Dicova voda Spring

Easy | 45 min.

The Dicova voda spring in Klavže is considered a deep spring. According to some information the water is supposed to be coming from the depth of 700 metres. It has a constant temperature and never goes dry.
The spring with the stone arch was built by the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. This area was the Isonzo Front hinterland at that time and served as a base for supply units. Following the plans and guidelines of a Territorial army soldier Alois Kern from Weinburg at Mureck (Austrian Stiria) they started constructing the spring on the 10 July 1916. They constructed the well in only ten days. The stone arch has a metal inscription of the year 1916. A man’s head was also a part of the spring’s composition. It directed the flow of the water which was coming through the mouth. This is also where the spring’s name comes from. (‘Dicova’ meaning ‘male’ or ‘of man’ in Slovenian; Man’s water, translator’s remark)
A larger field hospital was operating in Klavže and large stables were situated above the road in the vicinity of the spring. According to tradition soldiers and horses became sick after drinking from different springs in the area, but remained healthy and replenished after drinking from the Dicova voda spring. A military doctor working in the Klavže hospital noticed that the Dicova voda water was beneficial to the wounded, they were recovering much faster and their wounds healed more quickly. Supposedly he also sent the water to Vienna for analysis.

Text: Mojca Rutar, Miran Drole: Skrivnosti žive vode, Dicova voda (The Secrets of Living Water, The Dicova Voda Spring), TZGP 2011
Photos: Anja Kavčič Drole