| Medvednica | |
|---|---|
| Zagrebačka gora, Bistranjska gora, Markuševačka gora, Stubička gora, Vrabečka gora | |
 View of Medvednica fromJarun Lake | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Sljeme |
| Elevation | 1,035 m (3,396 ft) |
| Geography | |
  Medvednica | |
 | |
| Country | Croatia |
| Range coordinates | 45°55′N15°58′E / 45.917°N 15.967°E /45.917; 15.967 |
Medvednica (pronounced[mědʋednitsa],lit. 'Bear mountain')[1] is amountain in centralCroatia, just north ofZagreb, and marking the southern border of the historic region ofZagorje. Most of it is encompassed by theMedvednica Nature Park. The highest peak, at 1,035 m (3,396 ft) isSljeme.[2] Most of the area of Medvednica is anature park (park prirode), a type of preservation lesser than anational park.[3] During theMiocene and thePliocene, the mountain wasan island within thePannonian Sea. Together with the surrounding hills, it is known asZagrebačka gora or the "Zagreb Mountains", as well asBistranjska gora,Markuševačka gora,Stubička gora andVrabečka gora.
The name Medvednica could be translated as "bear mountain". There are several other toponyms on the mountain using theKajkavian dialect termmedved 'bear' (compare StandardCroatian:medvjed), most notablyMedvedgrad, a medieval castle on its southwestern edges.
Sljeme ([sʎême];Kajkavian:Sleme) meanssummit, and it is a name often usedmetonymically to refer to the entire mountain.
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The southwest part of Medvednica is dominated by akarst plateau, and there are a number of other karst outcrops on its eastern side, including the 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi)Horvatove stube area, and smaller ones like Orlove stijene and Markov Travnik. Horvatove stube and some of the other outcrops distinguish themselves by their more prominent karst relief.[4]
A total of 105dolines have been catalogued on Medvednica, all in the southwest. Doline density averages 7 per km2. There is also one larger karstpolje,Ponikve, there are also two smaller poljes,Družanica andKriževščak.[4]: 13
Medvednica has many foothills, includingGrmoščica.
As of 2011, 64 speleological objects are known to be on Medvednica.[5]: 224 Almost 90% of these caves are on the southwest part of the mountain; Srećko Božićević counted 30 there in 1974.[4]
The caves of Medvednica are mostly in upperTortonian limestone. But there are a few entirely inMiddle Triassic dolomite-limestone (i.e. Družanica I), or with entrances in that layer (i.e.Bijele sige, Zakičnica I). A few are entirely inUpper Triassic stromatolitic dolomite (i.e. Zakičnica V).[6] The 7×32 m chamber of theKolarska pećina formed inLithothamnion limestone.[7] Exceptionally old is theCarboniferous layer ofdolomite in whichVelika peć na Rogu,[8] Medvednica's "most imposing entrance", formed.[9]: 204 Although most caves aresolutional caves, theKustošijanka cave is of mostly tectonic origin.[10]
The longest cave isVeternica,[11] and other long caves includeJavornica kod Bizeka andŽidovske jame [ro]. While deepest cave from entrance to lowest point isVelebitaška jama[11] at 45 m,[12] the highest vertical elevation difference within a cave is in Veternica[13] at 170 m.[14]: 215
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Near the ridge there is a 12 m tall cliff of greenslate calledŠumarev grob,[a] from which one of the springs of theBliznec flows.[15][16] The areaBliznec – Šumarev grob was designated aspecial reserve on 26 November 1963.[17]: 13
Theclimate of the Medvednica mountain is typical for Central European mountain ranges. The average annual precipitation is around 1300 mm (cf. 840 mm at Zagreb–Grič), which provides for an abundance of rich spring wells. Snow cover lasts for about 100 days in a year, the thickest being in February. The skiing slopes are also covered withartificial snow when necessary. Much more sunshine occurs during the winter on Medvednica than in Zagreb or Zagorje, so it is not surprising that winter is the most visited season on the Medvednica mountain.
Medvednica, in comparison to the surrounding lowland area, behaves as an "island" in its climate characteristics, with more precipitation, lower temperatures, and higher duration and quantity of snow cover. The Medvednica area is located in a temperate zone where air temperature decreases for 0.5 °C for every 100 m of elevation. Based on the annual rate of precipitation, Medvednica is characterised as having a continental precipitation regimen with maximum precipitation during the warm part of the year (April to September).
