Medvednica
| Medvednica | ||
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 The Medvednica, viewed from Medvedgrad Castle |
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| Highest peak | Sljeme ( 1032 m. I. J. ) | |
| location | North of Zagreb , Hrvatsko Zagorje , Croatia | |
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| Coordinates | 45 ° 54 ' N , 15 ° 57' E | |
The Medvednica , the Bear Mountain (Croatian medvjed or medved in local dialect = bear), is a small mountain range that separates the Croatian capital Zagreb from the neighboring area of the Hrvatsko Zagorje to the north . It is also called Zagrebačka gora (Zagreb Mountains).
The Medvednica Nature Park covers a large part of this mountain region with 228 km², 64 percent of which is forested (especially summer and holm oaks, beeches, firs). Stricter protective measures apply to individual forest reserves , ecosystems and geological formations within the nature park. The core of the mountains consists of green schist from the Paleozoic Era , in lower elevations there are also younger rock layers from the Mesozoic Era and Tertiary.
Medvednica is a very popular recreational destination for the Zagreb population, as it can be reached in a short time from the city center. The largely intact nature and varied landscape can be accessed through many hiking trails and mountain huts. In winter it is a popular ski area with several slopes and lifts - the best equipped in northern Croatia. Some toboggan runs have been around for a long time.
About halfway up the mountain is the medieval castle Medvedgrad with an official memorial for the victims of the wars. Also worth seeing is the Veternica cave in the southwestern part, which was already inhabited in prehistoric times. The name Mons Ursi (lat. “Bear Mountain”) has been handed down since 1209 .
The highest point of Medvednica is Sljeme ( 1032 m ), where there are also numerous transmission systems, a mountain hotel and shelters . The mountain can from Zagreb with a cable car to the ZET be reached or on a street. In 1870 a wooden observation tower was built here , the first in Croatia. Today a platform on the television tower serves this purpose.
In January 2005, the first ladies found here World Cup - Slalom Croatia in honor of the highly successful skier place Janica Kostelic . Since then, the so-called Snow Queen Trophy has been held every winter, with men's slaloms also being held since 2008.
Sources and web links
- Uwe Mauch: Discover Zagreb. The Croatian capital and its surroundings. Trescher Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-89794-098-7 .
- Photos of nature & culture (Croatian)
- Snowqueentrophy Ski World Cup 2006
- Take the tram to the ski cup
- The Sljeme website (English)