Near the small village San Giovanni di
Duino/Štivan you will find a very mystic and history
charged place. Here you also find an impressive geological feature.
Shortly before its opening into the Adria here the river
Timavo steps into daylight.
Here, near the paper factory Burgo and separated from the noise of
the via statale "Montfalcone -Triest" you will find a place of
power and silence. Near the header coords you will find the middle
of this three fountains. Additional there is also a fourth of them
existing, directly in the Adria near Villaggio del
pescatore/Ribiško naselje (N45° 46.575 E13°
35.430.)The name TIMAVO
come´s probably from a pre-christian god cult . The here
rising river Timavo drains away as Reka in Slovenja.
In the average, the Reka leads 10m⊃3; per second in this
process. In extremly high water situation it can be up to
400m⊃3; per second! The exact stream course is unknown. Till the
Pleistozän ran the Reka above ground towards the adriatic sea
and seeped deeper and deeper into the lime rock. Besides, caves and
dolines will be created, like the 165-m-deep Velika dolina near
Škocjan, in which the Reka disappears into the
underworld.
But in the 20th century the hypothesis, that it is solely the
continuation of the Reka river has been refuted. Newer
hydraulicgraphic investigations resulted, that Timavo receives one
third of water from Reka and two thirds from the rivers
Vipava, Soca and from the meteorite
waters from the Kras plateau.
These springs were always impressive.
At Roman times San Giovanni di Duino was a famous place called
"statio fontis Timavi". Nearby was the harbour "lacus
Timavi" and from there the ways led to Görz, Triest,
Istria und Dalmatia and to Aquileia und Venice.
Remains of the former Mitreums, the temple of the God Mitra
(Caverna del dio Mitra) you can found near a tower in the hillside
of Mt. Ermada, between the railroad line and the Autostrada. Roman
mosaics - the remains of the Roman postal office (Mansio fons
Timavi) are on the fenced-in area of the water pumping station of
the Triestiener water work (Acquedotto Randaccio).
In the First World War the harbour was destroyed finally when the
Isonzofront advanced up to the mountain Grmada/Mt. Ermada.
Also Vergil was here to write some
picturesque verses. And Dante believed
here once again to have discovered an entrance in the under-world,
nothing special then he searched for his life time entrances into
the hell...
The church of the John the Baptist
(San Giovanni in tuba / stara cerkev sv. Janeza Krstnika) was
founded on prechristian foundations. Where today's the church is
was a temple of the "Speranza Augusta". Other found stone tablets
were valid for the admiration of Herkules Augustus, the companion
of Diomedes and Saturn, the Roman God. The arrangements became, in
the crossroad point of many ways recumbent, often victim of
destructions. Lombarden, Awaren, Hungary and Turk left her marks
here. Indeed, never destroyed so completely as during the First
World War, besides, all frescoes got also lost. Received only a
recently opened ground mosaic remained.
Up to the First World War also a cemetery was beside the church.
The oldest chapel was built at the beginning of the 5th century.
Johannes von Damaskus built in the relics of apostel Johannes,
St.Stephans, St. Georgs and St.Laurentius. The church, as it
presents herself today, was built by the counts Wallsee in the
years 1399-1472. The high room is built in the Gothic style, as
well as the Presbyterium with his three big vertical windows. This
old historical church was rebuilt again by the Anglo-American
military management after the Second World War.
This is what you see now. To log this cache you have to send me the
answer of the following questions and take a picture of you and
your GPS at one of the springs (like the pic) and load it into your
log.
Email me the answers, please do not post them with
your log. Please wait for the log permission - THANKS !
Logs without picture will be deleted.
Question 1: How many kilometres is the subterrestrial way of
the river?
Question 2: Which ancient tourist has been here - as Vergil
told us?
Question 3: How long (kilometres) is the Timavo - from the
spring to the opening in the Adria?
Question 4: What is the name of the geological phenomenon in
Slovenja where the river "Reka" disappears.( At this location you
can find another Earth Cache...)
Question 5: Which spring has the strongest current (directly
the emersion) westerly, middle or the easterly