Tolmin, an interesting archaeological village

The Soča Valley widens before reaching Tolmin, where it makes a wide loop around Bučenice and Mrzli vrh. The main road leading to Nova Gorica runs along a dry valley past Volče.

Just below the village it is joined by the Tolminka river, and further on at Most na Soči by the Idrijca River. The Soča is dammed in the ravine between Kuk and Mrzli vrh, just below Selo pri Volčah, where there is a 42m deep artificial lake covering an area of 42 hectares.

The village lies on a high terrace at the confluence of the Soča. Its excellent defense position was, in certain periods, strengthened by Kozlov rob, a hill overlooking the town on which there once stood a fort and later a fortified castle of the patriarchs of Aquileia. For a while the town was also governed by the counts of Gorica.

A German ossuary testifies to the bloody battles that raged here during World War I. Interesting archeological and ethnological collections are displayed in the town Museum.

North of it the River has carved a deep ravine between the steep mountain slopes. The famous gorges reach depths up to 60 meters in some parts. A road leads above the gorges into the glaciated valley between Mohavšek (2008m) and Krn.

Most na Soči is perched on a rock cliff at the confluence of the Soča and Idrija Rivers. The church of Saint Mavro in Most na Soči was mentioned in the papal bull of 1192.

At Kneža the deep valley of the Kneža stream carves its way northward below the mountains. The forest road takes us to an altitude of 1000 meters below Šija (1880m), a peak in the Vogel range. To the south Baška grapa is closed in by a mountain chain beginning with the Šentvid plateau, followed by Kojca (1303m) and Porezen (1630m). Winding its way along the opposite side of this ridge is the solitary Idrijca River valley.

OK, we are done here. Let us go to the next village located in the basin of river Soča.

From Tolmin back to the Basin River Soca