Plitvice National Park in Croatia is considered one of the most beautiful natural attractions in Europe. Because of its natural beauty and significance, this system of 16 interconnected lakes and the large forest complex around it were designated as a national park in 1949. In 1979, the park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

general information

Landscape

The lakes are located on the Plitvice plateau of the same name, between the mountains Lička Plješevica (peak 1,640 m - Gornja Plješevica), Small Capella (peak 1,280 m - Seliški Vrh) and Medveđak (884 m). Sixteen lakes are divided into two groups: upper and lower, formed by streams of water flowing from the mountains from a height of 636 to 503 meters, covering a distance of about 8 kilometers, oriented from south to north. Together the lakes cover an area of ​​about two square kilometers, with the lowest lake giving rise to the Korana River.

Plitvice Lakes lie in a basin of karst rock, composed mainly of dolomite and limestone, which gives the lakes their distinctive character. The lakes are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by moss, algae and bacteria. Encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers that grow at a rate of about 1 cm per year.

The lakes are famous for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, gray or blue. The colors change constantly, depending on the amount of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of the sun's rays.

The lakes are divided into 12 upper lakes (Gornja jezera) and four lower lakes.

Flora and fauna

Plitvice Lakes National Park is rich in dense forests, mainly beech, spruce and fir, and a mixture of alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. The park has a particularly high diversity of plant communities due to its varying microclimates, different soils, and varying elevation levels.

This area is also inhabited by many species of animals and birds. Here you can find both rare species of animals: brown bear, wolf, eagle, owl, lynx, wild cat, capercaillie, and more common species. At least 126 species of birds have been recorded, 70 of which are recorded as having bred at the site.

How to get there

If you ask the driver in advance, the buses will stop at the entrance to the National Park (the cost from Zadar is 83 kuna, from Zagreb 92 kuna). Keep in mind that buses in Croatia often do not run according to schedule. They may arrive earlier or later, and they may stand long enough to pick up tourists and then continue on their way. Especially in a place like Plitvice Lakes, where, judging by the route, the stop is quite a long distance away, go to the stop in advance and plan to wait a while.

When coming from Zadar, the bus driver can stop at the South Entrance, which is about 4 km from the main entrance and is very small. In case you book a hotel room near the main entrance, you must ask the driver to stop at the main entrance of the park. If you don't ask, you'll have to call a taxi.

Private bus companies such as Pruevoz Knezevic can operate day trips from Zadar, although it is always advisable to wait at the stop until the appointed time to ensure that the driver does not leave you. Tickets for these buses can be booked in advance from the main bus station.

From Zagreb and Zadar private taxis cost approximately 170 euros.

From Zagreb, a day tour to Plitvice Lakes can be organized with the help of the city's travel agency. A 4-seater car picks you up from your hotel and brings you back at a time that suits you. Cost - 750 kn (100 euros). Not only is it a round trip, you can also stop at your favorite attractions such as the village of Radstoke - a beautiful village in a gorge 20 km from Plitvice Lakes where you can enjoy fresh and delicious fish.

By plane

Clue:

Plitvice Lakes - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow 1

Kazan 1

Samara 2

Ekaterinburg 3

Novosibirsk 5

Vladivostok 8

When is the season? When is the best time to go

Clue:

Plitvice Lakes - weather by month

What are the prices for holidays?

A ticket is required to enter the park (there are ticket offices on the way to the park entrance). The tickets also entitle you to free boat rides on the lakes. Be careful: the journey is long during the season!

The ticket price for non-students is 110 kuna for one day or 180 for two days in the off-season. During the season - 180 kuna per day. Students - 80 kuna per day. An ISIC or other student ID is required for the discount. For more information about prices at different times of the year and parking, check out the list of prices.

Currency exchange

Uses Croatian kuna. There are official currency exchange offices at both entrances to the park. They work from 7.00 to 19.00. They provide extremely competitive rates with a minimal commission (1.5%). It is recommended to contact them. Most foreign currencies are accepted: dollar, euro, pounds sterling, Hong Kong dollar, Swiss franc, Australian dollar, etc. Most tourist spots accept euros anyway.

