SAVA II
Length
12.2
Length 12.2 km ​
Time needed
03:00
Time needed 03:00 ​
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
Greatest slope of the ascent: %
Greatest slope of the descent: %
Average slope of the ascent: %
Length of ascents above 5%: km
The lowest point of the route: m
The highest point of the route: m
Difference in altitude: m
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Poraba kalorij
2939
Consumption of energy for men: 2939 kJ (702 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 2412 kJ (576 kcal)
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Difficulty
Difficulty: Less demanding ​
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Mixture
Primerna obutev: Hiking boots
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Short description

It's another afternoon hiking route, but somewhat longer than usual. The route can take quite a while, and you should start early enough, so that the night doesn't catch you. You will visit the middle Sava River, which – still pretty much in its original state – flows through the northern Ljubljana. You will encounter numerous interesting things, so you will not be bored, and there will also be some beautiful and unusual views of the landscape. The route is passable during all seasons of the year, but you will need more time after heavy rains, because you will need to avoid muddy patches.

Course

Črnuče – Šmartno pod Šmarno goro – Tacen – Brod – Ježica – Črnuče

Connecting and dividing
The Sava River has been an important waterway since the ancient times. Let us just mention that the Sava and the Ljubljanica rivers were used by the Argonauts in the 13th century BC, and later it was used by the Romans, while in the Middle Ages, it served as the main transport route towards the Balkans; it served as the main cargo transport route for this region until 1862. It was navigable from its confluence with the Danube River (Belgrade) to its tributary the Ljubljanica in Podgrad; i.e. the length of 816 kilometres, which represents 85% of its total length of 954 kilometres. The introduction of the southern railway Vienna–Trieste caused a decline in river transport between Zidani Most and Podgrad, while traffic between Sisak and Zidani Most remained intensive. River transport on the Sava River in Slovenia died out when the railway Zidani Most–Sisak was opened in 1862. The connecting role of the Sava River ended there, but it continued to play its "dividing" role. Because of its volume, speed of flow and width, the Sava has been one of the biggest obstacles for the free flow of people and goods in this area. Spots where one could get across via bridges were few and far between, or the transport was conducted by ferrymen. There were only three such places in the Ljubljana area: one in Črnuče, one in Tacen and one in Medvode. We are going to take a closer look at the one in Črnuče.

Savus Fluvius
This was the name of a Roman post on the Sava, somewhere in the wider area of Črnuče. Although it is mentioned in written sources, it has not been discovered so far. What if you become the one to discover it? It might happen, because today's trip is well suited for a search of the forgotten history. So, let's get started!
Your starting point is the car park at the bridge across the Sava in Črnuče, under the restaurant serving Asian specialities. If you arrived by car, leave it there; otherwise just start today's hike from there if you had taken some other means of transport to get there. Go upstream along the bank of the Sava by the wide macadam path. It is best not to take the water route today, because it is not recommended in general . You don't have to go anywhere to see the first landmark, because it is right in front of you. It is a passage across the Sava, which has been important since the ancient times. It was so important that a large bridge was constructed there, which spanned over the river and across the entire flood plain along it. It was even so important that a defensive post, which was named Savus Fluvius, was set up there for its protection. While the exact location of the post is not known, the location of the former Roman bridge is. On the bank you stand on, the bridge was built 124 steps (of 60 centimetres) away from the present-day road bridge across the Sava, which you can see behind you. When you measure this in reality, you will come to the point marking exactly the middle of the road leading across the former Roman bridge. Check up: a perpendicular from the Sava bank at this point shows straight to the southern corner of the terrace of the aforementioned Chinese restaurant. If the bridge was still standing, it would be high above your head – some 8 metres up. But unfortunately, it is long gone. What remains are only historical records and some ruins. You can read more about both at the end of this description.

Ribja straža
If the Roman post (rimska straža) is not to be found, you can pay a visit to ribja straža (fish post). And it will be straža with a capital "S". Take the macadam road along the left bank of the Sava upstream. You will be accompanied on your hike by overhead power lines , numerous picnic and recreational spots , and you will always be able to spot an angler or two. Their favourite spots are concrete walls along the bank . In the summer, the sunny and sandy banks are swarming with swimmers. Since the closure of large industrial plants upstream or their switch to cleaner technologies, the quality of water in the middle Sava improved to the point where it is suitable for swimming, rendering the warning signs superfluous. When you reach the last picnic spots, the macadam road ends. It is replaced by a narrower footpath , which goes somewhat away from the bank. A smaller tributary , and later fish ponds, show up on the left. You will reach a wooden footbridge with a meaningful sign saying "Use at your own risk!" . At first, the sign will seem unreasonable, but when you take a closer look at it (especially the lower, supporting part), you will realise that it is not far-fetched . You take a look around to see if there is another way around. But there isn't, so you have to go straight across the footbridge. When you are standing on it, it doesn't seem so weak any more, although it does bend significantly in the middle section when you put your entire weight on it. After you get safely to the other side, you will be only a few steps away from the recreational facilities at Fishing Club Straža , where you can see some beautiful fish ponds . Those who are familiar with fishing know that today's route runs along the fishing district Sava 9, which begins at the Tacen Bridge and ends at the Črnuče Bridge. It is managed by Fishing Club Straža, whose centre you have just visited.