During summer and winter,temperature inversion is sometimes present. Ananticyclone forms above the cold continent during winter. When its center is close to Croatia, the weather is cold and gloomy in Zagreb and warmer at Sljeme.[18][19] The mean annual air temperature on Medvednica is 6.2 °C (43.2 °F), compared with 11.4 °C (52.5 °F) in Zagreb. The mean temperature in summer months is on average lower by 6 °C (11 °F) than in Zagreb.[18]
On average, 15 days have temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F), eight days a year have average daily maxima higher than 25 °C (77 °F), and only one day reaches above 30 °C (86 °F). The coldest month is January with a mean monthly air temperature of −3.1 °C (26.4 °F), while the warmest month is July with an average temperature of 15.2 °C (59.4 °F).Insolation exceeds Zagreb's by about 100 hours annually. This difference manifests itself during the colder period of the year, from October to March, when more fog occurs in Zagreb.[18]
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the Puntijarka weather station at an elevation of 991 metres (3,251 ft) was 32.3 °C (90.1 °F), on 4 August 2017.[20] The coldest temperature was −20.8 °C (−5.4 °F), on 8 January 1985.[21]
Therelative air humidity is largest during the cold part of the year, and generally is larger on stations with higher altitude because of lower temperatures, but luxuriant vegetation. The number of days with relative humidity above 80% is greatest on Puntijarka (158 days annually), and it decreases with the decrease in elevation; for example, at the Zagreb–Grič station it is 67 days annually. On all stations, the warm part of the year (from April to September) has the most thunderstorm days; these are often connected to showers. June has the most thunderstorm days (Puntijarka 7).[22]
The annual precipitation on Medvednica is about 50% higher in comparison to Zagreb (Zagreb: 844 mm (33.2 in), Sljeme: 1,238 mm (48.7 in), Kraljičin zdenac: 1,159 mm (45.6 in), Fakultetsko dobro: 1,142 mm (45.0 in)). Average number of days withhoar is 40 (4 in Zagreb). The mean annual number of days with snowfall on the top of Medvednica, most usually in January and February, is 54 days.[22]
The number of days with strong wind is 91 (26 in Zagreb) and they are more frequent during the cold part of the year. The number of days with storm-force wind is 21 (2 in Zagreb), also mostly during the cold part of the year. In 1980, the forests of Medvednica, especiallybeech trees, were heavily stricken by a catastrophicice break. Later, in February 1983, large devastations occurred as a result of strong wind (large damage on fir). Effects of such a strong wind can be seen in the area of Adolfovac as of early 2010s.[22]
The dominant association in the forest isEpimedio carpinetum-betuli at lower elevations,[23]: 20 Lamio orvalae-Fagetum at middle elevations,[23]: 25 andFestuco drymeiae-Abietetum at higher elevations.[23]: 26 The associationsQuerco-Castaneetum sativae andLuzulo-Fagetum also have a significant presence. Rarer associations includeLuzulo luzuloidi-Quercetum,Hieracio racemosi-Quercetum,Tilio-Taxetum,Blechno-Fagetum,Chrysanthemo acrophylli-Aceretum pseudoplatani,Ostryo-Quercetum pubescentis, andCarici brizoides-Alnetum glutinosae.[23]
Being adjacent to a capital city, Medvednica is subject to a high rate of colonization byinvasive species, includingRobinia pseudoacacia.[23]
Zagrebačka gora is divided administratively between theCity of Zagreb,Zagreb County andKrapina-Zagorje County. On the level ofmunicipalities anddistricts, it is divided intoBedenica,Bistra,Črnomerec,Donja Stubica,Gornja Dubrava,Gornja Stubica,Gornji Grad–Medveščak,Hrašćina,Jakovlje,Konjščina,Maksimir,Marija Bistrica,Oroslavje,Podsljeme,Podsused-Vrapče,Sesvete,Sveti Ivan Zelina andZaprešić.On the level of villages and quarters, it is divided into:
A winter sports center is based on the northern slopes towards Sljeme. The center has hosted severalFISWorld Cupslalom skiing races, known as theSnow Queen Trophy.
The winter sports center consists of onechairlift for three persons and twoT-bar lifts. Equipment for producingartificial snow has been added, and because of that, the skiing season has been prolonged to more than four months.
Three ways exist to reach the mountain: by road (with a car or a bus) or on foot (numerous mountain paths). In the past, an oldergondola lift was present, which started from theGračani neighborhood just below Medvednica. Thecable car had run from 1963 to 2007, when a major fault in the engine room made repairs economically impossible.[24] The gondola had a capacity for four people, with a 23-minute journey time, covering a distance of 4023 m. The new gondola lift was opened on 23 February 2022, has a capacity of 10 people and WiFi.[25]
On Medvednica are dozen ofmountain huts for traditional one-day trips to the mountain. Because of its proximity toZagreb, Medvednica has many visitors, especially during weekends.[26]
TheTomislavov Dommountain hut, at 1,012 metres (3,320 ft) in elevation, opened on 31 December 1935. This replaced a temporary hut at 950 metres (3,120 ft). The temporary hut was open all year roud and in the season ofTomislavov Dom's opening, the temporary hut saw 1345 visitors, including 14 Czechoslovak, 9 German and 8 Austrian citizens.[27]: 224 In the 1936–1937 season,Tomislavov Dom saw 5138 visitors, including 19 Bulgarian, 19 German, 14 Czechoslovak, 6 Austrian, 6 English and 1 Polish citizens; the temporary shelter under caretaker Mirko Petanjek saw 1933 visitors, including 5 Czechoslovak and 2 Austrian citizens.[28]: 243 In the 1937–1938 season,Tomislavov Dom saw 4841 visitors, including 16 Austrian, 9 German, 8 Czechoslovak, 6 English, 4 Bulgarian, 2 Polish and 1 French citizens; the temporary shelter under caretaker Petanjek saw 1885 visitors, including 3 Czechoslovak, 2 German and 1 English citizens.[29]: 237, 243
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| International | |
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| Other | |
