The Plitvice Lakes are a national park in Croatia, situated in the Plitvice Lakes municipality, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sixteen lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 m to 503 m over a distance of some 8 km. The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or darker blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of the sunlight hitting it. 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 m to 503 m over a distance of some eight km, aligned in a south-north direction. The lakes collectively cover an area of about two km², with the water exiting from the lowest lake to form the Korana River. The Plitvice Lakes lie in a basin of karstic rock, mainly dolomite and limestone, which has given rise to their most distinctive feature. The lakes are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae and bacteria. The encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers which grow at the rate of about 1 cm per year. The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. The lakes are divided into the 12 Upper Lakes (Gornja jezera) and the four Lower Lakes (Donja jezera): The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia's most popular tourist attraction, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. Located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are definitely a must-see. (As confirmed by the many emails we've received!) The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres. There's also quite an altitude difference - the highest point is at 1,280m, the lowest at 380m - although the total height difference between the lakes themselves is only 135m. (Veliki Slap, the largest waterfall, is 70m tall.)
The Park is open daily all year round, with longer opening hours during summer (usually 8am to 7pm). There's an entrance fee, which acts as a contribution to the Park's upkeep and protection: for adults it's 55 Kunas in November - April; 85 Kunas in May & June and September & October; 100 Kunas in July & August. Children aged 7 to 18 have cheaper tickets, whilst children under the age of seven have free entrance. Groups of 15 or more people can get discounted tickets. 3-hour guided tours in English, German or Italian can also be pre-booked at 20 Euros per hour. t is possible to stay within the Park at one of its three hotels (which are all clustered quite closely together by Entrance 2) or at its campsite (which contains bungalows or space for 500 camping units) which is located about 7km outside of the northern entrance of the Park. There is another hotel, the Hotel Grabovac, that is also located 12km north of the Park. It's also possible to find private accommodation in a number of the towns and villages (such as Slunj) on the way to the Park. There are also two restaurants in the Park - the Borje and the Poljana - as well as numerous smaller, snack-type establishments at which to boost. Plitvicka Jezera (Plitvice Lakes) is Croatia's well known national park. Plitvice Lakes are also listed in UNESCO's Register of World Natural Heritage. Plitvice Lakes is a group of sixteen small lakes - Proscansko Jezero, Labudanovac Lake , Ciganovac Lake , Galovac Lake, Kozjak Lake... - mutually conected with numerous large and smaller waterfalls. Plitvice waterfalls are created by deposition of travertine -a kind of limestone that created this unique and attractive wonder of nature. Plitvice National Park is the area surrounded by dense forests of beech, fir and spruce, watered by varous springs of the Korana River. Plitvice Nationa Park is decorated with several caves and flower meadows too. Brown bear found , among other animal species, their home in Plitvica Lakes too. Area of Plitvice Lakes is paradise for walkers and hikers as well as nature lovers. Lakes are lovely and cool in summer, icy and calm in winter, yellow and ocre in autumn, green and fresh in spring - any time of the year it is a priviledge to be around those lakes!
Plitvice Park is conveniently located near the main road that connects Zagreb and Croatia Adriatic Coast. It is easily accessible by public transport as well as by bicycle, from Karlovac, Zagreb or Split. Due to it's popularity among Croatian as well as other visitors, there are various accommodations available in and around Plitvice Lakes. Humans have inhabited the Plitvice Lakes area for thousands of years. It has been settled in turn by Illyrians, Thracians, Celts, Japods, Romans, Avars, Slavs and Turks. In 1528 the area fell to the Ottomans before being retaken by the Austrian Empire 150 years later. The Austrians subsequently incorporated it into their Military Frontier and, in addition to the native Croats who already inhabited the region, Serbs who had fled Ottoman repression settled there.[citation needed]
The Plitvice Lakes had become a major tourist attraction in the late 19th century. The first hotel was built there in 1896, and as early as 1893 it already had a conservation committee - the predecessor of today's national park authority. In 1949 the communist government of Yugoslavia nationalized the lakes and made them a national park. The park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 in recognition of its "outstanding natural beauty, and the undisturbed production of travertine (tuff) through chemical and biological action".
The park soon became one of Yugoslavia's most popular tourist attractions. However, in March 1991 it became the scene of the Plitvice Lakes incident - the first armed confrontation of the Croatian War of Independence that resulted in fatalities. The park was held by forces of the Republic of Serbian Krajina during the conflict and suffered some damage in the process, with hotels and other facilities being used as barracks. At auto-camp Grabovac there were civilian deaths (three children) from the Yugoslav Army shell in September 1991[1]. It was retaken by the Croatian Army in August 1995 during Operation Storm, which ended the Croatian war.
The Plitvice Lakes are today one of Croatia's biggest tourist attractions. In 2000, the national park was expanded by a further 102 km².