Willow carr and rapids
An asphalt road leads away from the fishing club . It will take you to the horse riding centre Košir , after which you will return to a sandy path . Continue towards southwest, and turn left into the forest before the path starts turning northwards towards the field. You will notice immediately that the forest has been planted, and after a couple of steps you will be greeted by a door with the sign saying "Makoto – martial arts park" . Well, when this travelogue was created, the park had not been finished yet. Several paths will take you through the forest, but all except one are dead ends. That one will take you to the next interesting natural feature: willow carr . It is a riparian forest or shrubs mainly consisting of willows. It is very important for the riverside ecosystem, as its roots act as a water purification filter. The easiest way to take a look at it is if you turn left towards the Sava immediately after the martial arts park. The path ends at the river bank, but it is nevertheless interesting, so it pays off to make the turn. You will quickly get to the river bank, first by a sandy path and then by a concrete path. The entire area along the path is covered with willows, which form a true forest there. There are some clearings here and there, where you can spot grazing cattle . You will see a spring just by the Sava and river rapids right in front of you. Go to the bank, solidified with a concrete wall, stretching left and right from the rapids. It is usually full of people. You will see hikers, anglers and curious persons like yourself hanging out there, and sometimes you can see artists trying to capture on the canvas the foaming of water in the rapids, and the Grmada and Šmarna gora hills in the background . These rapids (as well as those you have so far seen during your hike) are not natural rapids. They were artificially created because of the negative impact of the regulation of the Sava in the past, especially because of the construction of the hydroelectric power plants on the upper Sava in Moste, Mavčiče and Medvode, which retain the majority of material which the Sava previously carried on and deposited in the lower-lying areas. Since the Sava is a rather quick river and it does not carry material any more, it undermines the banks and deepens the riverbed in midstream, which is the reason why the level of groundwater in the Ljubljana Basin has dropped. The artificial rapids have reduced the speed of the flow and the deepening of the riverbed. The rapids also improve oxygen supply of the water, which makes them very important for the aquatic fauna.

Tacen Ferry
When you are done with the rapids, return to the point where you had left today's route. There you turn left and continue on foot through the scattered mixed forest. You will eventually come to a crossroads. Turn left again and then turn right after about a hundred steps. If you go straight on, you would find yourself in the area of an abandoned gravel pit , from where you would have to turn back because it is a dead end. Take the right path, which will comfortably and quickly take you towards Šmarna gora. You will come across overhead power lines several times, as they are aplenty in this area. Towards the end of the forest path you will pass the building of the Šmarna gora – Tacen Kennel Club , after which the path turns to the edge of the forest, following it all the way to the motorway. This part offers unusual and beautiful views of Storžič, the Kamnik Alps, Šmarna gora and the Church of St. Martin in Šmartno pod Šmarno goro . There is a motorway underpass there, and the route continues – again along the forest edge – leading you to Tacen. You will pass a new settlement and get to Košir Inn , a homestead (Tacenski dvor) and another passage across the Sava, which is worth a closer look. Unlike the passage in Črnuče, it was possible to cross the Sava here only by means of a ferry. It was, of course, called Tacenski brod (Tacen Ferry). How important it was for this area is evident from the fact that the entire settlement on the right bank of the Sava is called Brod, while the settlement on the left bank kept the name Tacen – therefore Tacenski brod was split into Tacen and Brod. The ferry's operation in this place was described as early as in the 12th century, while the town got its first bridge across the Sava in 1844. The bridge was privately owned and toll had to be paid for its use. It is different today. Getting across the bridge is free of charge, so you can cross the Sava carefree . You will leave Tacen behind, which used to be known for coopers, who were called pintarji. The craft was in full bloom from the mid-18th century onwards, only to die out at the beginning of the 20th century.

Back along the other bank
Turn left off the main road immediately after the bridge to a narrow local street . The sign before it says it is a dead end. But this applies only to cars, and we don't want any cars anyway. Continue the hike past the houses (and almost through a front yard of a house), and then along the same street, Ob Savi it is called, continue towards the Gorenjska motorway. Somewhat before the motorway, turn off the asphalt road to the macadam road , go under the motorway bridge and at the last house find a narrow path leading to the forest.

