Written by Peter Habič, 1989
Abstract
Over 300 years ago, J. W. Valvasor made a detailed study of the periodic Lake of Cerknica and described it as one of the biggest curiosities in Carniola. In 1687, he sent a description with an explanation backed by a realistic physical model to the Royal Society in England. He then published it in 1689, in his famous Die Ehre dess Hertzogthums Crain. This work shows him as a proficient scientific researcher of karst underground waters. His original hydrological model of the karst essentially corresponds to the actual mechanisms, and to modern understanding of karst water circulation. For this Valvasor can justifiably be considered as the first Slovene karst hydrologist of international reputation.