National parks

Brionian (Croatian: Brijuni, Italian: Brioni) are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea, separated from the west coast of the Istrian peninsula by the narrow Fažana Strait. The largest island, Veli Brijun (5.6 km²), lies 2 km off the coast. Famous for their scenic beauty, the islands are a holiday resort and a Croatian National Park.The Brijuni Islands had some Ancient Roman settlements, but up to the late 19th century the islands were mainly used for their quarries, which have been worked on for centuries. The islands belonged to Venice from the Middle Ages, and stone from the islands was used to build the palaces and bridges of the city. The is......more

The Croatian Kornati archipelago (Italian: Arcipelago delle Incoronate) is located in northern Dalmatia, south of Zadar, but in Šibenik-Knin county. With 150 islands in a sea area of about 320 km² Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.[1]The southern part of the archipelago, which roughly corresponds to the part of the archipelago called Donji Kurnat (Lower Kurnat) was declared a national park in 1980.Kornat, with its area of 32,525,315 m², the biggest of the islands, comprises two-thirds of the park's land area. Although the island is 25.2 km long, it is no wider than about 2.5 km.There are no permanent settlements in Kornati. Simple houses in well-protected coves suc......more

Krka is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka that it encloses. It is located in central Dalmatia, in Šibenik-Knin county, downstream of Miljevci area and just a few kilometers northeast of the city of Šibenik. It was proclaimed a national park in 1985 and is the seventh national park in Croatia. It is intended primarily for scientific, cultural, educational, recreational, and tourism activities. It was proclaimed a national park in 1985 and is the seventh national park in Croatia.It would be pity not to visit the exceptional archeological site of Bribirska Glavica, only fifteen kilometers from Skradin by asphalt road. Bribirska Glavica is approximately 300 meters ab......more

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The Paklenica karst river canyon is a national park in Croatia. It is located at 44°22′N 15°26′E / 44.367°N 15.433°E / 44.367; 15.433 in Starigrad, northern Dalmatia, at the southern slopes of Velebit mountain, not far from Zadar. It has two canyons: Mala (Small) and Velika (Big) Paklenica. Today there is no water flowing throughout Mala Paklenica. Near the entrance into the Velika Paklenica there is an artificial basement/cave complex that had been built for Josip Broz Tito during the tension between Yugoslavia and the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s.The area of South Velebit has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It is believed that, during the last ice age, the area was pro......more

The Plitvice Lakes ([pli'tviʦɛ̝], Croatian: Plitvička jezera) is a national park in Croatia, situated at 44°51′N 15°37′E / 44.85°N 15.62°E / 44.85; 15.62, in the Plitvice Lakes municipality, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Beside its natural beauties it is a place where Croatian War of Independence and Freedom started on "The Bloody Easter" in 1991.The lakes are situated on the eponymous Plitvice plateau, between the mountains of Lička Plješevica (Gornja Plješevica peak 1,640 m), Mala Kapela (Seliški Vrh peak at 1,280 m) and Medveđak (884 m). The sixteen lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636......more

Risnjak National Park (Croatian: Nacionalni park Risnjak) is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Gorski kotar, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country, about 15 km inland from the Adriatic Sea. The park covers an area of 63,5 square kilometers including the central part of Risnjak and Snježnik massif and the source area of the river Kupa. The administration and visitor center of the park are located in Crni Lug, a town on the eastern edge of the park.The name of the massif probably comes from the Croatian word for the lynx, ris. Another interpretation suggests that it comes from the local word risje, which is a name for a type of grass.The first recorded scie......more

National Park Sjeverni Velebit (lit. Northern Velebit) is the youngest national park in Croatia. It was founded in 1999 and started work in September the same year.It covers 109 km² of the northern section of the Velebit mountain, the largest mountain in Croatia, the whole of which is a nature park, a lesser category of nature conservation. Another national park on Velebit is the Paklenica on its southern side.The special reservations Hajdučki kukovi and Rožanski kukovi are located in the center of the park. The peak Zavižan (1676 m) is also located within the park, and it carries the meteorological station with the highest altitude in Croatia.The park reserve is protected and visitors canno......more