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A special feature of Pohorje are forests, with their typical dark spruce, meadows and pastures, attractive to hikers, and numerous swamps, bogs as well as lakes. The most famous lake is Lake Ribniško jezero and Lovrenška jezera lakes. They represent a unique ecological ecosystem.
Pohorje is the Alpine massif, which comprises about 840 km2 and with its domed western part it stretches across an area of Carinthia. The woods there are dark and deep, at places almost impassable primeval forests, which cover more than 70% of the surface.
Impermeable silicate geological substratum of magma and metamorphic rock creates typical ecosystems; therefore, it is no surprise that there are 16 forest reserves, where, peat bogs Ribniško jezero lake as well as Lovrenška jezera lakes are located. The bogs at Pohorje represent the extreme southeast border of the bogs in Europe. Both bogs are easily accessible on foot and equipped with wooden trails (called brunče) and interpretive facilities.
There is also a Carinthian tale that says: “At the top of Plešivec a quiet lake was gleaming. In it lived a friendly water sprite named Jezernik, who liked to help the local people. When the Church of St. Ursula was built by the lake, the bells disturbed his peace. A farmer named Plešivčnik was amazed as he observed his oxen in the stable morning after morning. They were tired and sweaty. After about a week, he found a bag of gold coins in the manger and the next day the oxen were rested and as fresh as a daisy. On the following Sunday, some men were talking after Mass and were discussing how the lake at the top of Uršlja gora mountain disappeared and that there was a new one at the top of Pohorje. It was immediately clear to Plešivčnik that it had been Jezernik who, together with the oxen, carried the water from the lake to create another one at Pohorje. Nobody saw Jezernik after that, but some signs show that he still lives in the lake.”