Nature and National Parks in Croatia

It is convenient to mention that Nikola Tesla, who was born near the Plitvice Lakes National Park, is responsible for enjoying Plitvice Lakes’ beauty.
Tesla did not allow the natural power of the waterfall to turn into a hydroelectric power plant.
He did not allow such influence of man to destroy the richness and beauty of nature that had been created for millennia.

If you visit Plitvice Lakes national park a few times, it will look slightly different from before. In other words, these unique plants are known as tufa generators (algae, moss, and others), participate in the creation of travertine rocks that change the shape of the lakes.

These formations are too fragile because they are composed of calcite, and they’re particular in their hollowness.

Of course, this means that they require a high protection level because this process isn’t nearly as simple as it seems.

If we combine these three main elements – a plethora of spring water, tufa generators, and the tufa, what we get is a biological phenomenon of exceptional beauty!

Every season, Plitvice Lakes paint the national park with different colors. You will not go wrong if you visit them more than once.

The Krka National Park is located in the Šibenik-Knin County and covers ​​109 km² of the most beautiful course of the Krka River and the lower course of the Čikola River.

The Krka National Park is a vast and primarily unaltered area of exceptional natural value, including preserved or insignificantly altered ecosystems.
With its seven travertine waterfalls, Bilušića buk, Brljan, Manojlovac slap, Rošnjak, Miljacka slap, Roški slap, and Skradinski Buk, the Krka River is a natural and karst phenomenon.

Including the submerged part of the river at the mouth, the Krka River is 72.5 km long. It springs in the foothills of the Dinara mountain range, 2.5 km northeast of Knin.
The travertine waterfalls of the Krka River are the fundamental phenomenon of this river.

Krka can boast with lakes and waterfalls. Interestingly, the oldest hydroelectric power plant globally and the first one in Europe is located here. The hydroelectric power plant was built only three days after the first one in Niagara Falls.

In August at the Krka National Park organizes the Burnum Ides.
The traditional ceremony of reviving Roman customs and life was held in the ancient Roman military camp Burnum in Ivoševci, in the well preserved Roman amphitheater.

Paklenica is fascinating because of its forest and geomorphological characteristics, mostly visited by climbers.

Due to its unique natural basis, exceptional geomorphological shapes, and magnificent forests, ​​Velika and Mala Paklenica’s area was already declared a national park in 1949.
The main reason for claiming this area as a national park was protecting the best-preserved and largest forest complex in Dalmatia.

Paklenica National Park covers ​​95 km², on the slopes of southern Velebit, and there are its highest peaks – Vaganski vrh (1757m / high) and Sveto brdo (1753 m / high). It includes Velika and Mala Paklenica’s torrent flows, i.e., their recognizable canyons vertically incised into the southern slopes of Velebit and the wider surrounding area.

There is an exceptional wealth of geomorphological phenomena and shapes in a relatively small area, diverse flora and fauna, attractive landscapes, and untouched nature.
The diversity of the living world is conditioned by climatic characteristics and the rich and varied geological past.

The Paklenica National Park’s recognizable features are indigenous black pine forests, several types of beech forests, and deep canyons with streams – torrents Velika and Mala Paklenica.
The broader area of ​​NP Paklenica is characterized by a rich and diverse cultural heritage.

The name Paklenica most probably comes from black pine resin, the so-called “Pakline” used by the local population in folk medicine, for healing wounds, then as a lamp – for lighting and coating wooden boats.

Northern Velebit, founded in 1999, is the youngest of eight national parks in Croatia. This area of ​​Velebit is a real mosaic composed of various habitats home to many plants, fungal and animal species whose wealth we have only just begun to discover. This diversity of karst forms, living world, and landscapes, created mainly by man, was the reason for the Northern Velebit National Park’s proclamation.

Northern Velebit National Park also includes several previously protected areas. There are a strict reserve Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi, botanical reserve Visibaba – a site of endemic plants of Croatian Siberia. Botanical reserve Zavižan-Balinovac-Velika kosa, which includes the famous Velebit Botanical Garden, declared a park architecture monument.

North Velebit National Park is a favorite among hikers due to the large number of hiking trails. The value and beauty of the nature of Velebit have long been recognized. Mount Velebit was included in 1978 in the network of world biosphere reserves. Three years later, the whole of Velebit becomes a nature park. There are even two national parks in the south.

The Paklenica National Park declared in 1949, and in the northern part is the Northern Velebit National Park, declared half a century later.