The first proposal for conservation dates from the year 1908, and was realised in 1924. Then, on the initiative taken by the Nature Protection Section of the Museological Society of Slovenia together with the Slovenian Alpine Society, a twenty year lease was taken out on the Triglav Lakes Valley area, some 1400 hectares. It was destined to become an Alpine Protection Park, however permanent conservation was not possible. In 1961, after many years of effort, the protection was renewed this time on a permanent bases and somewhat enlarged, embracing around 2000 hectares. The protected area was officially designated as The Triglav National Park. Under this act, however, all objectives of a true national park were not attained and for this reason over the next two decades, new proposals for the extension and rearrangement of the protection were put forward. Finally, in 1981, a rearrangement was achieved and the park was given a new concept and enlarged to 838 square kilometres the area which it continues to cover to this day.
Mt. Triglav is situated almost in the middle of the protected territory. From it the valleys spread out radial, supplying water to two large river systems which have their sources in the Julian Alps: the Soca river and the Sava river, flowing to the Adriatic and Black Sea, respectively.