Specificity of the northern Velebit speleonymy

Abstract

Based on archival research and reference literature, the paper presents a toponymic treatment of the speleonymy of northern Velebit. Special attention is paid to the names coined at the end of the 20th century, when, following a strong interest in speleological research in this area, especially after the discovery of Lukina jama at Hajdučki kukovi in 1992, extensive speleological research was conducted by Slovak and Polish, Hungarian, Belgian, Dutch and Lithuanian speleologists. The findings led to the discovery of hundreds of Velebit pits, for which the researchers provided names characterized by motivational, structural and linguistic features that do not belong to the traditional geographical nomenclature of Velebit karst, or local cultural patterns and idioms that constitute the basis for older Velebit speleonymy.