The Slovenian coast is famous for its many things. In the summer, there are unbearable crowds. Here, we find a romantic part of the beach. Those who are also more familiar with the Slovenian coast know about “Škocjanski Zatok” and the Bay of the Moon and know exactly where the best food is served and where to find a parking lot which is by chance not payable. And besides all this, the coast offers us a lot more. Among other things, it offers a landscape park in Strunjan.
Park in Strunjan Is the Only Preserved Part of the Nature of the Gulf of Trieste
As the name implies, the Strunjan Landscape Park is located in Strunjan. It is a protected landscape, category five, by IUCN. The nearest towns ar
e Piran and Izola on the other side. It was founded in 1989 (for the first time) and was announced again in 2004. The landscape park in Strunjan covers as many as 429 square kilometers, meaning most of the entire (Strunjan) peninsula. Strunjan peninsula is mainly known for its fleece landscape, which covers the coastal area, and also belongs to the marine Aquatorium.
An exploded type of settlement and cultural terraces characterize this area. As far as the monuments are concerned, quite a few are in this area. Of course, the main ones are salt pans and ethnological and technical monuments. They follow the park next to Villa Tartini, shaped by nature itself, and the pine tree promenade, which is located on both sides of the main road. Mother Nature itself also created the latter. We can also see seven homesteads, which are also ethnological monuments.
The Landscape Park in Strunjan Is Impressive Because of Nature
The landscape park in Strunjan is exciting from a nature conservation point of view. The three most interesting points are Laguna Stjuž, Strunjanske saltpans, and the northern part of the peninsula. The Laguna Stjuža and the Strunjan saltpans represent the point where the marine and terrestrial aquatic environment is connected. This is precisely why this environment also has specific ecological conditions, which give the conditions for living specially adapted life forms. The importance of landscape park area is essential for protecting our natural heritage because this area has unique geological and geomorphologic characteristics and enormous biodiversity.
The Landscape Park in Strunjan also includes a part of the coast, which connects all the way from “Simon’s bay” to Strunjan, which represents the longest part of the natural coast in the entire Gulf of Trieste. Also, the Strunjan Nature Reserve in this area covers as many as 160 hectares of the total. The northern wall of the peninsula and the part of the sea, which is about 200 meters in length, also belong to the Strunjan Reserve. There is a famous Strunjan cliff with its marine Aquatorium directly behind it.
The Only Sea Lagoon on Our Small Coast
In addition to all the unique species of life, the Landscape Park in Strunjan also offers a home to “Stjuža,” which is actually the only sea lagoon on our small coast. It is connected only with the sea through the channel, sometimes, about 200 years ago, it was an open bay, and then a dike was built and separated from the sea. In this part, we also find the Strunjan saltpans.
Saltpans Are an Essential Building Block of Landscape Park in Strunjan
The Strunjan saltpans are actually an essential building block of Landscape Park in Strunjan, as the most active are still operating salt pans throughout the Mediterranean. The Strunjan Landscape Park offered them a home in Roman times, but they were also mentioned in history several times later. Unlike the Sečovlje salt pans, the Strunjan channels are channeled differently, so it is worth seeing since there are not many such salt pans. There are also three salt houses, all of which are protected as ethnological monuments. One of the houses, the oldest one, is a very good and even a unique example of typical salt-making architecture – it is the fact that in the house, the ground floor serves as a salt warehouse, while the first floor is like a dwelling for a salt producer and his family if he had it.
If we plan a trip to the coast, the salt pans are something wonderful, which can be seen, even in spring or summer. It can be a bit too hot in the summer because there is no shade. Even if we have children, salt pans will definitely have a significant effect on them.
The Moon Bay Is a Unique Place
One of the ideas for a trip is to go first on a short excursion where we look at the sights, and finally, you can soak your feet or go to the cold sea. If we focus only on Strunjan, Moon Bay is a unique place, regardless of whether we are alone, in pairs, or come with the whole family. One of the ideas can be a bicycle trip, which is an excellent idea in the spring and early autumn months, especially if we head towards Piran and drive through pine avenue.
A landscape park in Strunjan is really an excellent idea for a trip. Best of all, it is close to the sea where we can quickly refresh ourselves, regardless of the season, except in the winter. In the winter months, we can choose indoor pools. Of course, it is advisable to check the price list and the working time beforehand so there is no confusion.
The Highest Flysch Cliffs on the Entire Adriatic
When we walk through the landscape park, we can stop at some natural sights in the nature park in Strunjan. This is of great importance to the natural heritage. Here we can find the highest flysch cliffs on the entire Adriatic (80 meters high). Of course, something special is Moon Bay. The way to the bay is something special; with some imagination, it can become a real adventure.
In the natural reserve, we can also find the so-called Strunjan Cliff, the largest (famous) flysch wall, located along the Adriatic Sea or the coast. Due to its natural phenomena, it is continually changing and transforming.
Attention to the Sailors
If you are an enthusiastic sailor, it is worth remembering that vessels anchoring in the summer months are strictly forbidden from Cape Ronek to the Strunjan Cape. You should also be cautious under the cliff, which is slightly crumbling.
The landscape park in Strunjan is actually a unique preserved piece of the original nature of the Gulf of Trieste. It hides many exciting things worth exploring and seeing, and there is also a refreshing sea and a warm sun, which will give a special touch to our excursions during the warmer days. Even a bicycle trip or a journey with a motorcycle is not a bad idea, mainly if they include a tour of one of the coastal attractions.