Ribnica Valley

The Ribnica Valley lies between the Mala gora ridge to the east with its highest peaks of Stene Sv. Ana and Črni vrh, both 963 meters high, and the Velika gora ridge to the west with its highest peak /Rezinjski vrh (1,254 meters). This is a karst valley with short disappearing streams and rivers such as the Bistrica, which is about twenty kilometers long, the Ribnica, which springs from the slopes of Velika gora and is around five kilometers long, the Rakitnica, about two kilometers long, and the Sajevec and Tržiščica streams. By depositing material, these streams leveled the floor of the valley. Situated at an altitude of about 500 meters, the valley is approximately twenty-five kilometers long and about three kilometers wide at its widest point. The geological structure of the surrounding plateaus is very diverse, ranging from the largely dolomite Velika gora overgrown with pine-beech and beech forests and the limestone Mala gora overgrown with a mixture of pine and oak-hornbeam forests to Slemene, which is composed mainly of Paleozoic schist with narrow ravines and rounded peaks and ridges. The wet meadows and the remnants of a high moor at Brezje beside the Ribnica River and at Jelše in the Dolenja vas polje are habitats of endangered plant and animal species.
The Dolenja vas polje is an important habitat for birds. The high level of the groundwater that produces marshy meadowlands, traditional farming methods, and the late hay harvest combine to create excellent conditions for endangered birds such as the kosec, repaljščica, greater yellowhammer [veliki strnad], quail, and many others.
In addition to birds, we also find here small mammals, amphibians, butterflies, strige, dragonflies, and reptiles, many of which are on the Red List of Rare and Endangered Species.
Past drainage and water supply systems greatly threatened this important habitat since they considerably changed the water regime.
The Ribnica Valley is one of the fourteen internationally important areas for birds in Slovenia identified by the IBA/International Birdwatchers Association.

Visitors to the Ribnica Valley should disturb the wildlife as little as possible. On foot or bicycle, we therefore stay on the paths between the fields and plan our trips for seasons when the birds are not caring for their young.

Ribnica River

The Ribnica River flows from two karst springs near Zadolje below Velika gora and winds in large meanders across the wet grassy flatland. Due to the karstification of the area, the river disappears into sinkholes to the east of Dolenja vas. During periods of high water, the Ribnica Rivers extends its course and runs further through a fossil riverbed across the Ribnica polje to the Zadnja Rinža stream. There are many sinkholes on this polje from where the water runs underground to the Rinža and Krka rivers.

Rakitnica Stream

The Rakitnica stream or the "Rakitniščica," as it is also called, has its source in Obrh, a small and inconspicous dry valley near Blate below Velika Bukovica on the western edge of the Ribnica polje. The stream supposedly got its name from the river crabs that lived in it before the crab plague that occurred at the beginning of the last century. Below the strong spring, a reservoir forms a small lake. The Rakitnica is the shortest of the disappearing streams in the Ribnica polje. Due to the very slight incline of the terrain, the stream meanders widely through the alluvial flatland and after a kilometer or so disappears into numerous sinkholes below the village of Rakitnica. During periods of high water, the sinkholes cannot swallow all the water and a lake is created that covers fifteen hectares and is twelve meters deep. During the highest water levels, the water floods eastward from the sinkhole area across the main Ribnica-Kočevje road to the fossil riverbed of the Ribnica River. In spite of the small inclination of the terrain, many flour mills and sawmills operated here before World War II, but only their ruins remain today.

The Bela stene wall and pine-beech forests

A wall of white appears on Velika gora west of Rakitnica. This is a large limestone outcropping that projects from the forest and is known as the "Petrified Wedding Party." Legend says the wedding party was turned to stone as punishment because the bride cursed the sun for being too hot, and the wedding was thus postponed for several thousand years.
The Petrified Wedding Party formation is surrounded by the pine-beech forest that overgrows the undulating karst plateaus and ridges 600 meters above sea level. The pine-beech forest association developed after the last Ice Age, approximately 6,500 years ago. The karst terrain, perforated like a Ribnica woodenware sieve, offered good conditions for the development and existence of this forest association. The climate conditions and the decomposition of fallen trees and other nutritious materials created fertile soil full of moisture and nutrients. Because there was sufficient space, an unbroken forest developed here.

Caves

Francetova jama

The Francetova jama cave is located in Mala gora south of Seljan and was named after the caver France Škrabec. Near the cave is a lodge for cavers that served speleologists during their research of the surrounding underground world and was the first such lodge built for cavers in Yugoslavia.
The cave has one underground cavern fifteen meters wide, twenty meters long, and three to four meters high. The interior has dry solution pans, sinter curtains, and other sinter and stalactite-stalagmite formations.

Tentera sinkhole cave

The Tržiščica and Sodraška Bistrica streams disappear into a sinkhole cave system near Žlebič. The sinkholes of the Sodraška Bistrica have been artificially widened and only drain off high waters, while the Tentera swallows the waters of the Tržiščica. With about nine hundred meters of passages, the Tentera cave is one of the longest in Dolenjska. The cave has a very picturesque entrance that leads to a labyrinth of low passages with rapids, waterfalls, and small lakes. Tentera is a typical example of the shallow caves that occur at the junction of karst and impermeable rock regions. Since the sinkhole system is extremely long, the course of the water can be followed deep underground. Speleological research has shown that the water from this system runs into the Krka River watershed.

Finkovo jama

At the junction of the karstified limestone at the foot of Mala gora and the Permian rock layer beneath the village of Finkovo, a picturesque blind valley with a wide flat bottom was created. The sinkhole of the Podpoljanščica stream is located below a cliff in the northeastern part of the valley. It is also the entrance to the picturesque Finkovo jama II or Podstenska jama cave, which with its 2,145-meter length is the longest cave in the Municipality of Ribnica.

Natural Science Education Trail

The Ribnica Natural Science Education Trail offers a fascinating walk through the vast forest. Rising over an altitude of 460 meters, the trails offers us the opportunity to learn about three distinct belts of vegetation. After an hour and a half of walking and observing nature, we are welcomed by the Church of Sv. Ana and a beautiful view of Ribnica, Kočevje, Nova Štifta, and even Mount Snežnik and Mount Nanos in the distance. The guidebook Skozi gozd do Sv. Ane ("Through the Forest to Sv. Ana") will help us acquire new knowledge along the way. The trail, which passes the Francetova jama cave, is suitable for all age groups.

Starting point: near the Pugelj restaurant, parking at the edge of the forest
Altitude: 930 meters (at Sv. Ana)
Level of difficulty: easy trail
Required equipment: hiking shoes
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Route: from the Pugelj parking lot to Francetova jama cave, 20 minutes; Francetova jama to Seljan, 20 minutes (trail rises gently); from Seljan to Sv. Ana the trail rises somewhat more steeply. The entire Education Trail is well marked.
Beside the Sv. Ana church is a mountain lodge that is open every weekend and on holidays (9:00-19:00, in winter to 16:00). You can refresh yourself at the lodge and relax on benches overlooking the Ribnica Valley. If you wish to inspect the Church of Sv. Ana, you can get the key at the lodge. You can also continue on from Sv. Ana to the top of Stene Sv. Ana (963 m), from where there is a beautiful view of the Struge Valley below and the Suha krajina region and during fine weather to Trdinov vrh, Novo mesto, the Kamniške-Savinjske Alps, and even Mount Triglav.