A PEACEFUL VALLEY
Matkov kot is a small 5km-long valley, which lies in the crown of the glacial valleys of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps between the Logar Valley and the (post-World War I) Austrian border.
Matkov kot
It is the smallest of the valleys in the Solčava region (the other two are the Logar Valley and Robanov kot) and is somewhat more remote. This peaceful valley is named after the Matk farm on its slope. There are four mountain farms in Matkov kot.
A few centuries ago, according to legend, there was a glacial lake in Matkov kot. The water was held back by a natural dam, which allegedly collapsed and the lake drained from the valley. The stream that flows through the valley is still called Jezera (in the Slovenian language the word ‘jezero’ means ‘lake’), which is a reminder of the valley’s ancient past.
The main natural attraction of the valley is Matkov škaf, a crater-like snow cauldron, which in spring is hollowed out by a strong, about 40-m-high waterfall.
THE LEGEND OF LINTVER THE DRAGON
In the past there was a lake where the Matkov kot valley is today. That is why it is still called ‘Jezera’ (in the Slovenian language the word ‘jezero’ means ‘lake’). It is said that the lake was once inhabited by the great Lintver. Farmer Žibot’s cows often grazed by the lake. If the cattle got too close to the water, Lintver drove such strong waves ashore that it dragged the cows into the lake, where Lintver ate them.
People fished in the lake. They dried their fishing nets on a large rock by the lake, which is still known as Ribča peč (Anglers’ rock). Lintver began to peck at this rock. When people heard this, they stationed guards to warn them about floods so they could save themselves if Lintver pecked a gaping hole through the rock. The guards were stationed at Košac, Čelo, Opresnik hill and Tolstovrška peč.
When Lintvar pecked through Ribča peč, the flooding was so extensive that it reached the threshold of the church in Solčava. Among other things, the water brought a cradle, which was left behind on the church doorstep. There was a child in it.
When the lake overflowed, the water also carried Lintver out of it and killed him. He was killed by a larch with three tops; only such a larch would be capable of killing Lintver. His bones and jaws were later found in the Logar fields.
(source: Jože Vršnik’s book Simple Stories from the Solčava Mountains)