Explore the wonderful parks of Croatia. Get to know how beautiful the parks are that decorate Croatia.
Croatia must see National parks
Croatia must see National parks
Croatia is a gorgeous place littered with beauty, national parks, forests, old structures protected by UNESCO, even going as far as being one of the most richest in terms of biodiversity in Europe. It can be subdivided between a number of ecoregions because of its climate and geomorphology.
It’s a good thing to plan ahead when planning or going on a trip to another country, or even to discover what that certain country has to offer. So we decided to write a bit about mostly all national parks, parks of nature and the UNESCO protected structures that Croatia has at it’s disposal.
Starting off with national parks in Croatia:
Krka Waterfalls
-This National park is one of the most attractive locations in the Dalmatian area. It is protected since 1985, as one of eight Croatian National Parks. The park itself having various little interesting sights in and around it’s territory that will keep you occupied for a long while. This National Park is a true wonder since it offers it’s visitors a chance to swim next to the waterfalls. A rather unique opportunity that not many Nature parks offer it’s visitors. Experience what it feels like and take the chance to take a picture of your time in the mesmerizing Krka Waterfalls. The park is truly a beautiful experience that will leave pleasant memories for you and your family to enjoy for years on end.
Plitvice Lakes
– With its exceptional natural beauty, this area has always attracted nature lovers. Proclaimed Croatia’s first national park. The process of tufa formation, which results in the building of the tufa, or travertine, barriers and resulted in the creation of the lakes, is a unique universal value, for which the Plitvice Lakes were internationally recognized on 26 October 1979 with their inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Mljet
– Mljet National Park is the oldest marine protected area in the Mediterranean and it has delighted its numerous visitors for 56 years with the colours and the scent of untouched nature.
The Park was founded on 11 November 1960.
The Mljet National Park stretches over almost 5400 hectares, including a marine area of 500 meters from the coast, islands and cliffs, and therefore spans over almost a third of the island. Two deep bays filled with seawater, known as Malo Jezero and Veliko Jezero (Small Lake and Great Lake) are the most famous locations of this area and an important geological and oceanographical phenomenon.
There are plenty of other smaller National parks like Brijuni, Kornati, Paklenica, Risnjak and Sjeverni Velebit. All of them being a charming place to see even rivaling the more famous ones like Krka and Plitvice. But Croatia doesn’t just have National Parks that are eye catching sights to behold because this small country has several more things to see.
Nature parks are similar to National parks with forests, mountains and untouched fields reaching for several hundred meters. They also provide a bonding experience if you decide to go with a friend, family or a loved one.
Nature Parks:
Kopački rit
– Nature Park, also called the European Amazon. Situated in the central part of the Danube floodplain, between two important European rivers. The Drava and the Danube. It became a protected area in 1967 due to its values as a rare ecosystem, it’s rich biodiversity and important ecological values. The whole surface of the Park lies on 23.891 ha of which 7.143 ha are under higher protection being a Special Zoological Reserve.
Velebit
– is the largest though not the highest mountain range in Croatia. Its highest peak is the Vaganski vrh at 1,757 m. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the northwest near Senj with the Vratnik mountain pass and ends 145 km to the southeast, near the source of the Zrmanja river northwest of Knin.
One interesting fact about Croatia is that it has the largest collection of Intangible UNESCO protected goods in Europe. Now when we are done with the nature side of things we can get into something else like the UNESCO protected structures. Structures like Diocletian Palace in Split, Old City Dubrovnik (Where Game of Thrones was filmed), Cathedral of Saint James in Šibenik and many more.
UNESCO protected sites are:
The Diocletian Palace
– Would be considered the heart of Split. It’s one of the most popular attractions in Croatia and it’s not just because Game of Thrones was filmed in the basements of the palace. 🙂
The palace also offers a lot of places to explore with it’s maze like narrow paths and big open plaza’s. One of the benefits of the Diocletian Palace is that most of the palace is open to everyone. The palace only having a few spots where you need to pay an admission fee. (You can read a more detailed version here)
Old Town Dubrovnik
– I can already hear you mumbling that this place looks familiar because you might recognize it as being “King’s Landing”. A fictional city from the famous TV series Game of Thrones. The city’s walls served to protect it during the old times, having been built between the 13th – 17th century. The walls are 1940 meters in length and 25 meters height. The city is also cut off from the rest of Croatia due to Bosnia & Hercegovina’s border. Dubrovnik has always been one of the most notable cities in Croatia, having the one of the oldest pharmacy and medieval sewage systems present today.
Cathedral of Saint James
– Located in Šibenik is one of the most important Renaissance architectural monuments in the eastern Adriatic. With it’s triple nave basilica and a dome decorating the top proving to be a beautiful sight. The building was started at 1402. whilst it’s plans were already taking place in 1298., when Šibenik became a municipality. The Cathedral was entirely built out of limestone (from a nearby stone quarry) and marble (from the island of Brać).
Whilst you might consider the outside appearance of the cathedral already beautiful, it has an even greater charm with it’s interior decoration. The cathedral having four large columns that were evenly matched where the dome of the great cathedral rested. The builder that was tasked to decorate the cathedral came to a deal with the nobles of the time that they would finance the construction, on the condition that the builder/architect gets to choose his own builders. Inside the first chapel on the right side rests a sarcophagus of bishop, humanist and writer Juraj Šižgorić. Whilst the left side of the cathedral hosts the sarcophagus of Bishop Ivan Štafilič, during whose life the cathedral was constructed.
Marjan forest hill – Considered a recreational area both during Emperor Diocletian‘s rule and modern times. Marjan has stood for centuries as the highest point of Split. The natural forest providing lots of shade and crystal clear beaches that won’t leave you feeling disappointed. Along with offering a nice change of pace in comparison with how busy/hectic the city can get; especially during Summer time when crowds of people flock it. There’s also a myth that the forest hill could be an inactive volcano; the reasoning being that scientists found Sulphuric water at the base of it which is most commonly found in volcanic areas, but in the end it was never proven.
The Diocletian palace that’s located in the center of Split is located just a few minutes away from the Marjan forest. But the fun fact about the palace was that it was inhabited by well over 8000 people at a time in those historic times during Emperor Diocletian’s rule.
Marjan over the years has grown to be the city’s symbol of sorts, whilst before that time it was considered just part of the landscape. And due to the city’s growth it was left out of the development due to it’s difficult rocky paths which contributed to it’s charm as a picnic and romantic retreat for couples. There’s also numerous beaches that have become Split’s most charming swimming locations due to their cleanliness and natural ambience providing much needed shade during the hot Summer periods.
Final thoughts
That should sum up mostly all of Croatia’s wonders and gorgeous things to see! Croatia has a lot more secrets and interesting sights to see so you’ll have plenty to look forward to when you come by to visit. Whether you’re planning on visiting for the first time or a returning visitor. We hope this post proved to be at least a little helpful to give you a small insight on what Croatia is all about.
There’s a treasure trove of sights, activities and places to see in Croatia. So if you were hesitating in visiting, why not simply take the plunge by exploring a country you’ve never been to before, we’re positive you’ll find something that suits your fancy.
That should sum up mostly all of Croatia’s wonders and gorgeous things to see! Croatia has a lot more secrets and interesting sights to see so you’ll have plenty to look forward to when you come by to visit. Whether you’re planning on visiting for the first time or a returning visitor. We hope this post proved to be at least a little helpful to give you a small insight on what Croatia is all about. 🙂
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