North Velebit National Park is covered with numerous hiking trails. It is forbidden to go beyond these trails, but you probably won’t want to. The steep slippery rocks can be quite dangerous, especially during rainy periods. In addition to the beautiful views and pristine forests, North Velebit National Park contains several natural underground karst formations. Some of the most famous caves are Hajducki Kukovi (Hajducki kukovi), Rozanski Kukovi (Rozanski kukovi) and Liukina Kukovi, the eighth longest cave in the world (1392 meters long). In addition, the botanical garden contains a complete collection of all the plants that grow in the area of the Severno Velebit National Park.

There are “summer houses” scattered all over the area of Northern Velebit. These dwellings have a cone on top. They are made of stones without mortar and hold only under the weight of their own vea. Some of these huts date back thousands of years. They served shepherds and hunters as temporary shelters in the mountains. Now bees and wasps live here, so you have to watch where you stick your fingers. Bears are also quite common in North Velebit National Park. Take things that bang, rattle, and generally make a sound. Animals usually run away at the sound of a person.

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The park is located in the valley of the Korana River, in the basin of the Dinaric Highlands. The main objective of the reserve is to preserve the fauna, unique landscape and vegetation. Every year Plitvice Lakes are visited by 1.2 million people.

According to scientists, Plitvice Lakes are more than 4000 years old. But the area was discovered and described only 400 years ago. The Plitvice Lakes region received the status of the National Park in 1949, and in 1979 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Plitvice Lakes are divided into two groups – upper and lower. The upper ones lie in a dolomite valley surrounded by dense forests. Roe deer, bears, wild cats, lynxes, wolves, etc. live here. The lower lakes are located on a limestone cliff and are small in size. The water in the reservoirs strikes with its bright emerald-blue color. This color is due to the presence of bacteria and algae, as well as a high content of calcium carbonate.

Upper:

• Koziak.
• Prošće;
• Ciginovac;
• Mali Jovinovac;
• Okrugljak;
• Golovac;
• Veliki Jovinovac;
• Milino Lake;
• Vir;
• Gradinsko;
• Batinovac;
• Veliki Burget;

Lower:

• Milanovac;
• Kaludjerovac,
• Havanovac;
• Novakovića Brod.

The lakes are arranged down one after another and extend for 5460 meters. The largest and deepest lake is Kozjak, which is about 3 km long and 47.6 m deep. The second largest and the highest lake is Prošće, located at an altitude of 636 meters above sea level. This lake is fed by two rivers – Bijela and Crna. The lowest lake is called Novakovica Brod, and it lies at 503 meters above sea level. The end of the chain of lakes ends with the Sastavci waterfall, which spews a stream of water from a height of 72 meters into the Plitvica and Korana rivers.

In addition to waterfalls and lakes, there are 36 other caves in the National Park. The most famous are Golubnjaca and Mrazna. The cave fauna is represented by bats, crustaceans and insects.

Climate and weather in Plitvice Lakes

This area has a special microclimate, as the lakes are located at the junction of two climatic zones: maritime and continental. The air temperature here is 3-4 degrees lower than on the Adriatic coast. Precipitation and cloudy weather are often observed here. During rains, the temperature difference can be 15 degrees. In winter, Plitvice Lakes freeze, there is a lot of snowfall. Therefore, for visiting it is better to choose the time from April to November.

How to get to Plitvice Lakes

You can get to the National Park from any resort town by shuttle bus, cab, rented car or excursion, which are provided by all agencies and many resort hotels in Croatia. Check the cost of bus tickets on the websites of bus stations. By the way, you should buy them in advance, otherwise, when you arrive at the bus station, you are unlikely to leave – tickets are sold out very quickly.

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The Amphitheater is shaped like an oval, 130 meters long and 100 meters wide. In the very center there was an arena where the main action took place, and the spectators were placed on stone benches or gallery. At that time the arena was intended for gladiatorial battles and later for knights’ competitions.

In the 15th century, stones from the Amphitheater began to be dismantled for other buildings under construction in Pula, including the construction of the Castle. Therefore, it required constant restoration work, and today it can accommodate about 5,000 people. In the summer season, the theater arena turns into a venue for various festivals and concerts: Opera, Equestrian and Film Festival. You can stay in a hotel in Pula, which overlooks the amphitheater.

Underneath the arena are underground corridors used by the gladiators, and today, there are many archaeological finds and various exhibits that tell visitors about ancient wine production and olive tree cultivation. Many of the finds can be viewed in the Historical Museum. And here you can see special crushers, vessels and presses, as well as amphorae for storing and transporting the products.

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So, the Vranjaca Cave or Spilja Vranjaca in Croatian is a rather unusual place that gives travelers a lot of unforgettable sensations. Its entrance is located near the village of Kotlenice, on the northwestern slope of Mount Mosor. Don’t be surprised, but the cave is not state property, but part of the property of a local resident – a representative of the Punda family, who today acts as its caretaker. By the way, it was his grandfather who discovered this underground natural formation. Almost immediately the cave became the property of the family, members of the family brought light there, strengthened the passages, made comfortable steps and for more than a hundred years the maintenance of the underground kingdom is the main family business Punda.

