| Pokljuka | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mountain pastures at Pokljuka plateau | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Debela peč (2014 m) |
| Elevation | 1100-1400 m |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Area | 6300 ha |
| Geography | |
  Pokljuka | |
| Country |  Slovenia |
| Settlement(s) | Zatrnik,Gorjuše,Koprivnik v Bohinju,Podjelje |
| Parent range | Julian Alps |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | trias |
| Mountain type | karstplateau |
ThePokljuka Plateau (pronounced[pɔˈkljuːka]) is a forestedkarstplateau at an elevation of around 1,100 to 1,400 metres (3,600 to 4,600 ft),[1] located in theJulian Alps in northwesternSlovenia.
The plateau is known for its forests,mountain pastures (Javornik, Lipanca, Uskovnica, Zajamniki, etc.), and winter sports facilities. It is also a common starting point for mountainhikers. The yearlyBiathlon World Cup meets are held at thePokljuka Biathlon Center, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the town ofBled (25 kilometres or 16 miles by car). Pokljuka is part ofTriglav National Park. Administratively, it belongs to themunicipalities ofBled,Bohinj, andGorje.
Manybeech andfir trees were chopped down in the 18th century for theiron foundries inBohinj. They have been naturally replaced mostly by spruce trees. Someswamps can also be found, which is not usual on such high plateaus.
Pokljuka is built of thickUpper Triassic limestone anddolomite that have been deeply dissolved bygroundwater to produce a classic high-karst landscape dotted withsinkholes, enclosed depressions and small blind valleys. The rock is locally shot through withchertlenses; where these weather out they leave pockets ofacidic, sandy brown earth amid otherwise lime-rich, shallowrendzinas (thin, stony soils formed directly onlimestone). During thelast glacial maximum a tongue of the Bohinj glacier over-rode the plateau; themeltwater that drained along tectonicfractures later carved the 50-metre-deep Pokljuka Gorge, leaving behind a fossil canyon,natural bridges and a well-knowncave system. Annualprecipitation reaches 1,500–2,000 mm and the meanair temperature hovers between 3 °C and 6 °C, giving the area a cool, moist sub-alpine climate with frequent temperature inversions in the hollows.[2]
Although commercialcharcoal-burning removed much of the originalbeech during the nineteenth century, the plateau is now Slovenia's largest unbroken forest block, dominated byNorway spruce with scatteredfir,beech andlarch.[3] Detailed floristic work in Pokljuka Gorge records 262 species ofvascular plants belonging to 61families; Central-European elements predominate, but south-east European–Illyrian taxa such asAnemone trifolia andHelleborus niger appear alongside true alpine species brought downslope by cold-air drainage. Fourteen species are legally protected, and the gorge is home to the sub-endemic Burser's saxifrage (Saxifraga burseriana), which forms dense cushions on the limestone cliffs.[2]
Vegetation studies distinguish five forest types and one warm-slopescrub community on the plateau's flanks. The most widespread is the pre-Alpine beech wood withblack hellebore (Anemono trifoliae-Fagetum), while colder pockets support spruce–moss forests rich inRhytidiadelphus loreus andBazzania trilobata.Sycamore-maple stands fill permanently cool sinkholes known locally as "garden plots", andhop-hornbeam withmanna ash clings to sunny cliffs above the gorge. These communities, together with the Šijec raised bog near Goreljek, are part of theTriglav National Park core or buffer zones and are monitored for ecological change.[2]
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Seasonal mountain pastures such as Uskovnica, Zajamniki and Lipanca still break the forest canopy, preserving traditional alpine hay-meadows dotted with wooden shepherds' huts. Today Pokljuka is better known for outdoor sport: the Rudno Polje sports centre hosts regularInternational Biathlon Union World-Cup and world-championship events on an extensive network of cross-country ski trails.[4] In summer, the same trails double as popularhiking andmountain-bike routes, while the plateau's relatively level terrain offers one of the gentlest approaches to Mount Triglav. The entire area is subject to Triglav National Park regulations, which limit new building and require low-impactforestry in order to maintain the plateau'shydrology, forest structure and botanicalbiodiversity.[2]
Media related toPokljuka at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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46°21′37″N14°01′48″E / 46.36028°N 14.03000°E /46.36028; 14.03000
