Potočka Zijalka
A Stone Age temple. An archaeological-palaeontological cave in which the skeleton of cave bears and 30,000-year-old tools of Stone Age people were discovered, it is the site of the second-oldest sewing needle in the world.
Potočka zijavka (Potočka zijalka) is an important cave site at 1675 metres altitude on the slope of Olševa. In this cave, 104 m long and 40 m wide, Ice Age hunters left behind spears, needles, awls and other tools, mostly made from the bones of the cave bear. Every year, at the end of winter, Potočka zijavka is adorned by ice stalagmites up to two metres high, which together create a unique fairy-tale ambience with a wonderful view of Logarska Dolina and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. A permanent exhibition about the life of Stone Age hunters is at the Firšt inn, in front of Logarska Dolina.
The Bear Trail, a themed trail to Potočka zijavka
At the starting point you can first view the permanent exhibition Potočka zijavka in the Firšt museum and inn. If the inn is not open, you can view the museum on the way back. From there, along the footpath that was once used by the inhabitants of Podolševa, set off towards Sveti Duh, where at an altitude of 1250 m a.s.l. stands the small Baroque church of the Holy Spirit, with two tourist farms also nearby. Past the Rogar farm you continue the route to Potočka zijavka in the mountain of Olševa, which is the first archaeologically researched site from the Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic) in Slovenia. Here the oldest bone sewing needle was found, as well as numerous tools, bone points, bone whistles, pigments from iron ore (ochre) and a large number of hearths.
New findings reveal that Potočka zijavka was a sanctuary of Cro-Magnon hunters.