Back in 1929, the Vranjaca Cave was opened to tourists. According to modern geologists, it is at least three thousand years old. The cave is beautiful and bottomless, mesmerizing with its vaults, which resemble a large ancient temple. Its two spacious halls are decorated with sculptures, to which a talented master, whose name is Nature, had a hand. The point is that once very long ago an underground river was slowly carrying its waters here. An earthquake provoked a change in the earth’s crust, and the river went away, revealing to people the incredible beauty of stalagmites and stalactites. These are not just underground formations, they are true works of art. Looking at the bizarre sculptures and distinguishing in them images of people, animals, birds, unseen monsters, flowers and trees, and can not fully believe that they are all non-man-made works. But it is true: time and water have made the dull vaults of the cave turn into a dwelling of truly fabulous characters.

Memo for tourists with children: you do not have to sit with your baby in a hotel room – the cave can be visited by the whole family, as it is very well landscaped and completely safe. But it is worth stocking up on warm clothes in advance, because the temperature inside this underground kingdom does not rise above 15 degrees Celsius.

Since a large number of spotlights installed in the cave constitute a rather energy-consuming lighting system, it is not profitable for the owners to launch 1-2 people into its bowels. Usually there is a tour for groups of 5 to 8 people. In high season it is not a problem, as there are always enough people who want to go down into the realm of stalactites and stalagmites. Remember that it is not recommended to stay in the cave for more than an hour.

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The mountain slopes of the Biokovo Park are mainly made of sandstone and are covered with grass and shrubs. Not so long ago the mountain slopes were dotted with forests, but due to the development of the Croatian agricultural complex, a large area of the park was burned for fields, but this did not destroy the local flora and fauna. The snake eagle is considered the king of the local mountains, you can also meet the Dalmatian dormouse, and there is no limit to the variety of plants. If you look closely at the nearby shrubs, you will notice dwarf bells and other endemic plants.

Climbing the highest mountain, you will be delighted by the panorama: on one side is a scattering of Croatian islands, on the other – endless fields and mountains.

Don’t miss to visit the local Botanical Garden, where you can observe the life of rare birds, plants and animals. You will especially enjoy the so-called “vrtache” – natural depressions in the ground, similar to wells, which are up to 80 meters deep and 150 meters in diameter. At the bottom of such wells there are often spruce trees and local wildlife hiding.

The Makarska Riviera is famous not only for its historical monuments and temple architecture, like the Franciscan Monastery, but also for its beautiful nature, as evidenced by the
Before going to see the Biokovo Nature Park, there are a few things to know:

• Take warm clothes, a hat, a camera.
• Dress as comfortably and simply as possible, shoes should be only on a low walk.
• Independent visit to the park is not recommended.
• Excursions can be booked in any city on the coast or hotels in Makarska, transfer and lunch are included in the cost of the hike, duration – half a day. Prices vary depending on the season and remoteness of the departure point.

An unforgettable adventure on the slopes of the Biokovo Nature Park, which takes only half a day, will leave a vivid trace in your memory, and photos of stunning nature and panoramas will warm you even on the harshest winter evening.

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In 2004, Davor Preis came up with an idea to expand the idea, he designed and produced the installation Nine Views: 9 planets of the solar system were made of stainless steel in scale to the size of the Sun and installed around the city at a distance proportional to the distance between the Sun and the planets of the solar system.

The scale of the system is 1: 680,000,000,000

Under each sculpture is a metal plate with information about the name of the planet, its diameter and average distance from the Sun.

As a result, Zagreb got its own miniature of the solar system from 9 separate installations of Nine Views planets together with Ivan Kozarić’s “terrestrial sun”.

The planets are scattered around the city: the closest planet to the sun, Mercury, is located 75 meters away from The Grounded Sun, while the most distant Pluto is almost 8 km away from the Sun.

Location of the sun and planets in Zagreb, Croatia:

• Sun – Bogovićeva ulica 1B
• Mercury – Margaretska ulica 3 – 75 meters from the Zagreb Sun
• Venus – Trg bana Josipa Jelačića 3 – 141.1 meters from the Sun
• Earth – Varšavska ulica 9 – 193.7 meters from the Sun
• Mars – Tkalčićeva ulica 21 – 295.2 meters from the Sun
• Juriter – Voćarska ulica 71 – 1176 meters from the Sun
• Saturn – Račićeva ulica 1 – 1851.2 meters from the Sun
• Uranus – Siget 9 – 3718.2 meters from the Sun
• Neptune – Kozari 17 – 5833.5 meters from the Sun
• Pluto – Aleja Bologne – 7658.6 meters from the Sun

Another monument to the sun and planets is located in the city of Zadar, but on a much smaller scale – this place is called Greetings to the Sun and one of the favorite places in Zadar

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