Palško jezero is the largest and most famous of the Pivka intermittent lakes - a lake that appears and disappears with the seasons. It lies north of the village of Palčje, in the upper Pivka Basin, and it's a striking sight for anyone who first sees water filling what is usually a green meadow basin.

The lake fills a fairly flat depression roughly 0.5 by 1.5 km in size. During higher water levels, the Njivice and Ždink bays form, almost encircling the 606 m Jezerščak hill, and during exceptionally high flooding, the water even reaches around the more northerly 612 m Seljivec. The lake is fed by at least 13 springs at different elevations, which activate depending on the flooding stage. In essence, the lake is simply groundwater rising above the surface - it typically stays around three months a year. Depending on the season, the landscape shifts dramatically: from quiet grazing meadows to a wide, calm lake framed by limestone cliffs and willow-covered banks.

How to get there

• Village of Palčje - direct access from the southern shore, flat terrain, easy walk

Good to know

• Part of the Natura 2000 protected network (Snežnik - Pivka jezero area)
• Water levels vary seasonally - the lake is best seen after rainfall when groundwater levels are high
• Former military training ground, fully remediated and safe for visitors today

Locals once cut hay here only after the water receded, and in winter they cut ice blocks and hauled them all the way to Trieste - a curious piece of history tied to this ever-changing lake.