Plitvice Lakes is a national park located right in the heart of Croatia in Karlovac. Plitvice waterfalls, as well as lakes, are considered Croatian national pride. Many tourists come to this wonderful state in order to first visit the Plitvice lakes, waterfalls and.
Croats often refer to Plitvice Lakes as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The territory of the Croatian national park area covers almost 30,000 hectares. The Plitvice Lakes park is located right in a basin among the tall Dinaric Mountains, in the Koran river valley. The main attraction of the park is the cascade, which consists of 16 small as well as large lakes, connected together by more than 140 branches, waterfalls and rapids.
Researchers believe that these lakes have existed for more than 4000 years. This area was discovered and described more than 400 years ago. The largest upper lake is Proshchanskoe, it takes water from two small rivers Crna, as well as Bijela. Below, following the chain of small lakes, is the largest lake, Kozjak, in this park, its length is approximately 3 km. At the end of the chain of lakes is the Great Waterfall, its water erupts into the Korana and Plitvica rivers from a height of 72 meters. Weather in the world and here.
Description of the area
The rarity of Plitvice lakes, as well as waterfalls, is due to the unique structure of the surrounding mountains. As a rule, these are limestone formations, which are cut by cracks and caves. They are based on rocky waterproof foundations. Soil water, as well as rainwater, enters through the surface soil and is saturated with carbon dioxide, thereby dissolving the limestone. Resting against layers that do not allow water to pass through, it begins to emerge to the surface in a large number of streams and ducts, already impregnated with magnesium and calcium carbonate. Thus, it has such a special, unique color.
During the evaporation of such water, magnesium is created, as well as calcium minerals, which turn into travertine stone over time. And characteristic algae and microorganisms contribute to this. During their own life, they absorb carbonates, and when they die, a mineral sediment is obtained. They mainly breed on mosses, branches, and trees that have fallen into the water. The process is carried out very quickly, so that a branch that has fallen into water will mineralize within a year, and then simply become a stone.
Krka (Croatia) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.
- Last minute tours to Croatia
- Tours for the New Year Worldwide
Previous photo Next photo
Krka National Park is home to seven beautiful cascades of waterfalls, two ancient monasteries, amazingly picturesque landscapes and a feeling of unity with nature that cannot be expressed in words. Located in Northern Dalmatia, near Sibenik, Krka is considered the best place for an educational excursion, which will end with a refreshing swim in the clear waters of the river of the same name.
This national park is unique; its ecosystem, formed in the valley of the Krka River, is considered one of the richest and most beautiful in all of Croatia. A diverse natural world, unusual karst landscapes, a deep river carrying its waters through limestone rocks, and waterfalls are just part of the riches of this park.
Among the outstanding representatives of Krk's fauna, it is worth mentioning more than 200 species of birds, including rare golden eagles, as well as Adriatic salmon and Visovac trout.
Like the famous Plitvice Lakes, Krka National Park has laid out comfortable wooden paths and bridges for its visitors, thanks to which you can move freely around the park without harming fragile nature. But what’s especially nice is that tourists can swim in Krka; there are specially designated areas on the river for this.
Krka National Park is home to seven beautiful cascades of waterfalls, two ancient monasteries, amazingly picturesque landscapes and a feeling of unity with nature that cannot be expressed in words.
But, of course, the main attraction of the national park is the waterfalls. The most impressive, tall and large is the cascade of 17 waterfalls Skradinski Buk, which falls from a height of 45 meters. In addition to this, the park has waterfalls Bilusic Buk (22 meters), Brljan (15 meters), Manoilovac (32 meters with a total drop of 60 meters), Rosnjak (8 meters), Miljačka Slap (24 meters) and Roški Slap (the main waterfall - 22.5 meters).
It would be unforgivable not to visit the two monasteries located in the park. The first is the Franciscan monastery of Visovac, which is located on the island of the same name in the middle of the Krka River. The monastery was founded in the 14th century, in 1445 it passed to the Franciscans and they expanded and rebuilt it. The second monastery is an Orthodox Serbian one, which was also founded in the 14th century. In the course of history, it was destroyed more than once, in the 17th century it was almost completely wiped off the face of the earth by the Turks, the last time the monastery complex was not lucky enough to fall under the hot hand of the “Yugoslav” war. Fortunately, in 2001 the monastery was completely restored. The last but not least attraction of the Krka National Park is the Ethnographic Museum near the Skradinski Buk waterfall. Here you can see water mills and an eccentric “washing machine” that runs on the energy of a waterfall.
