T he roar grows louder, water churns and icy droplets spatter like the most beautiful summer rain. In front of you is a 78-metre high wa- terfall. The largest in Croatia, it is located in a kind of paradise on Earth, on the Plitvice Lakes. This national park is the most visit- ed tourist attraction in this part of Europe, because every year its winding paths over lakes and streams, between forests and water, are traversed by 1.5 million people. The Plitvice Lakes National Park com- prises 16 lakes. The people divided them long ago – into the upper lakes, of which there are 12, and the four lower lakes – and they formed naturally 12,000 years ago. The scienti c story revolves around limestone, while the folk story, which is much more interesting, mentions the Black Fairy. According to tradition, she created a storm following a severe drought that led to the formation of these lakes. This fairy story is easy to believe. You won’t be
able to shake o the impression that some magic has been woven here, as the water ows from one pool to another, creating a perfect and completely unreal landscape. Around the lakes are hiking trails that are mostly made of wooden slats, so ap- propriate footwear is essential for enjoying a visit to this paradise. That’s because you have in front of you eight beautiful hiking trails, the longest of which require around eight hours to cover, while for the shortest route you will need about two hours. All the trails are very well marked and each has photographs at the start showing what awaits you along the route. If you tire of walking, there are electric vehicles, which are the perfect way to tour Plitvice quick- ly if you don’t have too much time. Rid- ing these vehicles is included in the tick- et price, so there’s no additional charge. The same applies to the boats that wait to take you on a cruise of these bejew- elled lakes and thus shorten the journey.
Tekst/Words: Aleksandra Držaić Fotografije/Photography: iStock
H uk se pojačava, voda tut- nji, a ledene kapljice pr- skaju kao najlepša letnja kiša. Pred vama stoji vo- dopad visok 78 metara. Najveći u Hrvatskoj, a nalazi se u svojevrsnom raju na zemlji, na Plitvičkim jezeri- ma. Ovaj nacionalni park najpose- ćenija je turistička atrakcija u ovom delu Evrope, jer svake godine viju- gavim stazicama preko jezera i po-
ra. Lako je poverovati u ovu priču o vili. Nećete moći da se otrgnete uti- sku da je neka magija umešala pr- ste jer se voda preko slapova preli- va iz jednog jezera u drugo čineći savršen i potpuno nestvaran pejzaž. Oko jezera se nalaze pešačke sta- ze, koje su uglavnom napravljene od drvenih letvica, zato je odgovaraju- ća obuća prilikom posete ovom raju nepohodna ako želite da uživate. Jer pred vama je osam predivnih pešač- kih staza, da biste prešli najdužu, biće
toka, između šuma i vode, prođe mi- lion i po ljudi. Park Plitvička jezera čini 16 je- zera. Narod ih je davno podelio na gornja, kojih je 12, i donja – preosta- la četiri, a nastala su pre 12.000 go- dina. Naučna priča uključuje kreč- njak, a ona narodna, koja je mnogo zanimljivija, Crnu vilu. Prema pre- danju, ona je nakon velike suše stvo- rila oluju, posle koje su nastala jeze-
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