| Lake Palčje | |
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| View from the bottom towards NE | |
| Location | Pivka municipality, Slovenia |
| Coordinates | 45°41′7.68″N 14°15′14.53″E / 45.6854667°N 14.2540361°ECoordinates: 45°41′7.68″N 14°15′14.53″E / 45.6854667°N 14.2540361°E |
| Lake type | intermittent lake |
| Primary inflows | Matija's Cave |
| Basin countries | Slovenia |
| Max. length | ~1.5 km |
| Max. width | ~0.5 km |
| Surface area | 1 km² (max.) |
| Max. depth | 25 m |
| Water volume | 1,5 million m³ (max.) |
| Settlements | Palčje |
| References | [1][2] |
Lake Palčje (Slovene: Palško jezero) is an intermittent lake in the Upper Pivka Valley north of the village Palčje in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia. It fills an oval-shaped Karst depression approximately 1.5 km long and 0.5 km wide. Its bottom is relatively level at between 543 and 557 m above the sea, but the banks are steep. Lake Palčje is the largest among Pivka lakes with average maximum water surface around 1 km².[1][2][3]
The bottom is at the groundwater level, so the amount of water depends on current hydrological conditions. Usually, the lake fills after the heavy rains in late autumn and again in spring. On average, the area is flooded for around three months every year.[2] The lake's main inflow is estavelle Matija's Cave ("Matijeva jama") out of which the water flowing from the Javorniki range erupts.[1][2]
The area is filled with water for significant part of the year, so the lake's bottom cannot be used for agriculture, but the grassy surface allows livestock grazing and harvesting of hay. Inhabitants of nearby Palčje begin mowing at the end of July when they finish with surrounding pastures. Garlic that grows on the bottom imparts its taste to milk, so the hay is used for feeding horses instead of cattle.[4]
Ice making had been a supplementary source of income for locals from the end of the 18th until the middle of the 20th century - farmers from Pivka used to break off ice blocks and store them until spring, then transport them on horse-pulled carts to Trieste where it was used in butcher shops, fisheries and restaurants before the onset of electric cooling. Women would pick herbs for herbal remedies, mostly juniper berries, Ribwort Plantain, yarrow, thyme, and others. Branches of willows that grow around the lake were used for basket weaving.[4]
Abandoned military objects in vicinity bear witness of military use of this area. The broader area of Pivka lakes had been used as a military training ground first by the army of Austria–Hungary, and later by Italian and Yugoslavian armed forces. During military exercises, local inhabitants were compensated for the inability to use it. The area has not been used for military purposes since 1991, and the damage to the bottom of Lake Palčje bottom was repaired.[4]
Today, the lake and its surroundings form a part of the Natura 2000 network. Harvesting of hay continues until this day and development is directed towards ecotourism and sustainable agriculture.[4]
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