Močilnik Springs is the best-known source of the Ljubljanica River.
Name The name Močilnik is derived from the Slovene common noun močilnik '(hidden) spring', synonymous with the related word močilo,Pavlovec, Rajko. 2006. "Domači kraški izrazi z Ljubljanskega barja." Geografski vestnik 78(1):61–64. both derived from the Slavic root *mak- 'wet, damp'.Snoj, Marko. 2003. Slovenski etimološki slovar. 2nd edition. Ljubljana: Modrijan, p. 409.
Geography
The springs are located at the end of the Močilnik Valley, a steephead valley 180 m long near Vrhnika. Big Močilnik Spring () is found in a pond below the cliffs, and Little Močilnik Spring (), with a smaller flow, lies 50 m further north. They join together to form the Little Ljubljanica River (),Horvat, Jana, & Marjeta Šašel Kos. 1990. Nauportus (Vrhnika). Ljubljana: Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, p. 173. which joins the Big Ljubljanica River () after about 1 km, forming the Ljubljanica. The water that surfaces at Močilnik Springs seeps into the ground at the Planina Karst Field and Logatec Karst Field. Not far from Močilnik Springs is Furlan Hot Springs (). It has a constant temperature of about 20 °C.Melik, Anton. 1959. Slovenija: Geografski Opis, vol. 2, part 3. Ljubljana: Slovenska Matica, p. 167.
Cultural references
There is a plaque in the valley next to Big Močilnik Spring with a quotation from Ivan Cankar's story "Brlinčkov Miha in Tičkov Grega" (Miha from the Brlinček Farm and Grega from the Tiček Farm), describing the spring.
References
External links
Močilnik Springs on Geopedia