Main attractions. What to see

Plitvice Lakes National Park is perhaps the most beautiful natural wonder in Croatia. In addition to the numerous waterfalls, wildlife can be seen, including fish, frogs and various bird species. Special attractions in the national park include the 100-foot Veliki Slap waterfall, surrounded by nearby boulders that tourists can step on. There is also a large complex of waterfalls, which can be accessed through a cave in the rock.

What to see in the area

Buses from the park go to, but infrequently out of season. Check the schedule before you make the 5-hour hike into the park or you'll have to spend the night there. Bus schedules are available at the entrance to the park or in hotels near the bus stop.

Taxi drivers wait near the bus station and will offer a ride at the same price as a bus if about 10 people want to take a taxi. The cost is the same, travel time is shorter, and most won't charge you extra for luggage (buses do charge extra). If you are going to the ferry terminal, ask the driver to stop there.

There are buses that go from Grabovac (near Plitvice National Park) to Bihak, Bosnia. Since July 21, 2013, the bus departs from Grabovac at 13.25 every day (except Sundays, departure at 12.25) and arrives in Bihak in approximately 45 minutes, including border crossing. Be careful: signs posted in Plitvice National Park do not take into account the different departure times on Sunday. On Sundays there is also a bus that leaves from Grabovac at approximately 16.15.

Food. What to try

In addition to the snack bars at the entrance and exit of the park, there is a large picnic area with various food stands accessible by ferry across the main lake.

Safety. What to watch out for

The trails are well laid out and signposted. Please follow the rules during your stay, such as not disturbing the environment and staying on the path.

It's worth noting that this area is one of the few in Europe where bears still roam. You'll probably find the bear encounter interesting, but you may frighten the mother and her cub, which can be dangerous. The lone bear is more scared than you. Avoid anything that might make a loud sound and the bear will almost always run away. Bears can run and climb much faster than you. Running is a signal to them that you are prey, so don't run.

Things to do

The main activity, of course, is hiking and walking around the park. Please be aware that swimming is prohibited anywhere in the park.

Advice. If you arrive at the same time as a larger group, follow one of the well-marked trails on your way back. You'll probably be walking uphill for most of the time, but most likely won't see another soul for a few hours.

But during peak season, expect huge crowds on the narrow path, regardless of the direction of the path. There are some trails off the beaten path, but you need to have plenty of time to spare if you plan to take advantage of them. Otherwise, you just need to arrive early and avoid long paths where there are usually a lot of people.

Shopping and shops

There are souvenir shops at the main entrance to the park.

How to move around the territory?

You can choose from several paths around the lake, which vary in time and difficulty. A full exploration of the park can be done on Trail H in 4 - 5 hours (3.5 if you walk vigorously), but you won't want to rush, you will enjoy the walk. The view is simply breathtaking. Some routes have boat transfers and bus transfers (free) to save you time.

Keep your entry ticket in hand because they will stamp the boat when you board.

The paths are well paved. They consist of wooden planks, gravel, stones and steps.

Disabled people can also use most of the trails, but there are some difficult areas with steps and slopes.

A unique natural site in all respects, it is located in the Northern Dalmatia region, in a basin of mountains covered with virgin beech and spruce forests. A truly heavenly place, Plitvice Lakes National Park attracts about 1.2 million tourists every year. The Austrian imperial family visited here: Franz I and his wife Augusta Caroline. And these bewitching beauties really invite you to a truly royal vacation.

The total area of ​​the Plitvice Lakes Park is about 30 hectares. 16 pristine lakes with clear water of all shades of turquoise and emerald colors are arranged in a cascade. They are connected by picturesque waterfalls cascading down moss-covered slopes. Caves, rapids, streams, relict trees - the beauty of these places exceeds all expectations.