It will take you to the river bank, along which you will walk for a while, past the abandoned warehouses of the former Yugoslav People's Army, and to a gravel extraction pit. Your route continues between the fence of the facility and the river bank below you. A wide macadam road also leads to the gravel pit, and it would not be wrong if you take it. You would have to turn left three times in order to return to the riverside path by the route of the overhead power lines. This turn makes sense if you don't feel like walking in the forest section of today's route, where the path is the least trodden. But if you are not bothered by a somewhat overgrown path, go straight to the forest from the gravel pit and make your way to the route of the overhead power lines, from where the path gets better again. This is the most boring part of the route. It is more than 2 kilometres long and runs entirely through the forest. It gets close to the river only once, in the place where the aforementioned rapids are located, the place that you have already visited on the other side of the river. There are a lot of paths and tracks in the forest, so it is not hard to get lost. But don't worry! None of them goes far. It is best to take the widest or the most trodden path, which is also closest to the river bank. This is the most reliable and shortest way to get to the point where the forest ends, and where recreational and picnic spots pop up again. Near the last, largest spot you will again get near the river; go past the tennis courts and towards Ježica – again as close as possible to the river bank. When you spot the Črnuče Bridge in front of you amongst the trees, turn right and climb through the forest to the car park by Ježica Driving School. You are not far from the starting point. Find a place where you can get back to the road, return to the roundabout of Dunajska Road with the ring road and get to the other side over the bridge across the Sava. Turn left at the traffic lights and then left once more – and you are right where you have started!

"The sausage has been skewered," one would say when everything ends nicely and happily after more than 12 kilometres of hiking. Now that the trip is behind you, you could really have a bite of something skewered. A skewered kranjska klobasa (Carniolan sausage) promises some culinary delights, but we doubt that something like that is served at the nearby Chinese restaurant. Well, they definitely have skewers (chopsticks), and you only have to order a meat meal and you will hit the nail on the head. Enjoy your meal!

Flooding of the Sava River
The Sava used to flow through a broad flood plain, which is why crossing it used to be a hard and dangerous task. Constant flooding was a cause for the river to be regulated and to be limited from both sides within a narrower riverbed. During major regulation works, connected with the flood defence of Ljubljana, which took place in the second half of the 18th century, a significant part of the flood area upstream from Črnuče was filled up. Additional fill-ups were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. While the flooding was indeed limited, this also accelerated the flow of the river, which started carrying material and deepening the riverbed. In order to slow the river down, artificial rapids were created from rocks in several places. Today, the Sava flows both over the artificial and natural rapids, which were created in the places where grey slate thresholds emerged to the surface. There are three locations with rapids in the middle Sava: in Medvode, Tacen and Črnuče. These places were used in the past to get across the river either by means of a ferry or by a bridge.

Brod Hydroelectric Power Plant
The abundance of water power of the Sava, local needs for energy and the immediate vicinity of Ljubljana encouraged a man named Ignacij Česenj to construct a hydropower plant in Brod in 1908. Its power was 200 HP. In addition to other structures, the street lighting of the new bridge in Tacen was connected to it as well. In 1928, the power of the plant was increased to 1,200 HP, with annual capacity rising to 6,500,500 KWh. In 1934, it was connected with the city power plant of Ljubljana which operated in today's Slomškova Street. The Brod hydroelectric power plant exploits a two metre drop in water level, which through two Francis turbines powers two generators, each with 510 kW rated power. At the rate of flow of 2 x 12 m3/s, it produces approximately one megawatt of power; therefore, it can be classified as a small hydropower plant by today's standards. The construction of a new Tacen hydropower plant is planned approximately 800 metres upstream, which is one of the nine to ten hydropower plants planned on the middle Sava River.

Bridge across Sava in Tacen
Written sources mention that the river was being crossed there already in the 12th century, but this was done probably even earlier. Ferrymen used special boats with flat bottoms, characteristic for this area, which were about 8 metres long and could carry up to six passengers or an equal amount of cargo (around 500 kg). Such boats were operated by two ferrymen, one at the front and the other in the rear. They moved and directed the boat by pressing long poles against the river bottom. They were paid for their effort, about the equivalent of one euro of today's currency per person (calculated based on the bread price then and now). When the water level was high or when the winter was so severe that the river carried blocks of ice or was even frozen, it was not possible to cross the river. Ferrying ended in Tacen when Baron Franc Lazarini, the lord of Smlednik Castle, had a wooden bridge constructed from his own funds across the Sava. On the basis of an imperial decree, a toll had to be paid for the use of the bridge, which equalled the amount of the ferry fee. When the feudal rights were abolished in 1848, the users of the bridge expected that the bridge toll would be abolished as well. But this did not happen. Toll payment for the bridge remained in force until 1907, when the swollen river washed away a part of the bridge. In order to keep the passage across the river there, Baron Lazarini rented a boat from the local fishermen in order to revive the ferrying activity. But the boat was too small and unsafe, which is why the then Ljubljana authorities decided to construct a new, public bridge. It was named Cesarjev most (Emperor's Bridge), as half of the funds for the construction was contributed by the government in Vienna. It had steel support structure, which was put on two stone pillars, and it also boasted electrical lighting. It served its purpose until 1978, when it was replaced by the present-day steel and concrete bridge.

