Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plitviceisarefreshingplaygroundof16terracedlakes,separatedbynaturaltravertinedams
and connected by countless waterfalls. Over time, the water has simultaneously carved out,
and, with the help of mineral deposits, built up this fluid landscape.
Plitvice became Croatia's first national park in 1949, and was a popular destination dur-
ing the Yugoslav period. On Easter Sunday in 1991, the first shots of Croatia's war with
Yugoslavia were fired right here—in fact, the war's first casualty was a park policeman, Jo-
sip Jovi
ć
. The Serbs held Plitvice until 1995, and most of the Croatians you'll meet here
were evacuated and lived near the coast as refugees. During those five years, the park saw
virtually no tourists, and was allowed to grow wild—allowing the ecosystem to recover
from the impact of so many visitors. Today, the war is a fading memory, and the park is
again a popular tourist destination, with nearly a million visitors each year (though relat-
ively few are from the US).
