Searching for hidden waterfall not far from our home, between high mountains lies the valley of the Kokra River. This is the deepest valley in Slovenia. The height difference between the 2500 m high Kočna mountain and the bottom of the valley is as much as 1900 m. Above the Kokra valley, just below Slovenia’s border with Austria, is the wide and idyllic Jezersko valley. It is only 30 km from our home.
That’s where we’re headed. In one of the hidden side valleys, where there is no path, we will try to find a hidden waterfall Jump, which is described in the literature as free-falling waterfall. Such waterfalls are very rare in Slovenia. There are only a few. That’s why we wanted to see and photograph this specialty.
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A brief description of the field
Current forms of mountains and picturesque valleys were primarily formed by tectonic movements, which creased, thrusted and broke layers of rocks in the recent geological periods. The landscape got its current look after the last Ice Age, when it was finally shaped by water.
Hence the territory is full of natural phenomena. There are many clean and clear wells, brooks, falls, rapids, ravines and narrow valleys. We can find a river, marshes and fens. In a hilly part are frequent deposits of minerals and fossils, as well as many different, mostly superficial karstic phenomena.
Nature created very different ecosystems and gave place for Kokra river valley living to a diverse range of plant and animal species as rarely happens on such a small territory.
The way to Jezersko
The road from Preddvor to Jezersko runs first to the east through the picturesque Kokra valley. Then, beneath the Kalški ridge, the valley turns to the north and becomes the Jezersko alpine valley (880 m) at the foot of the Grintovci. The Jezerski vrh mountain pass (1218 m) is the border with Austria, which was an important goods traffic route in the past.
The Kokra valley
The Kokra valley is deeply cut among high ridges. It separates the whole mountain chain of Storžič (2132 m) from the central Kamnik-Savinja Alps. In the upper part it follows direction north-south. Kočna (2540 m) and the Kalški ridge (2224 m) dominate above it.
This part of the valley runs crosswise to ground layers, therefore the relief changes quickly. Due to a steep bed the river flows across many rapids and small waterfalls.
Under Veliki Zvoh (1971 m) the valley perpendicularly turns around Škrbina (1141 m), widens and to the exit to a plain near Preddvor follows direction east-west.
There is not much plain terrain in the narrow valley, hence it is settled only with smaller hamlets, solitary houses and big solitary farms, which stand on the sunny side. The mountain belt is entirely unsettled.
An important route has run through the valley for a few milleniums. It links Carniola to Carinthia across the pass Jezerski vrh (1218 m). The oldest written source is from 1147. The road Kranj-Jezersko runs through picturesque ravines and across numerous bridges. Through the valley the road follows the river and does not move away from it like an old transport trail did due to natural obstacles.
Lower Kokra
Lower Kokra is a scattered village. The only church in the valley stands there.In written sources the village Kokra was mentioned already in 1147. A halmet was built by the church, but it also consists of many solitary farms and scattered apartment houses.
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The Kokra river
The Kokra river springs under Virnikov Grintovec (1863 m) in three branches at the altitude from 1100 m to 1400 m. In Lower Jezersko it joins Jezernica, which flows from Jezersko.
As a typical Alpine river it has rain-snow water regime. It is 34 km long. Its river basin covers 223 km2. It flows into the Sava river in Kranj.
The Kokra River is a torrential river. In practice, this means that when a little more rain falls, it rises very quickly, breaks the banks and floods the areas located along the riverbed.
Upper Kokra (600 m)
The Upper Kokra village has no centre. It consists of big solitary farms and a hamlet Podlebelca. The older part of this hamlet was formerly named “ Chicken village ”. A former quarry of magma rocks lies on the right bank of the Kokra river above Podlebelca.
Kočna (2540 m)
Wide, steep and broken rocky mountain Kočna can be recognized from the whole Ljubljanska basin. At the top of mountain there are two ridges with three peaks: Jezerska Kočna (2540 m) on the eastern ridge, Kokrška Kočna (2475 m) and On the Cross (2484 m) on the western ridge. To the east the mountain leans against Grintovec (2558 m) across the Dolška škrbina saddle (2344 m). The western wall steeply descends 1900 m deep to the Kokra valley, the southern one to 1600 m lower Dry dol.