The reserve is home to the largest population of brown bears in Europe. Here you can find amazingly beautiful butterflies and orchids. 77 plant species are found only in Plitvice Lakes Park. The unique beauty of these places is due to the unique geological features.

This corner of nature is strictly protected by the state in its original form, giving us all an idea of ​​what the entire flora and fauna of the Earth could have remained without the destructive impact of human civilization on the biosphere. The forests located here have reached us from the times when vegetation cover on our planet had just formed.

Waterfall in Plitvice Lakes National Park

Features of the geology of the park

The Plitvice Lakes Nature Reserve is located in the center of the country, administratively part of the Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties (districts). The closest city to the attraction is Slunj. Three quarters of the park's territory is mountainous, namely the northwestern part of the Dinaric Highlands, which stretches 650 km throughout the former Yugoslavia up to Albania and the Julian Alps in Italy.

Mountain ranges consist of limestone rocks, through which melt and rainwater flows very easily. At the base of the mountains there is a less permeable base of dolomites. Water enriched with calcium from limestone deposits comes out in the form of clear streams, turbulent streams and waterfalls.

Communities of bacteria, microorganisms, and algae live in water on mosses, lichens, and stones. During their life, they secrete a substance that interacts with calcium carbonate. This promotes the formation of travertine, which is what natural dams are made of. These features give the reservoirs a unique color.

Trees and branches that fall into the water are covered with calciphiles (chalk plants). When they die, they harden and, thus, also participate in the formation of so-called natural barriers - solid deposits. This process never stops: if a new natural dam appears in one place, then in another the limestone rapids are washed away by water. As a result of the erosion of these dams, new waterfalls are formed.

Cross-sectional diagram of Plitvice Lakes

All the described processes are possible only in the presence of certain physicochemical and biological factors, therefore, in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, great attention is paid to nature conservation. The transport runs on electric power only. The rules of conduct here strictly limit human intervention. Prohibited: making fires, fishing, swimming in reservoirs, walking dogs.

Climate and natural landscape of Plitvice Lakes

The reserve is located on the border of the coastal and continental climate zones. The influence of the Adriatic Sea and the abundance of water bodies are felt. These factors provide a moderately warm and humid climate. Winter here is snowy. The lakes freeze in January and February. Summer is warm, but the air temperature can differ greatly (up to 15 degrees) from the temperature on the coast, so be sure to take warm clothes with you. The water temperature in reservoirs rises to 24 degrees.

Most of the territory is mountainous. The highest point of the Plitvice Lakes Park is at 1280 meters, the lowest is at 400 meters above sea level. The cascade of lakes is surrounded by green forests. Depending on their location, reservoirs are divided into upper and lower lakes. The waters of five rivers flow into them: Korana, Crna, Bijela, Plitvica, Riječica. The largest reservoirs are: Proshchanskoe, Kozyak and Golovats. They contain about 75% of the total volume of lakes. Tourists are amazed by the transparency of the water and the variety of its shades. If you look at any fallen tree, it seems to float between the bottom and the surface - an indescribable sight!

Scientists have proven that one of the two largest lakes, Kozjak, which is over three kilometers long, was two separate bodies of water 400 years ago. But then the dam was flooded. This lake has Stephanie Island, which is 275 meters long and 60 meters wide. In 2008, swimming was allowed in the reservoir. But the accidents that took place again forced the authorities to introduce a ban on this. The second large body of water on the territory is Lake Proscansko jezero, stretching for 2.5 km. It is noteworthy that many lakes are named... after drowned people. Some names seem funny and even funny. For example, Batinovački, Galovački or Kozjački.

The total number of waterfalls, channels and streams is about 140. The most famous is the large Sastavci waterfall. The water in it comes from two rivers - Plitvica and Korana, and it falls from a height of 72 meters. Wooden pedestrian decks are laid along the edge of the cliff, in close proximity to it. You can admire this wonderful spectacle from the observation deck on the shore.

