Lake Završnica (Žirovnica)
Lake Završnica is the 2.5 ha reservoir of the Završnica hydropower plant, built in 1911–1915 in a Karavanke valley above Žirovnica. Its level changes with the plant's needs, which keeps plant and animal life sparse, but the old stream bed makes a clear guide line across the flat bottom, sloping west to just over 8 m at the dam. A submerged masonry wall cuts off a shallower eastern basin of about 3 m. Most fish – brown trout – gather where the Završnica stream flows in. The 2017 PAS sheet also notes plenty of litter, including a large rubbish container in mid-lake.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Julian Alps & Gorenjska (Bohinj, Bled)
- Depth: 0–8 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: bay
- Coordinates: 46.40739, 14.14863
- Highlights: brown trout at the stream inflow, old stream bed descending to 8 m at the dam, submerged stone wall separating the eastern basin, algae carpets, snails and worms, tree stumps and fallen branches, historic HE Završnica (1911–1915) reservoir
- Tips: Legal status: working hydropower reservoir with a dangerous intake; no operator or municipal rule on diving (allowed or banned) was found. Sheet from 2017. Leave the Lesce motorway exit towards Jesenice, turn right after the Završnica viaduct and follow signs 1.5 km to the car park on the north shore. Enter and exit on the gently sloping north-east shore; elsewhere the banks are steep. Stay well away from the dam: the sheet warns of the danger of water being drawn into the power plant. A compass helps on the flat bottom; visibility is best when the stream is low. Summer water is around 12 °C and the lake can freeze in winter. Data from 2017 – check the operator's current rules locally.