The region of Gorski kotar is well known for places like Fužine, Delnice or Ravna Gora. Those places are accessible. Connected by the highway and railroad. But there is a special part of Gorski kotar far away from the traffic. Hidden in the deep green forest lays irresistible Čabar. Let me introduce it to you.
Significant history
The remains of The Roman empire are still visible today. There is a stonewall that was part of a Late Roman barrier system, called Claustra Alpium Iuliarum, which guarded the crossings to Italy between the 3rd and 5th centuries. The wall is a part of the border between Croatia and Slovenia in Prezid. The famous noble families The Zrinskis and The Frankopans built a castle in Čabar. That made Čabar even more irresistible. The castle is a part of the Cultural-tourist route The Routes of the Frankopans and the canter of the municipality headquarters.
Three rivers meet
What makes Čabar so irresistible to most visitors are the three rivers: Kupa, Čabranka and Gerovčica. All of them have their spring in this area. The whole area is abundant with water sources which is the result of geological events. Therefore, the composition and dating of rocks are entwined in an intriguing way. The springs are placed on limestone or dolomite, which are usually widely distributed in the karst area of Gorski kotar. However, their streams flow over much older impermeable rocks. They are millions of years apart.
Gerovčica is an underground river with two lives. The first passing through Gerovo and ends in an abyss near Mali Lug. The second re-emerges under a 300 m steep dolomite cliff. There is a charming pathway that takes you to the source. It starts near Zamost. The stream of Gerovčica is only 3 km long in that part, after which it flows into the river of Čabranka. Just a few kilometres away, the river od Čabranka flows into the Kupa River.
The Ice Age also left its mark on the irresistible Čabar area. Thus, there used to be a lake in the area of today’s Gerovo plateau.
To be continued…