Fužine
The hamlet in village Fužine was established in the 16th century, when iron ore mining and melting started. The evidence of which are nowadays seen only in the name. From the closing of the iron works to the World War II a big sawmill with power plant, and a joiner’s workshop was in operation.
State border stones between Carniola and Carinthia
The two border stones mark the border between former states Carniola and Carinthia. The Carniolan one is a rectangular solid with data about distance to Celovec and Ljubljana. The Carinthian one is a cylinder, inscription is not preserved. The stones were placed before 1818. They stand in Dveri, at the borderline between municipalities Preddvor and Jezersko.
Lower Jezersko
Lower Jezersko starts at the former Carniolan-Carinthian provincial border with the Zgornje Fužine hamlet. The first core of the settlement is Podlog (Kanonir), which is situated at the confluence the Kokra and Reka that flow from the Komatevra valley. The second core, Lower place (Bajte), is higher up at the confluence of the Jezernica and Kokra. Individual farmsteads are distributed up the Kokra stream into the kettle-shaped Komatevra valley and all the way to the foot of the Virnikov Grintovec, Stegovnik and Ruš. Other areas are named after larger remote farmsteads, which can extend over up to 360 ha of land.
Jezersko
The road from Preddvor to Jezersko runs first to the east through the picturesque Kokra valley. Then, beneath the Kalški ridge, the valley turns to the north and becomes the Jezersko alpine valley (880 m) at the foot of the Grintovci. The Jezerski vrh mountain pass (1218 m) is the border with Austria, which was an important goods traffic route in the past.
The houses in Jezersko are of the alpine type and the farmhouses are large. Hay is dried on ostrvi (thin tree trunks with truncated branches set in rows), there are no kozolec(typical Slovenian hayracks). Besides gathering wood, farming the autochthon breed of Jezersko-solčavska sheep plays a major role here.
Ravne
The church of St Andrew and the graveyard in Ravne are situated northeast of the residential core of Zgornje Jezersko. This is a single-nave church with a Gothic presbytery and a fresco on the façade and it was eytended in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is encompassed by the graveyard containing well preserved historical tombstones.
There are many remote farms with interesting farmhouses from the 16th century in the area. The distribution of land is in one piece.
The mneral water that springs here, above the Anko farmstead, is rich in magnesium. During its tourism heyday, it was served at every meal.
Planšar Lake
Planšar Lake is located in UpperJezersko at an altitude of 896 m. It was dammed by the locals in memory of the former large glacial lake after which the place got its name. Planšar lake has the shape of a heart. It is known far and wide precisely because of its shape.
You can swim in it in the summer and skate in the winter. There is a campsite in its vicinity, surrounded by pastures.
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Searching for hidden waterfall
We are leaving Jezersko. We are returning home along the Kokre valley. At Povšnar’s homestead, turn left onto a macadam road that leads into a narrow valley with steep banks. The road runs along a stream called Vobenca.
We follow the stream to the place where the road turns to the left and climbs the steep hillside. The stream flows from the gorge on the right.
At first, we can still follow the stream along a comfortable wide path. But only up to the torrent barrier, which calms the swollen stream during heavy rains.
There is no way forward. It’s just wilderness. All that remains is for us to follow the stream. We push through thick bushes, crawl under fallen trees or climb over them. We are slowly progressing deeper and deeper into the narrow valley. The waterfall is there somewhere at the end of the gorge.
Waterfall Jump on Vobenca
First we hear it, then we see it. We found a waterfall. Is this a right waterfall, we wonder. However, this is not a free-falling waterfall, as described by all written sources from the first to the last.
Matjaž has been here several times. Even in the books he described it correctly, as it really is. In addition to the description, he also published photographs, thus confirming the fallacy of others who write books by copying, but do not see what the real situation is on the ground.
A brief description of the waterfall
Two-step waterfall Jump is hidden in a narrow valley of the Vobenca brook. The upper step is 27 m high, the lower one 45 m high. Total height of the waterfall is 72 m. Only two-thirds of the lower waterfall is visible from the gorge, and the upper part is hidden from view.
