Plitvice Lakes National Park is considered one of the most beautiful national parks in Europe and the world. Regardless of the fact that the water bodies of the National Park amount to only 1% of its total area, they are the most attractive and most visited part. This is just one of the interesting facts about Plitvice. National Park on their websites published a list of interesting things that make the Plitvice Lakes irresistible.
TUFF
Sixteen magnificent lakes were formed in a cascade of different sizes, and were created by a very complex biodynamic process of growth of travertine barriers, which is precisely one of the reasons why the Plitvice Lakes October 26, 1979 included on UNESCO World Natural Heritage List and why they are a unique universal value.
There are several definitions of tufa, and one of them reads: "Travertine is a hollow, porous rock that is formed by the precipitation of dissolved calcium carbonate in water using plants, algae and mosses.".
An interesting fact is that tufa exists everywhere in the world, but nowhere in the world there is no such system, where with a perfect and unique process, travertine is deposited and actually forms travertine waterfalls and cascades, which thus connect all the lakes in the park. The process of tuff formation has not yet been fully explored, but without a series of physico-chemical and biological factors there would be no tufa, without tufa there would be no waterfalls or lakes, only rivers.
The process of creating tufa on the Plitvice Lakes goes back to the distant geological past of the Quartets. Barriers 250-000 years old are located outside the present-day streams, which is an indication of how much the system has actually changed during the geological past. Travertine barriers in today's waterways are still active and with their biodynamics constantly change the appearance of lakes and waterfalls.
It is also interesting the largest lake Kozjak, which was divided into two lakes about 400 years ago. Namely, the barriers in the lake do not grow at the same speed, so the downstream barriers sometimes overhang the upstream ones, which sink in the process, and two lakes become one.
On sunny days, the sunken barrier on Kozjak can be seen from the electric boat.
WATER COLOR CHANGE FROM BLUE TO GREEN
Photo: Plitvice Lakes National Park
No matter how many times you walk along the paths of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, you will admire the fascinating lakes, strung together like pearls and their changing spectacular colors. At any time of the day, the lakes have a stunning spectrum of colors and never look the same as the day before.
The colors of the water appear in the entire palette of shades, from emerald-green to blue-blue, turquoise or pale gray. Colors vary from lake to lake, but also inside a lake, which delights every visitor. Painting the lake with colors mostly depends on the concentration of dissolved organic substances, the concentration of different organisms in the water, the depth of the lake, the environment of the lake, the weather, the play of light and shadow, and the surface movement of the water. Walking along the wooden paths around Gornji jezeri, you will be delighted by the emerald-green color of the lakes themselves, which are surrounded by the forest. A walk through the canyon of the Lower Lakes offers you an enchanting view of unreal turquoise and blue-blue colors.
We can safely say that this wooded area keeps the secret of these 16 lakes, and the magnificent waterfalls will not leave anyone indifferent with their song!
///THE SECRETS OF THE PLITVIC LAKES - IS THE WHITE RIVER REALLY WHITE AND THE BLACK RIVER BLACK?
BEARS OF THE NATIONAL PARK
The Plitvice Lakes National Park has a recognizable logo that contains the face of a bear. The species that resides in the National Park is the largest European beast - bear. The characteristic of this species is that they live alone, but also accept the presence of other bears in the same area.
Three quarters of the Park is covered by forest, and beech-fir forests provide shelter and peace for bears, and bears can find shelter and food in these areas. Their communication often boils down to scratching against a tree, and in this way they leave a scent and fur, which other bears can easily recognize since they have a strong sense of smell. The camera of the National Park often captures bears in the game, and such videos always delight our followers on social networks.
Bears prefer to spend time in places where there are no people, they prefer the wooded part of the Park and the meadow, so there is no fear of meeting a bear in the park. In the visitor system, there are no trash cans on the lakeside trails because animals that come foraging at night might find discarded scraps and eat something that is not on their regular menu.
BIG WATERFALL
Photo: Plitvice Lakes National Park
For many people, Veliki Slap is the first thing that comes to mind when they mention Plitvice Lakes. It is interesting that it is formed by the collapse of the Plitvice stream, whose source is 3 kilometers away and it does not belong to either of 16 lakes. Together with the Sastavci waterfalls, Veliki slap is the source of the Korana river. The very appearance of the waterfall changes through the seasons. You can fully enjoy its magnificence in autumn and spring.
In the cold, winter months, temperatures sometimes drop so low that the waterfall freezes over, making for an unforgettable sight. You will experience a special pleasure as the water from the Plitvice stream falls from a height of 62 m, creating water dust that provides refreshment during hot days. The total height of the Great Falls to the Korana River is 87m. That makes him the highest waterfall in the Park and in Croatia. In the period from 1968 to 1990, Plitvice weddings were held in the National Park. It was in 1968 that the first Plitvice wedding took place under the Great waterfall.
ČORKOVA UVALA RAINFOREST
Photo: Archive of the Plitvice Lakes National Park
There is something completely magical in the peace of the forest, in its scents and trees that hide centuries-old stories. One of those is i Plitvice rainforest Čorkova uvala. The Čorkova uvala rainforest is located in the northwestern part of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, at an altitude of 860 to 1028 m, in the zone of beech-fir forests. It covers an area of 84 ha.
It represents a secondary rainforest - development without or with minor human influence. As life processes take place smoothly, all development stages of all components of the rainforest ecosystem are present in it. The dominant impression is left by trees of different heights, thicknesses and ages, for example common firs over 500 years old, 58 cm high and 150 cm in diameter, and common beech and common spruce also reach large dimensions. In the rainforest, there are constant changes that take place in centuries-old development cycles, where there is a change in the ratio of tree species, vertical layering, density and number of trees, the amount of dead wood, the amount and size of openings in the canopy, the probability of windbreaks and infestation of trees by harmful insects. Such phenomena do not affect the entire rainforest at once, but occur in individual parts of the forest, resulting in a mosaic appearance.
THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK QUEEN
How were the Plitvice Lakes formed? What circumstances have come together here that the water is rich in scale, that it flows through a limestone canyon, that tufa is deposited so quickly due to microorganisms in the water? These are all scientific questions, which many scientists are still answering. As with every place, legends and stories are attached to this one as well.
The Plitvice Lakes consist of 16 lakes interconnected by waterfalls, and each of these lakes has a legend. There is a legend about the origin of the Plitvice Lakes and it reads: In times of great drought, when the whole region was thirsty, plants, animals and people prayed for rain. Everything was dry, meadows and gardens, nothing produced, and everything cried out for drops of water. Black river she also dried up. One day, the Black Queen spoke to the people from the heights of heaven:Gather in the early morning at the Spring of Life where you have quenched your thirst and fed your life. In that place, express everything that is threatening in your soul. Speak with dignity and give in words the measure of the heart and the measure of truth. If you do so, I will be with you."The people prayed for days, confessed their sins, repented for them, and the Black Queen decided to answer their prayers and promised them water in abundance. When it started to rain, it rained for days, until the water level itself rose so much that beautiful lakes were formed. The first lake of the Upper Lakes, Prošćansko jezero, got its name from the word to beg, since it was prayed for by the people.
The legend of the Black Queen, the golden carriage, her golden fairy hair and the fairies that accompany her have been told for a long time and are still passed down to this day.
///Hidden secrets of the Plitvice Lakes: Šupljara and Karlovci Caves are over 160 million years old
Source and photos: Plitvice Lakes National Park