Triglav: Slovenia's Highest Peak in the Julian Alps

Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak at about 2,864 m in the Julian Alps, is a national symbol and the centerpiece of Triglav National Park, attracting hikers and climbers and protecting alpine ecosystems.

Author: Leandro Alegsa Creation date: November 13, 2022 Last updated: April 10, 2026

Triglav is a prominent mountain in the Alps and the tallest summit in Slovenia. Its summit reaches about 2,864 metres (9,396 ft), making it the highest point of the Julian Alps, which lie in the southeastern sector of the Alpine range.

Quick facts

Elevation: approximately 2,864 m
Range: Julian Alps (part of the Alps)
Country: Slovenia

Name and cultural significance

The name Triglav literally translates from Slovene as "three-headed." This description can reflect the mountain's three-peaked silhouette, but many scholars link the name to the ancient Slavic god Triglav, a deity venerated in the region in earlier times. Triglav has long been a national symbol in Slovenia and its stylised image appears on the Flag of Slovenia.

Location, access and protection

Triglav stands at the heart of the country’s most extensive protected area. The mountain and its surrounding terrain are part of a designated national park, where conservation measures protect alpine ecosystems and traditional high-mountain landscapes. The peak is a popular destination for hikers and climbers; routes to the top range from demanding technical climbs to well-marked alpine paths that require good physical fitness and proper equipment.

Origin of the name

The name means something like "three-headed" or "three-headed". The origin of the name is unclear. According to one legend, an ancient Slavic deity, the three-headed Triglav, was enthroned on the mountain, ruling the sky with one head, the earth with the second, and inclining his third head towards the subterranean realm. Others believe that the name derives from the shape of the mountain: three peaks were associated with three heads.

Balthasar Hacquet called the mountain by the name Terglou in 1783; Adolf Schmidl did likewise in 1840 - he gave Triglav in brackets. In Herder's Konversations-Lexikon 1857 only Terglou appeared; Julius Kugy also used this name in 1876. Meyers Konversations-Lexikon in 1897 named it after Triglav in parentheses. Other historical German spellings are Terglau and Terklou.

History

The first known but failed attempt to climb the mountain took place in 1777. It was undertaken by the famous explorer of the Julian Alps, the world traveller, naturalist and physicist Belsazar Hacquet (1739-1815), accompanied by miners of the Krainer science promoter Sigmund Zois von Edelstein (Slovenian: Žiga Zois).

The first ascent was made on 26 August 1778 by Lovrenc Willomitzer (1747-1801) from Stara Fužina with Luka Korošec (1747-1827) from Koprivnik, Stefan Rožič (1739-1802) from Savica and Matija Kos (1744-1798) from Jereka. This time, too, the ascent was managed by Belsazar Hacquet, then a university professor in Ljubljana, who himself, however, did not reach the summit.

Monument in Ribčev Laz to the first climbers of Triglav. Triglav in the background

Author

Creation date: November 13, 2022

Last updated: April 10, 2026