There are about 20 caves in the Plitvice Lakes Nature Reserve. The most visited and beautiful are those located under the waterfalls. Popular caves among tourists are also: Šuplyara (a cave without a bottom or ceiling), Golubnjača and Crna. Many enthusiastic and inquisitive people are eager to go deep into the forest or spend a “romantic” night here. This is also prohibited. But you can walk freely, without littering, across wooden bridges, breathing in oxygen-rich air and admiring the beauty of pristine nature.

One of the features of the Plitvice Lakes is the sound effects created by the water. It not only murmurs, splashes and drips as usual, but also literally rumbles as it falls from the waterfalls. Moreover, it falls with such force and in such quantities that fog forms in the air. But not the one we are used to in the morning, but one consisting of tiny droplets. It’s beautiful here even in winter: the protected area turns into a real kingdom of the Snow Queen.

Flora and fauna

It is surprising that in our time of active environmental pollution, there are still such corners of pristine nature as the Plitvice Lakes. The secret lies in the enhanced measures taken by the government of the Republic of Croatia to protect it from the “advance of civilization” and strict rules of behavior in the reserve. Part of the Plitvice Lakes territory is inaccessible to tourists. In addition, the national park is located far from resorts and large cities. The main principle that its employees profess is non-interference. Nature recovers on its own with minimal human effort. This is how ecological balance is maintained.

The Plitvice Lakes Nature Reserve has the most favorable conditions for the comfortable existence of the richest flora and fauna. The park contains wonderful beech and coniferous forests. Hornbeam, sycamore, maple, and spruce also grow here. The most famous untouched forest is Chorkova Uvala. Here you can find century-old trees 50 meters high and up to one and a half meters in girth. There are about 1,260 plant species from 112 families in the reserve. 22 species are protected by the country's nature protection legislation.

The most beautiful orchid in Europe - Lady's slipper or Lady's slipper, grows in this park. In total, there are more than 50 species of orchids in the reserve. Rare species of buttercups grow in meadows and slopes. There are also carnivorous plants: round-leaved sundew and bladderwort. There is a wide variety of mushrooms in the forests. Perhaps the closest attention is paid to the protection of algae, lichens, and protozoan microorganisms that participate in the process of calcification - the formation of solid deposits.

There are about 12 species of amphibians in the reserve. The lakes and rivers of the Plitvice Lakes Park are home to two species of crabs, crayfish. The water bodies are literally teeming with fish! Trout, roach and chub swim up to tourists, as if to old acquaintances, without fear. It’s as if they are competing with the ducks to see who will be the first to grab the pieces of bread that visitors treat them to. About fifty species of mammals are found in the forests: shrew, vole, hedgehog, marten. Otters can be seen in lakes and on the shore. Large animals in the park include deer, wolves, roe deer, wild boars, and lynxes. And, of course, the most famous inhabitant of the Plitvice Lakes Nature Reserve, its symbol is the brown bear.

Scientists count about 321 species of lepidoptera, but emphasize that half have not yet been studied. That is, there are many more of them in the park. Ornithologists have identified about 125 species of birds, more than 70 of them constantly nest in the reserve.

Representatives of the scientific world regularly hold seminars and meetings to study the behavior of local owls. Research activities are also taking place to study bats living in the national park. 21 species of these animals live in a variety of places: under the bark of trees, caves, hollows. The Plitvice Lakes Park even hosts an event as part of the annual so-called European Bat Night. Its goal is to attract the attention of the population of the Old Continent to the endangered populations of this only order of placental mammals, the representatives of which are capable of active flight.

