The river Kolpa is a big source of – we can easily say – life here in Vinica. The beauty of the border river that divides the territory between Slovenia and Croatia begins in a small village of Razvaje in Gorski kotar in the national park Risnjak, and it joins the river Sava later on. It stretches over 294 kilometres at an altitude of 321 meters. The river banks are mostly made up of dense forests in the background with occasional beaches or tourist spots. There are also quite some dams on it which contribute to the flow of the river. Many different species of animals and plants live in it.
The river Kolpa offers various types of recreation, you can spend your summer vacation on its banks, hang out with friends there and a lot more. It floods occasionally (especially in the latter parts of the year), but it looks magical when the area by is covered in snow. You can find organised camps, bars or taverns by it and in some places there are also plastic playgrounds on the water for the little ones. The Kolpa landscape park covers the area along the border river Kolpa in the municipality of Črnomelj in Stari trg. It is also possible to do many sports activities on the river, such as rafting, paddleboarding, canoeing and of course, swimming. All the time we are surrounded by rich nature from both sides of the wonderful river Kolpa.
We like the Kolpa, because we can cool down in it without needing air conditioning. We don’t have to go to any pools, because we can almost swim in our gardens due to how close it is to our homes. In the summer we can go rafting, canoeing or paddle boarding.
However, lately there has been a problem with the Kolpa, as it tended to flood quite badly and endanger our lives. It flooded and destroyed our houses. We also have problems with the traffic because of it as it can flood the road and we cannot get through. Because of that we have difficulties coming to school or even leave our village. Trees also tend to fall because of the water pressure. But all in all, the Kolpa remains in our hearts as a beautiful gem of nature that we’ll take care of and enjoy in generations to come.
Učenci 9. in 8. razreda
