Retovje Springs

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

Big Spring during a dry period.

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]