The uniqueness of this national park has long attracted the attention of filmmakers: films about the Apache leader Winnetou from the novels of the German writer Karl May were shot in Plitvice Lakes, for example, the film “Treasures of the Silver Lake” (1962).
In the spring of 1991, the lakes became the site of armed clashes between Serbs and Croats. Those events went down in history under the name “Plitvice Bloody Easter”. During the Yugoslav War, Plitvice Lakes more than once became the scene of battles. Now the territory of the national park is completely cleared of mines and is safe.
Plitvice Lakes is visited annually by about 1 million tourists per year. The Croatian government carefully preserves the unique nature of these places: only environmentally friendly modes of transport are allowed in the park: electric trains, ferries and electric pleasure boats, as well as bicycles. The issue of replacing all wooden bridges with pontoon (air-filled) crossings is currently being considered. It is strictly forbidden to swim in the lakes of the park, as well as to have picnics, make fires, and bring dogs.
In addition to the lakes, in the national park you can walk through pristine beech and fir forests. The following animals live in the park: brown bears, lynxes, ferrets, hedgehogs, hares, weasels, martens, foxes, badgers, wolves, otters, deer, roe deer, wild boars, etc. Over 120 species of birds have also been recorded in this area. The lakes are rich in fish.

Plitvice Lakes are interesting to visit at any time of the year. For example, in winter you can go skiing and admire the frozen waterfalls. The closest airports to Plitvice Lakes are in Zagreb, Rijeka and Zadar.

We traveled around Croatia on our own, slowly moving from place to place. One of the attractions that we definitely wanted to visit was Plitvice Lakes. They are located in the center of the country, quite far from the resort coast. The surroundings were photographed through glass, which they did not have time to wash from all the flying nastiness that smashed against it and stuck tightly. I’m putting this garbage up just to show you a little of the road scenery.

The lakes are located in Northern Dalmatia, and this is quite far away; for example, from Western Istria and Dubrovnik, the road to the Plitvice Lakes will take at least 5 hours one way. However, thousands of travel agencies and travel agencies, both in Croatia and in other countries, sell excursions from them to the Plitvice Lakes.

Travel agents advise setting aside about 8 hours for a walk through the park, that is, taking the longest route in the park, route K. This time will be enough to get your own idea of ​​the reserve, but you should take into account that in this situation you will have to stay in Plitvice for the night. There are three hotels in the vicinity that offer rooms at very serious, by Croatian standards, prices, from 70 EUR per night. It will be cheaper to stay overnight in an apartment.

Here we stopped and walked around the area. This place is located near the town of Slunj. This city, according to legend, was founded by the Croatian king Zvonimir.

Slunj was first mentioned as a feudal fortification back in the 12th century. In Slunj we visit the ruins of the old Frankopan fortress, built in the 15th century together with the Franciscan monastery during the war with the Turkish kingdom.

In the 16th century, the city was destroyed by Turkish troops and turned into an outpost of the Military Frontier. At the end of the 17th century, this place began to look like Slunj looks now. The village of Rastoke, where we stayed, is part of the city of Slunja.

This is an amazing place. The village itself is located at the confluence of the Korana and Slunitsa rivers, due to which a large number of waterfalls are formed. Here houses, many of which were once watermills, stand right on the water. The noise is incredible. And how the locals manage to sleep here at night is not clear.

This area is often called "Small Plitvice Lakes" due to its similarity to a national park.

People have long settled in these places; according to some sources, the first houses appeared in the 17th century, but the most active period of construction occurred in the 19th-20th centuries. The village is located on the main road connecting southern and northern Croatia, and thanks to this there have never been problems with trade here. Unfortunately, where there are people, there are often conflicts: and in the 1990s, war reached Rastoke. The village was completely destroyed and subsequently reconstructed

Since there is nothing else here except beautiful landscapes and a few houses, I photographed everything that came into the lens.

Plitvice Lakes- a national park in Croatia, 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.

The name “Plitvice Lakes” was first recorded by a priest from Otočac, Dominik Vukasović, in 1777.
On April 8, 1949, Plitvice Lakes received the status of a national park, and since 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park 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 1979, Plitvice Lakes was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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 more than once became the scene of battles. 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.

The territory of the Plitvice Lakes National Park 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 possessing ability to self-heal. 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”). Plitvice Lakes is 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).

The lakes of the park 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 the large number of drownings led to a complete ban on swimming.

