Educational Park

As part of the transPlant project, an educational nature trail, designed to raise awareness among local residents, visitors and tourists, has been established under the name On the Sunny Side of Mount Snežnik. At seven points along the trail showcases the natural heritage of the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica.. One of its key features is the meeting point of two worlds, with permeable karst rocks on one side and impermeable flysch rocks on the other. They are connected by river Reka, an underground river known by three different names: Vela voda at its source, the Reka along its surface course until it disappears underground into the karst system, and the Timava when it resurfaces near Duino in Italy. Also featured is Snežnik, the highest non-Alpine peak in Slovenia, which the people of Ilirska Bistrica regard as their own mountain. Its most distinctive features include deep depressions where temperature inversions create an unusual reversal of vegetation zones. One of the interpretation points is dedicated to the bora wind, a dry, cold and gusty wind that has a significant impact on the landscape and on the character and way of life in our region. Also featured are dry karst grasslands, which are among the most species-rich habitats in Europe. The most important plant species found in these grasslands are of steppe origin and spread to our region during the Ice Ages. The Liburnian Karst, which includes the karst landscape of the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica, is an area of exceptionally high biodiversity. The final interpretation point is dedicated to the Škocjan Caves, a magnificent karst phenomenon renowned, among other things, for its extraordinarily rich underground fauna.

The new nature interpretation site is located in a green space near Dragotin Kette Primary School and the Tourist Information Centre.