Triglav National Park

Triglav depicted on the Slovenian flag and seal

Triglav National Park, ‘Triglavski narodni park’, is named after the highest mountain in Slovenia, Triglav. The park established in 1924 is one of the largest natural parks in Europe. It became the sole national park in Slovenia in 1981. There are two other protected parks:
The Skocjan Caves Regional  Park, and The Kozjanski Regional Park. It has an area of 838 square kilometres, encompassing the eastern Julian Alps in Slovenia. The Triglav (Triple head) mountain (2864 metres) is the national symbol, depicted on the Slovenian flag and seal. Triglav had religious significance for ancient Slavs. They believed that the limestone mountain was the home of a three-headed deity, who ruled the sky, the earth, and the underworld.
The word Triglav for the mountain was found in historical sources in 1320AD, and as the highest mountain peak in 1612. The peak was first climbed in 1778 by four men from Bohinj. As a Slovenian symbol the Triglav was first used in 1934 on the mantle of Our Lady in front of the parish church in Bled by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. Dr.Julius Kugy (1858-1944), a botanist from Trieste who was the first to explore the whole of the Julian Alps, and wrote of their beauty, in his acclaimed work which appeared originally in German, ‘Aus dem Leben eines Bergsteigers' (From the life of a mountain climber ).
The park consists of: alpine mountains, glacier valleys, high plateaux with grasslands, and karst foothills; karst caves reach a depth of 1,000 metres. It has: three river basins, the source of the Soča and Sava rivers, Lake Bohinj, Valley of the Seven Lakes, indigenous and unique flora and fauna. The park contains: accessible touring, walking marked and protected trails, mountain lodges and recreational centres.
A collection of the waterfalls in the park is presented in Boštjan Burger’s website Landmarks of Slovenia .

Learning activities

1. Prepare a chart of landmarks
Text-type: map, talk, list
Linguistic element: nouns
Give a talk on main natural features of the park - stating names of rivers, lakes, waterfalls and mountains, using chart, and parkmap
http://www.tnp.si/s/opis.htm#___KRATEK%20OPIS%20TNP___

 2. Write a legend for the map
Text-type: list, map,legend
Linguistic element: proper nouns
List waterfalls of the park, and locate them on Burger's interactive map of waterfalls in Slovenia
http://www.burger.si/TriglavNationalPark/TriglavskiNarodniParkSkica.htm
http://www.burger.si/Slapovi.htm

3. Write a radio script
Text-type: radio talk
Linguistic element: past tense
Take notes to give a talk on history and geological features of the park
http://www.tnp.si/s/opis.htm#___KRATEK%20OPIS%20TNP___

4. Write a dialogue on planning a day trip to the park
Text-type: conversation, map
Linguistic element: direct speech
Script a dialogue on discussing where you would like to go in the park, using a map
http://www.burger.si/TriglavNationalPark/TriglavskiNarodniParkENG.htm
 
5. Design a brochure on the park
Text-type: brochure
Linguistic element: conjunction
Design a brochure on the natural attractions of Triglav national park - referring to information from various websites
 
 6. Write a letter about your stay at Bovec
Text-type: letter/email
Linguistic element: conventions of letter-writing/email
Write a letter/email to your family describing a week at Bovec, with details of where you are staying, recreational activities, selecting from: rafting, trekking, kayakking, angling.
http://www.bovec.si/

Comprehension - Reading and Responding

Read the text  'Triglavski narodni park‘ from the web site, Triglavski narodni park

Answer the following questions in English. 

1. What is the total area of the park and when was it finally enlarged?
2. What are the names of the lakes of the park?
3. What are the names of the main waterfalls?
4. Describe the geological features and mountain peaks in the area.
5. What is the flora of the region?
6. Which species of fauna are well-known and have been reintroduced into the park?
7. Relate the history of mountain walking and the Alpine Society of Slovenia.

Resources

Websites
http://www.biodiv.org/doc/world/si/si-nr-me-en.doc
http://www.bovec.si/index.html
http://www.burger.si
http://www.europarc.org/
http://www.gov.si/mop/en/index.htm
http://home.hetnet.nl/~rjs25/hoofdmap/kaarttriglavpark.htm
http://home.hetnet.nl/~rjs25/hoofdmap/mountaineering.htm
http://www.impel-bohinj.si/
http://www.isalp.unisi.ch/gen/rivista/1997/english.htm
http://www.sigov.si/svo/innovo_e.htm
http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/eindex.htm
http://www.soult.com/slovenia/slov9.html
http://www.tnp.si/
 
Books
Gosar, A, Jeršič, M, Slovenia The Tourist Guide, Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 1999
Fallon, S, Slovenia, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, 2004
Kos, V, Atlas Slovenije, Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 1992

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