The biggest Upper Lakes:

Proshchansko Lake, Proshche, 68 hectares, depth 37 m, length 2.5 km;
Ciginovac, 7.5 ha;
Okruglyak, 4.1 ha;
Batinovac, 1.5 ha;
Vir, 0.6 ha;
Veliki Jovinovac, or Big Lake, 2 hectares;
Mali Jovinovac, or Small Lake, 2 hectares;
Galovac, 12.5 ha;
Milino Lake;
Gradinsko Lake, 8.1 ha;
Veliki Burget, 0.6 ha;
Kozyak, 81.5 hectares, depth 46 m, length more than 3 km;

The largest Lower Lakes:

Milanovac, 3.2 ha;
Gavanovac, 0.7 ha;
Kaludjerovac, 2.1 ha;
Novakovic Brod, 0.4 ha.

The main waterfalls on the Upper Lakes are Batinovachki, Galovachki, Kozyachki; on the Lower - Milanovac, Milka Tarnin, Velika Kascade. The most beautiful and rightfully famous is the Sastavtsi waterfall, which throws down the water of the Korana and Plitvica rivers from a height of 72 meters.

The park has two entrances and is connected by two routes - long and short. You can park on any side, walk the chosen route and return by bus or train, or vice versa, drive and return to the car.

The national park amazes, first of all, with its riot of colors and shades. The lakes themselves, which are arranged in steps, demonstrate every imaginable shade of blue, blue and turquoise. The foliage of trees has all sorts of shades of green. Having arrived for the first time at the observation deck above the valley of the Korana River, not a single person could resist admiring this color scheme that nature created. Going down to the lakes, you can see how the color of the water changes. But the most surprising thing is to discover that near the shore the water has a serious depth, although this depth is not felt at all by eye, the water is so clean and transparent.

We walk along these wooden paths. The water amazes with its purity and all shades of blue and green.

In order not to bother with replacing lenses, I took two cameras and simultaneously photographed everything I saw, and when I dumped everything into the computer, there were so many photographs and everything so similar that it was simply impossible to remember what and where it was taken. The only thing I did was partially separate the photos of waterfalls from the photos of lakes.

Attracting tourists to Plitvice Lakes began in 1983. Experts have developed a development program aimed at attracting European tourists to these most beautiful places in the country. As part of this program, steamships and boats for water excursions were purchased, trails were laid for tourists, recreation areas were equipped, the first hotel was built, and advertisements were placed in the press of different countries. This approach turned out to be correct, interest in the lakes flared up, even the Austrian imperial family, led by Emperor Franz I and Empress Augusta Caroline, visited the park.

In 1991, Plitvice Lakes experienced one of the most tragic events in its entire history - the national park became the site of repeated armed clashes during the Yugoslav War. One of these clashes is called Bloody Easter; it became one of the tragic pages of the modern history of Croatia. There is nothing special to write about the lakes; I will tell you about what happened in this territory.

And so, what is the Yugoslav war and, in particular, the war in Croatia. No matter who you ask, no one really knows, and all thanks to the way these events were covered in our press, at that time we had enough of our own problems. The war in Croatia lasted from March 1991 to November 1995, it was a military conflict on the territory of the former Socialist Republic of Croatia, caused by Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia. After Croatia declared independence, the Serbian population of Croatia tried to create their own state on its territory so as not to secede from Yugoslavia . Croatia regarded this as an attempt to incorporate Croatian territories into Serbia.