Ljubljana Kayaking Centre
On the rocky threshold over which the Sava flows in rapids, a mill used to stand on the left bank. In 1928, a power plant and a floodgate for water supply was built on the right bank. Rapids of the Sava have always been challenging the kayakers who at first tested themselves on the left bank (at the mill) and later on the floodgate at the hydropower plant. Kayak slalom events used to be organised there; the first one in 1939. Although the start was below the floodgate, this was a tough challenge for the kayaks at the time, as only nine competitors out of the sixteen that signed for the competition finished the race. Better equipment and more skill resulted in successful attempts to take the boat down the floodgate, and the first competition which included this challenge was held in 1952. This was dangerous due to the large force of the falling water; in consequence, an artificial wooden bottom, which somewhat slowed down the flow, was built at the site were the water bumped against the ground. Naturally, this kind of a bottom lasted only for a few days, so a new one needed to be made before every race. After 1953, the races became more frequent and Slovenian kayakers gained enough experience and reputation to allow Slovenia to host the world championship in 1955, which took place from 29 to 31 July. The formal organiser was the Boating Association of Slovenia. However, most of the preparations and the organisation was done by the Ljubljana Kayak and Canoe Club. The championship involved competitors from fourteen countries and 15,000 people came to watch the races, which was an incredible number for those times. The championship made the course in Tacen become known as one of the most beautiful, but also the most difficult courses in the world.

Roman Bridge in Črnuče
Passage across the Sava in Črnuče was so important for the Romans that they build a bridge there. The Sava was much wilder back then and it frequently flooded the riverside plain (which does not exist today). In order to avoid this, the Romans built a bridge across the entire flood plain, which is why the bridge was 300 metres long. The wooden support structure, which was 8 metres wide (not much less than the present-day bridge), was put on 26 stone pillars, which were up to four storeys tall (around 10 metres). The bridge was built by the Roman legions, approximately at the same time when Emona was constructed. The bridge was so important that a defensive post, which was named Savus Fluvius, was set up there for its protection. There are no remains of the bridge or of the defensive post today. It is not even known where the post stood exactly, but this is not so when it comes to the bridge. Some of the support pillars were preserved until 1911, when one of them was lifted up and transported to Križanke, a former monastery in Ljubljana, now an open-air theatre. The pillar was made from grey limestone blocks extracted from the Trzin quarry, which were connected with iron rods and sealed with molten lead. The interior of the support pillar was filled with stone fragments and sealed with lime mortar. The entire pillar was 3.45 metres wide (in the direction of the travel across the bridge), 8 metres long (the width of the road going across the bridge) and 9.7 metres tall. It was pointed on the side where it was hit by the water, in order to be able to sustain the pressure of logs and ice carried by the river. It stood near the present-day bridge, only some 70 metres upstream. The bridge was a part of an important road from Gameljne towards the present-day Gorenjska region as well as Mengeš and Trzin.

Košir Inn, Tacenska 142, 1211 Tacen pri Ljubljani
Type: inn. Gastronomic offer: homemade Slovenian dishes, snacks, lunches. Distinguishing features: a car park, a playground; the inn is open every day of the week.

Žibert Inn, Tacenska 118, 1000 Ljubljana
Type: inn. Gastronomic offer: Slovenian cuisine, traditional Sunday lunches and snacks.

Veliki Hong Kong Asian Restaurant, Gameljska cesta 1, 1000 Ljubljana
Type: restaurant. Gastronomic offer: traditional Chinese and Mongolian cuisine. Distinguishing features: a large car park, an interesting, modern interior.

The route is passable in any weather condition; except during high waters, when the sections along the river become somewhat unpleasant. It happens frequently that the high waters undermine the bank on which the route runs, caution is recommended in such cases. For the stubborn ones, the route is passable also with a mountain bike, only short sections should be covered on foot. One such section is the passage over the wooden footbridge before Fishing Club Straža, where caution is necessary in any case, even when you go on foot, while the other is the section along severely undermined right river bank before the tennis courts (near Ježica). Taking a closer look at the rapids is recommended only when the water level is normal.