Logar Valley (Slovenia)

Logarska Dolina (pronounced [ˈloːɡaɾska dɔˈliːna]) is a settlement in the Logar Valley in the Municipality of Solčava in northern Slovenia. The area belongs to the traditional region of Styria and is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. 113 people lived in the settlement in 2020. The village is protected as an immovable cultural monument of local significance. The village is notable for its Rinka Falls, which is the source of the Savinja River, one of the main rivers of Slovenia. The valley where the village stands is surrounded by two-thousanders of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps: Krofička, Ojstrica, Planjava, Mount Brana, Tauern Mountain (Turska gora), Carinthia Mount Rinka (Koroška Rinka), and Cold Mountain (Mrzla Gora). There is a small church in the settlement. It is dedicated to Christ the King and belongs to the Parish of Solčava. It was built from 1930 to 1931. In the area of the village, there is a chalybeate (iron-rich) spring under Mount Olševa.

The Matk Cirque (Slovene: Matkov kot), in older sources also the Jezera Valley (dolina Jezera) is an Alpine glacial valley in Slovenia.

Krofička (2,083 meters or 6,834 feet) is a mountain in the eastern part of the Kamnik Alps. Together with Ute Peak (2,029 meters or 6,657 feet) and nearby Strelovec Peak, it forms a barrier between the Logar Valley and the Roban Cirque (Slovene: Robanov kot). The southern part descends steeply to Škrbina, with which it is connected with Ojstrica. The eastern side is very steep, and grassy on the upper part, and on the western side it descends into a gorge. There is a nice panoramic view at the top.

Ojstrica (2,350 meters or 7,710 feet) is a mountain in the eastern part of the Kamnik Alps with a pyramid-shaped top that is visible from far away. The name Ojstrica derives from the Slovene word oster 'sharp'. There is a 600-meter (2,000 ft) high wall on its northern side to the bottom of the Logar Valley. The eastern side, down to the Roban Cirque (Slovene: Robanov kot), also has a high wall. There are several climbing routes.

Rinka Falls (pronounced [ˈɾiːŋka]; Slovene: slap Rinka) is a waterfall in the Logar Valley, in the Municipality of Solčava in northern Slovenia. It is the source of the Savinja River. It has been proclaimed a natural heritage feature. Rinka Falls is one of the most beautiful and best-known waterfalls in Slovenia. It is also a popular tourist destination. With its drop of 105 metres (344 ft), it is the highest of the 20 waterfalls in the Logar Valley. The longest step has a length of 90 m (300 ft). It is visited in all seasons of the year. In the winter it is popular with ice-climbers. There are also four mountains in the vicinity called Rinka: Carniola Mount Rinka (Kranjska Rinka; 2,453 m or 8,048 ft), Carinthia Mount Rinka (Koroška Rinka; 2,433 m or 7,982 ft), Styria Mount Rinka (Štajerska Rinka; 2,374 m or 7,789 ft), and Little Mount Rinka (Mala Rinka; 2,289 m or 7,510 ft). The name Rinka comes from the Slovene common noun rinka 'ring, hoop, link of a chain'. It is a borrowing from German (cf. Ringel, Ringl, etc.) and was used to designate a rounded or ring-like topographic feature.

Planjava (2,394 meters or 7,854 feet) is the highest mountain of the eastern Kamnik Alps in northern Slovenia. On the western side there is a steep wall over the Kamnik Saddle (Kamniško sedlo), on the eastern side runs a long ridge, and on the northern side there is a wall almost 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) high above the Logar Valley.

The Kamnik Saddle Lodge (Slovene: Koča na Kamniškem sedlu; 1,864 meters or 6,115 feet) is a mountain hostel located just below Kamnik Saddle (Kamniško sedlo), with Mount Brana to its west and Mount Planjava to its east, and the Kamnik Bistrica Valley to its south. On its north is a steep descent toward the Logar Valley, home to Rinka Falls. The hut was first built in 1906, then rebuilt in 1983, and then again slightly modified in 2010.

The Frischauf Lodge at Okrešelj (Slovene: Frischaufov dom na Okrešlju; 1,378 meters or 4,521 feet) is a mountain lodge that stands above the Logar Valley in northern Slovenia. It is surrounded by the following peaks: Cold Mountain (Mrzla gora), Styria Mount Rinka (Štajerska Rinka), Carinthia Mount Rinka (Koroška Rinka), and Mount Turska (Turska gora). Nearby is 80-meter (260 ft) Rinka Falls. The lodge is named after Johannes Frischauf, and the first lodge was built in 1876 by an Austro-German hiking club. In 1907 it was destroyed by an avalanche and rebuilt again in 1908. In 1991 it was expanded and modernized.

The Kocbek Lodge at Korošica (Slovene: Kocbekov dom na Korošici; 1,803 meters or 5,915 feet) is a mountain lodge standing on the Korošica Pasture on the Dleskovec Plateau, below the southern slope of Mount Ojstrica. It is named after Fran Kocbek, an early promoter of mountain hiking in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps. The first lodge, which was built in 1876, burned in 1881. A year later a new one was built. During World War II, it was captured by the Germans. It was expanded and modified from 1969 to 1973. The lodge was destroyed by a fire on October 20, 2017.

Cold Mountain (Slovene: Mrzla gora) is a 2,203-meter (7,228 ft) mountain in the Kamnik Alps. Cold Mountain rises over three valleys: the Logar Valley, the Matk Cirque (Slovene: Matkov kot), and the Vellach Combe (German: Vellacher Kotschna, Slovene: Belska kočna). It is rarely visited because it is relatively difficult to ascend with many exposed areas. The border with Austria runs along the northern and western side, and until 1967 it was difficult to access because of political problems. Its first climbers had problems scaling it. In 1876, Robert von Lendenfeld and a guide named Matijevec from Luče reached the western peak and they descended, thinking they had reached the highest peak. In 1877, Karl Blodig (the first to climb every peak over 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet in Europe) tried two times, but quit due to weather well below the top. In the same year Johannes Frischauf, Piskernik, and Matek finally conquered the top. The Frischauf Lodge on Okrešelj is named after him.

Brana (2,253 meters or 7,392 feet) is a ridge mountain of the Kamnik Alps in northern Slovenia. It is located between the Logar Valley to the north and the Kamnik Bistrica Valley to the south. The mountain is part of the central Kamnik group, a long ridge that includes the highest peaks of the range such as Grintovec, Kočna, and Skuta. Brana is sometimes climbed as part of a long traverse of the entire Kamnik ridge.

The Municipality of Solčava (pronounced [sɔlˈtʃaːʋa]; Slovene: Občina Solčava) is a municipality in the traditional region of Upper Carniola in northern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Solčava. Solčava became a municipality in 1998. It borders Austria.