Retovje Springs

Retovje Springs is a group of springs that join to form the Big Ljubljanica River (Slovene: Velika Ljubljanica).

Name

The name Retovje and names like it (e.g., Retje, Dolnje Retje) are derived from the Slovene common noun retje 'powerful karst spring' from the root *vrětje 'springing, gushing'.^[1]^[2] The generic term okence in the Slovene name of two springs at the site is a diminutive of the common noun okno (literally, 'window') in the secondary meaning 'spring, place where groundwater surfaces'.^[2]^[3]

Geography

Little Spring during a dry period

The springs are located in the Retovje Valley, a steephead valley near Verd south of Vrhnika. The springs include:

Walnut Spring (Pod Orehom)
Cliff Spring (Pod skalo, Pod steno)
Big Spring (Veliko okence)
Little Spring (Malo okence)

Big Spring and Little Spring are the two most powerful springs in the group. After almost 1 km, the Big Ljubljanica joins the Little Ljubljanica (Slovene: Mala Ljubljanica) to form the Ljubljanica River.

Exploration

The karst springs and sumps at Retovje were first studied in 1939 by the Kuščer brothers.^[4] Big Spring has been explored to a length of 270 m and a depth of 25 m, and Little Spring to a length of 305 m and depth of 45 m.^[4]

References

^ Snoj, Marko. 2003. Slovenski etimološki slovar. 2nd edition. Ljubljana: Modrijan, p. 353.
^ ^a ^b Pavlovec, Rajko. 2006. "Domači kraški izrazi z Ljubljanskega barja." Geografski vestnik 78(1):61–64.
^ Bezlaj, France. 1982. Etimološki slovar slovenskega jezika, vol. 2. Ljubljana: Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, p. 245.
^ ^a ^b Retovje. DEDI - Enciklopedija naravne in kulturne dediščine na Slovenskem. (in Slovene)