Plitvicka-Jezera, Plitvice lakes, Plitvička lakes (Croatian: Plitvička jezera)– located in the central part of the country, in the Lika-Senj (90.7%) and Karlovac counties (9.3%). The waters of the Korana River, flowing through the limestone, have carved travertine barriers over thousands of years, creating natural dams that in turn created a series of picturesque lakes, waterfalls and caves.
Plitvice lakes- a cascade of karst lakes and waterfalls on the Korana River, in the middle part of Croatia, on the border with Bosnia. A unique work of nature, the largest Croatian national park located in the north-west of the Dinaric Highlands, in eastern Lika.
A cascade of 16 picturesque karst lakes in the upper reaches of the Korana River, connected by 92 waterfalls. Each lake flows into the next, forming foamy, rumbling lakes. Over thousands of years of existence, the flows of these lakes dissolved the limestone rock and filled the valley.
Story
Name "Plitvice Lakes" was first recorded by the Otočac priest Dominik Vukasović in 1777. On April 8, 1949, Plitvice Lakes received the status of a national park, and since 1979, Plitvice Lakes has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Register.
Until 1958, the park was inaccessible to tourists; only clearings were laid in it. In 1958, Josip Movčan, the park's director, began building pedestrian paths, and today, in addition to a wide network of boardwalks, there are routes for diesel and environmentally friendly electric road trains, ferries and electric pleasure boats. It is strictly forbidden to swim in the lakes of the park, and in the park as a whole - to have picnics, make fires, or walk dogs without a leash. This strict order is due to the preservation of natural balance, which has been carefully protected by local ecologists for many years.
In the spring of 1991, the park became the site of events called Plitvice Bloody Easter - the first armed conflict of the war in Croatia, which led to casualties. During the Yugoslav wars Plitvice Lakes have become the scene of battles more than once. By now, the park itself has been completely cleared of mines, and the tourist infrastructure has been restored and is being intensively developed, but mines are still sometimes found in the vicinity of the park.
Description
Territory of the national park "Plitvice Lakes" is 29,482 hectares (19,479 hectares according to UNESCO), includes 16 large and several smaller karst cascade lakes, 140 waterfalls, 20 caves and a unique beech and coniferous forest, preserved from ancient times and with the ability to regenerate itself. Its territory is home to bears, wolves, many species of rare birds and other animals.
The total difference between the level of the upper and lower lakes is 133 meters. The uppermost lake of the cascade is fed by two small rivers called Crna and Bijela (“Black” and “White”). - one of the few places on our planet where new waterfalls appear every year, which is due to the limestone origin of the local mountains. Leaves and branches from trees growing nearby that fall into the water are quickly covered with calciphiles (so-called “chalk plants”), which, dying, turn to stone and form solid deposits that block the rivers. Water, gradually eroding such “dams”, forms new waterfalls.
The park is located in a mountainous area, the highest point is Mount Mala Kapela (1280 m).
Lakes and waterfalls
The lakes of the park (16 large and many small reservoirs) are divided into two groups: Upper and Lower. The total area of the lakes is 217 hectares. They are fed by five rivers: Korana, Crna, Bijela, Plitvica and Riječica. There are about 30 waterfalls; Due to erosion of the rock and the formation of new sediments, lakes and waterfalls gradually change their configuration. Most lakes are named after people who drowned in them. In 2008, it was still allowed to swim in Lake Kozjak, but a large number of drowning people led to a complete ban on swimming.
The largest Upper lakes:
Proščansko jezero, Prošće, 68 hectares, depth 37 m, length 2.5 km;
Ciginovac, 7.5 ha;
Okrugljak, 4.1 ha;
Batinovac, 1.5 ha;
Vir, 0.6 ha;
Veliki Jovinovac, or Great Lake (Veliko jezero), 2 ha;
Mali Jovinovac, or Small Lake (Malo jezero), 2 ha;
Galovac, 12.5 ha;
Milino lake (Milino jezero);
Gradinsko lake (Gradinsko jezero), 8.1 ha;
Veliki Burget, 0.6 ha;
Kozjak, 81.5 hectares, depth 46 m, length more than 3 km;
The largest Lower lakes:
Milanovac, 3.2 ha;
Gavanovac, 0.7 ha;
Kaluđerovac, 2.1 ha;
Novakovića-brod, 0.4 ha.
Main waterfalls on the Upper Lakes - Batinovački, Galovački, Kozjački; on Nizhny - Milanovački, Milke Trnine, Velike Kaskade.
The most beautiful and rightfully famous is the Sastavci waterfall, which throws down the water of the Korana and Plitvica rivers from a height of 72 meters.
Caves
The park is also interesting from the point of view of speleology - there are 20 caves on its territory, and those located under the waterfalls are of particular interest. The most famous: Šupljara, “cave without floor and ceiling”, “hole cave”), Golubnjača, Crna pećina.
