The Bajer water reservoir is located near the village of Rožni dol. This hilly and forested area of Bela krajina is slowly passing to Dolenjska. The name of the nearby settlement of Potoki reveals that this is a world of streams and springs.
From the hilltop village of Potoki, water flows into the valley through two ravines and feeds the stream on Bajer. It is dammed with a high concrete barrier, so a small accumulation lake or pond was created there. Water from this pond was pumped through water pipes to the nearby Rožni Dol railway station. There used to be steam locomotives on the Ljubljana-Metlika-Karlovac railway line.
Today, the Bajer area is one of the largest wetlands in the Municipality of Semič. The local streams, springs and pond offer ideal living conditions for moisture-loving plants and animals, so Bajer is a real paradise for amphibians. The most common are forest frog, yellow-bellied toad, edible frog and salamander. Visiting this pond in the spring is a special experience, as you can witness a lively frog wedding. Here live stone crayfish, water snails, amphipods, leeches, dragonflies, stoneflies…
You can walk around the pond on a circular path. It is especially calm here in the spring, when the light green canopy of trees growing by the calm water is reflected on the surface of the lake. At the well-kept pond spring, you can quench your thirst with clean cold water and sit on a bench next to it in peace. People from near and far come for excellent spring water, as they appreciate its refreshing natural energy.
There is a former pumping station at the spring with one of the oldest preserved diesel engines in Slovenia. The cultural-technical and natural special features of this interesting location are presented on the explanatory boards at the spring.
The water from Bajer flows into a typical karst abyss. After a few days of travelling along hidden underground paths, it comes to the surface again at the famous source of the Krupa river and continues its journey along the Bela krajina karst flatland.
Visit this precious corner in the embrace of rustling forests!