocks or on small ledges above the lake you can spot the Carniolan primrose - Primula Carniolica, a Slovenian endemic plant that has had its name for over 200 years. Its purple blossoms open up in the second half of April. The rocky surface also hosts the henbane bell - Scopolia carniolica, and about 150 types of Pteridophyta and seed plants grow in the nearby areas of the lake.

Every single fan of natural beauties and uniqueness is kindly invited to visit this natural paradise!