Flora and fauna
The park is located at an altitude of 400 to 1200 meters above sea level (¾ of the territory is mountains), so mountain nature predominates here. Mostly beech, spruce, and pine grow here, and in the town of Čorkova uvala (Čorkova uvala - Chorkova Hollow), in the northwestern part of the park, a virgin beech-spruce forest with unique tree specimens grows. The park is home to 1,267 plant species, of which 75 are endemic, as well as 55 different types of orchids.
The Plitvice Lakes National Park is home to wolves, bears, wildcats, and roe deer. There are also 161 bird species recorded in the area, 70 of which nest here permanently. In addition, 321 species of butterflies and 21 species of bats have been discovered in the park area.
Perhaps there is nothing more beautiful in the world than waterfalls in Croatia, among which the first place in popularity is occupied by waterfalls on Plitvice lakes, and the second is the waterfalls of the Krka River. One of the main attractions of national parks are 7 cascades of waterfalls that cascade down from high rapids:
· Manojlovački slapovi (Manojlovachki slapovi) 60 m high;
· Skradinski Buk (Skradinski beech) 46 m high;
· Miljačka Slap (Milyachka Slap) height 24 m;
· Roški Slap (Roški Slap) height 22.5 m;
· Bilušić Buk (Bilushić Buk) 22 m high;
· Brljan (Brlyan) height 15 m;
· Rošnjak (Roshnyak) 8 m high.
Waterfalls near the Franciscan monastery
Most impressive waterfalls in Croatia- Skradinski Buk and Roški Slap. The latter is the main waterfall of the cascade, which consists of a huge number of smaller waterfalls. The length of Roška Slap is 650 m and the width is 450 m. A little further downstream around the bend, the river flows into Lake Visovac, in the middle of which there is a small island that gives the lake its name. On the island in the 14th century, newcomers from Bosnia - Augustinian monks - built a Franciscan monastery. This church turned the entire surrounding area into a mysterious and incredibly attractive island. It is worth noting that the monks who settled on the island were expelled by the Turkish conquerors, but they managed to take with them a valuable collection of works of art, books and even Turkish documents.
In the middle of a series of Roshka waterfalls, you can look at a sight that is unusual for the modern average person - real functioning mills, where grain is ground into flour using millstones. Millstones, like many centuries ago, are set in motion by the force of falling water.
The 46-meter Skradinski Buk waterfall, which is a cascade of smaller waterfalls, is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. At this place two rivers - Cikola and Krka - merge together. These are amazing waterfalls in Croatia can be observed from a special walking trail, or while walking along wooden walkways. From this place you get excellent photographs of the unforgettable beauty of the waterfall. Skradinski Buk is the only waterfall whose bowl is accessible to tourists for swimming. As a rule, guests of the national park do not miss the opportunity to swim in the waters of the cleanest rivers on the planet.
Ethno-village at the Krka waterfalls
In ancient times, on the territory of the modern Krka National Park, the formidable castles of Klavica, Bogocin grad, Nečven grad and Trošen grad were built for the purpose of protection from the Turks. Currently, only picturesque ruins remain in their place. However, they make the atmosphere in the park romantic and mysterious.
You can enjoy the beauty of the park on foot, or travel by car along the roads separately marked on the map. Another option is to go sailing on a special boat.
As a rule, tourists are offered excursion programs to the Skradin whirlpool, which is located on the Krka River, as well as to the Roški waterfall and the island of Visovac.
Rastoke - a picturesque village in a small canyon with waterfalls up to 12 meters high and water mills - the historical center of Slunj - famous for its small beautiful waterfalls and well-preserved water mills.
The first mention of the town of Slunj in written sources dates back to 1689; most of the houses in Slunj were built in the late 19th century - early 20th century.
Rastoke began to grow as a miller's district in the 17th century, conveniently located on the main road connecting the southern and northern parts of the region. At its peak, Rastoke had 22 mills.
Rastoke water mills are often called “Small Plitvice Lakes”.
Rastoke waterfalls are located along the banks of blue-green waters river Slunjcica at the place where it flows into river Korana, originating in the famous Plitvice Lakes park of the same name, which became a national treasure in 1949 and officially a UNESCO monument in 1979.
where there are many forests, mountains, large... Velebit is located 126 km from Rastoke.
In 1962, due to its extraordinary natural beauty and history, Rastoke received protection from the Croatian State Directorate of Cultural and Historical Heritage.
Guests interested in history and wishing to get to know the region in more detail can relax rent an apartment directly at the Rastoke waterfalls.
