Grabovača Cave Park it is the only cave park in Europe and is located in the Municipality of Perušić in Lika. Water enriched with dissolved carbon dioxide with its mechanical and chemical power destroyed and dissolved carbonate rocks on the surface of the relief and in the depths of the Grabovača underground. Thus, countless ravines, oysters, sinkholes were formed on the surface, and many pits and caves in the underground.
It is located on a relatively small area of only 1,5 square kilometers eight caves and one pit. This represents a complex of diverse and rich calcite formations of valuable speleological phenomena and a quarter of the total number of protected speleological objects in Croatia. Five caves are protected in the category of geomorphological nature monument, a Samograd cave is the most famous speleological object of this cave park and the only cave open to visitors.
The entrance to the Samograd cave is reminiscent of a cathedral and the entire length of the cave is reached by stairs hand-carved into the sigovina, and the cave is 345 meters long. Parts of ceramic pottery and bones from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages were found inside the cave. About the cave Samograd has been published the first newspaper news about a cave in Croatia in 1889.
In addition to speleological objects, 4 habitat types are endangered and protected at the European level. In the diversity of the flora of this area, 118 plant species stand out, three species are protected at the national level, namely orchids, and six species are considered endemic to the Croatian flora.
Biodiversity and various contents
It is protected from animals 39 species and the presence of two large Croatian beasts should be emphasized - a wolf and a brown bear. It is important to mention that in the area of Grabovača there are also four sources of drinking water and the river Lika - the largest Croatian sinkhole.
The Grabovača area is characterized by a great diversity of ecological systems and habitats and a large number of speleological objects. Throughout history, this area has been the scene of intense and continuous human life from prehistory to the present day. The park abounds in rich cultural and historical heritage and provides an opportunity for visitors to go back thousands of years.
Various contents have been developed in the Park for visitors: from educational trails and educational programs, hiking, mountain and cycling trails, rafting on the Lika River, kayaking, sports fields, to tourist attractions such as the Samograd Cave, the "Ploče" viewpoint, the medieval site of the Old Town of Perušić and the Gothic church of St. Crisis.
///Grabovača – the only cave park in Europe this year received as many as 46 km of new trails!
The fortress of the old town of Perušić in the Park is one of the few that survived the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century. The old town is popularly known as "Turkish Tower".
/ / /For the first time in Croatia, a cave for speleotherapy is being opened
