The Vintgar Gorge is a 1600-meter-long and up to 250-meter-deep canyon located on the eastern edge of the Triglav National Park, 4 kilometers northwest of the center of Bled. It was only 130 years ago that three adventurers first entered the mysterious Vintgar Gorge. The local community of Gorje has been protective of Vintgar from its very beginning. They simply knew it had to be preserved.

Facts

MORE ABOUT THE ORIGINS AND DISCOVERY

ORIGIN

The legendary Vintgar Gorge was sculpted and shaped by glaciers. As they began to melt and retreat, the Bled Lake formed in the valley. At that time, the Radovna River began to carve a new path at the lowest point between the Hom and Boršt hills. After the end of the last ice age, the water persistently continued to carve the Vintgar Gorge. Only at the end of the passage, due to resistant rock, the level in the form of the picturesque Šum waterfall has been preserved to this day.

DISCOVERY OF VINTGAR

The Vintgar Gorge remained unexplored and inaccessible until 1891. That year, there was an unusually low precipitation in winter, causing the water level of the Radovna River to significantly drop and, after a long time, allowing entry into the wild Vintgar. The first to venture into it were the local resident and mayor of Gorje, Jakob Žumer, and the photographer and cartographer Benedikt Lergetporer. Enchanted by its beauty, they introduced the Vintgar Gorge to the world, initiating a story that has lasted for over 130 years.

GREEN WORLD

In the area of the Vintgar Gorge, more than 600 plant species can be found. Due to the unique terrain and distinct microclimates, plants grow here that are not characteristic of the surrounding area. On the riverbed and slopes where there is less sunlight, we see alpine and sub-alpine species, while on sunny slopes, warmth-loving plants thrive.

THROUGH THE VINTGAR GORGE

With the desire to enable passage through the Vintgar Gorge, locals prepared a plan. The funds for construction were contributed by companies, hoteliers, and many locals through dance events. The construction of paths, bridges, and galleries was extremely challenging due to the precipitous walls and wild river. However, despite this, it was ceremoniously opened on August 28, 1893.

GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE

In the Vintgar Gorge, we can observe micritic limestones, thicker limestone layers, and grainy limestones. The pronounced rock layers that we see in the high walls, with their slopes, folding, and shifts, still shape the gorge today.

WHY VINTGAR

The origin of the name of the gorge remains unexplained to this day. It may originate from Celtic times or derive from the German word “Weingarten” – referring to vineyards near Podhom. According to the records of the teacher Janko Žirovnik, at the opening of the new path through the gorge, it was christened as Vintgar – after the hill above  Dead Woman’s Cliff (Ranča peč).

In the area of the Vintgar Gorge, more than 600 plant species can be found. Due to the unique terrain and distinct microclimates, plants grow here that are not characteristic of the surrounding area. On the riverbed and slopes where there is less sunlight, we see alpine and sub-alpine species, while on sunny slopes, warmth-loving plants thrive.

ŠUM WATERFALL

Even before the discovery of the gorge, Vintgar was known to locals and later to visitors from nearby Bled because of the Šum waterfall. Initially, it was admired from the banks of its deep pool, and later also from the height of the hanging bridge built above it in 1878. The picturesque image of the waterfall often inspired painters and photographers and served as a backdrop for festive events in the gorge.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

The clear, pure waters and pristine banks of the Radovna River are home to numerous endangered animal species. Among the rocks at the bottom of the river hides the rare souffia, a fish that defies the strong currents of the wild river with its flat body shape. On its banks, the white-throated dipper nests, the only bird among songbirds that also dives in search of food. In winter, when other rivers freeze, the Vintgar Gorge provides shelter for the rare European otter.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

Where the Radovna River shaped the Vintgar Gorge over millennia, humans in the 20th century built bridges, dams, and tunnels. The largest fully preserved stone railway arch bridge in Slovenia rises 34 meters above the Radovna River. Beneath it lies the intake of the Vintgar hydroelectric power plant, today the oldest operating power plant in Slovenia.