The war was initially fought between Yugoslav People's Army forces, Croatian Serbs and Croatian police. The leadership of Yugoslavia, using the federal army, tried to keep Croatia within the country. During the collapse of the country, a self-proclaimed state of Serbs was created on the territory of Croatia - the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Then the struggle began between the Croatian army and the army of the Krajina Serbs.
In 1992, a ceasefire agreement was signed, followed by the recognition of Croatia as a sovereign state and the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops, as a result of which the conflict took on a sluggish, focal nature.
In 1995, the Croatian army carried out two major offensive operations, as a result of which a significant part of the territory of the Republic of Serbian Krajina came under Croatian control. The conflict was accompanied by mutual ethnic cleansing of the Serbian and Croatian populations.
As a result of the war, Croatia achieved independence and maintained its territorial integrity, but during the fighting, many cities and villages were badly damaged or were completely destroyed. Damage to the Croatian national economy as a result of this conflict is estimated at approximately $37 billion, and the total number of deaths during this war exceeds 20,000 people.
With the outbreak of the conflict, problems began for the residents; in 1991-1992, Croats were expelled from territories controlled by the Serbs, and Serbs were expelled from territories controlled by the Croats. By 1993, 251,000 Serbs had been expelled from the territories controlled by Zagreb alone. The second major influx of Serbian refugees, about 230,000 people, was recorded in 1995 after Operation Storm. Many of them settled in European countries; after the end of the war, only 115,000 Serbian refugees returned to Croatia.
In Croatia, the term “Patriotic War” is used to refer to the conflict; in Serbia, this conflict is most often called the “War in Croatia” or “War in the Krajina”. In Russia, this conflict was combined with the Bosnian War and the faceless term “Yugoslav Crisis” was used.
At the moment, relations between Serbia and Croatia are generally of a partnership nature, but they regularly file lawsuits against each other in international courts.
In general, the conflict between the Serbs and Croats is a very bloody and difficult story, not without the “wise leadership” of the USSR. More than 20 years have passed and this story has repeated itself, only in a different setting.

And this is a monument to the first Croatian victim of the war - Josip Jovic, who died in clashes on the Plitvice Lakes, I found this photograph.

What happened here...
On March 29, Croatian police suddenly encountered serious resistance from the Serbian territorial defense forces, who were stationed in the park.
Therefore, on the night of March 31, it was necessary to urgently convene a meeting of the Presidium of the Union Government of Yugoslavia and discuss the situation in the Plitvice Lakes. Discussed, the Yugoslav People's Army was ordered to intervene to create a buffer zone between the two sides, thereby ending the fighting.
On March 31, Easter Sunday, Croatian police entered the national park to expel the Serbs. But Serb troops ambushed a bus carrying Croatian police on the road north of Korenice, resulting in a shootout. During this clash, two people were killed, one Croatian and one Serbian policeman, 20 people were injured, and 29 Serbian militiamen and policemen were captured by Croatian forces. Among the prisoners was, in particular, Goran Hadžić, who later became President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina.
Then on April 2, the command of the Yugoslav People's Army ordered special units of the Croatian police to leave the national park, which they did.
We fought, what we achieved other than killing people is unclear.
This is how things happened here.

The park is located at an altitude of 400-1200 meters above sea level, so the air here is clean, fresh, transparent and saturated with the aroma of virgin forest. There are many routes of different lengths throughout the park: the shortest is 2 hours, and the longest of them is designed for a 7-8-hour walk, that is, it requires good physical shape. You can travel along some of the routes in a tourist electric train. It is impossible to get lost along the route; at every turn of every path there is a sign or navigation poster.

In total, on the territory of the reserve park you can see 16 very beautiful lakes, 140 waterfalls, the real beauty of which even the best photograph cannot convey, more than two dozen caves, beech and coniferous forests.

The park is a unique self-healing ecosystem. Every year, old trees, dying, sink to the bottom of lakes and turn into white fine-grained silt.

Every year new waterfalls appear here, filling the lakes with the purest water. Scientists are still arguing about the nature of the origin of these lakes; they have not come to a common opinion.

Unfortunately for all tourists, swimming in the lakes is prohibited here, but this has its advantages; for many years now the lakes have remained unsurpassed in cleanliness, brightness and beauty - despite the fact that many thousands of tourists come to their shores every day. In addition, you cannot put up tents here, light fires, fish, or pick plants; the administration is doing everything to preserve this natural beauty for future generations. But you can take as many photographs as you like.
Well, that seems to be all that can be told and shown. It’s good that we didn’t take the long route; there were enough impressions here too. The nature here is beautiful, no doubt, but you still begin to get tired of some monotony.

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 the large number of drownings 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 hectares;
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.