The Radovna river cuts the Vintgar gorge deep between the hills of Hom and Boršt. The gorge is flanked by steep slopes overgrown with beech forests. It was discovered in 1891 by Mr. Jakob Žumer, mayor of Gorje, and Mr. Benedikt Lergetporer, a cartographer and photographer from Bled. Both were amazed by the beauty and the mysterious character of the natural attraction. Local people, however, have always viewed the gorge with awe and respect. In 1893 the gorge was opened to the public. Constructing a secured tourist trail through the wild gorge was a demanding and an extremely dangerous task. The roar of the fettered Radovna river echoes along the 1.600 meter long gorge, full of small waterfalls, rapids and erosion potholes where the river briefly slows down its pace. Trails, narrow passages and bridges lead a visitor to the end of the gorge, which is marked by the magnificent, 16 meter high Šum waterfall, the highest fluvial waterfall in Slovenia.

The Vintgar gorge also includes two man-made sights. The single-arch stone bridge of the Bohinj railway, constructed in 1906, which crosses the gorge 33.5 m above the trail, and the dam from which the water is routed to the small Vintgar hydroelectric power plant under the Šum waterfall.

Single-arch stone bridge of the Bohinj railway over small dam

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