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Knin is a small city located in the Dalmatian hinterland near rive Krka. This city has a rich history that is worth getting to know when you visit this lovely place. Only 56 kilometers from Knin, you’ll find a coastal town Šibenik – a popular summer destination with beautiful beaches. But if you’re interested in getting to know the raw part of Croatia and see the locations that show the true history of Croatia, then Knin is a great place to be.

The climate in Knin is similar to coastal Dalmatia, with hot dry summers and cool winters – typical Mediterranean climate. Although, the proximity of the Dinaric Alps makes summers even hotter than average.

Knin and surrounding areas have many archeological finds such as the recently discovered Roman town Burnum which is located 18 km from Knin. There, you’ll find the remains of the biggest amphitheater in Dalmatia dating from 77 AD. In the nearby villages Biskupija and Kapitul, you can visit archeological sites from the 10th century. Churches, graves, decorations and epigraphs from the medieval Croatian culture are waiting for you to discover them.

Things to do in Knin

Here are a few attractions that you must visit when in Knin!

Visit the Knin Fortress

Located near the tallest mountain in Croatia – Dinara, and near the source of the river Krka, Knin fortress is the second largest fortress in Croatia. It served as a political center of the Croatian Kingdom from 1076. The fortress lies on Spas mountain, 100 meters above Knin. It is open to the public so make sure to visit this interesting piece of history.

Explore the stunning Krčić waterfall

Krčić waterfall is a part of the Krka river which originates at a spring near Knin. The waterfall is 22 meters high and it’s best to visit it during fall or early winter because it tends to dry out in summertime. If you decide to visit during summer, the good thing is you can take a swim to freshen up (as long as the waterfall is not too powerful beacuse it can be dangerous).

Gospina Crkva

Gospina Crkva is the largest church in Croatia, with 1100 seats and 780 square meters. It is a modern church which was finished in 2015 and located in the centre od Knin. This church is like no church you’ve seen before. The exterior design is fresh and minimalistic while the interior is dominated by brightnes and light. You’ll need to see it for yourself to experience the true colors of this church.

Visit Krka National Park

Krka National park encloses the river Krka which it was named after. It is located less than 50 kilometers away from Knin so you’ll have to get there by car or orther transportation. But if you’re near Knin, then you definitely must take a day off to visit the Krka national park. It’s not every day you can encounter such exceptional beauty. Beautiful waterfalls, turquoise lakes, and stunning greenery are waiting for you in Krka National Park.

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Featured photo by Knin.hr

Smiljan, a small village in the mountainous Lika in Croatia, is a home to the most famous and respected inventor, engineer and scientist in the world – Nikola Tesla.

Nikola Tesla, a person who brought so much to the word and the way of life we live today. Tesla coil, the magnifying transmitter, turbine and induction motor are just some of his inventions.

Tesla was a futurist who knew what the future brings, so he envisioned a system that’ll collect information and broadcast it to a hand-held device. And was he right – nowadays, all of us have a mobile phone with an internet connection in our hands. He also envisioned the technology for radio astronomy as well as X-rays.

His home town, Smiljan, is located in the central part of Velebit mountain and not far from the Adriatic Sea. It’s a perfect place to visit if you want to enjoy the green fields and hills as well as go for a swim in the sea.

Smiljan is a small place that consists of eighteen hamlets amd has less than 500 inhabitants. But it’s still worth a visit, especially if you’re going to Dalmatia as it’s on your way.

What to see in Smiljan

Nikola Tesla statue in Smiljan – Photo by Croatia Full of Life

Memorial Center “Nikola Tesla”

This Memorial Center is a cultural-historical site and museum dedicated to Nikola Tesla. The memorial complex contains many different components such as a museum in his birth house, ortodox church of St. Peter and Paul, village cemetery, Tesla’s testing station, metal statue of Nikola Tesla, various monuments and much more. The scientist in you will enjoy seeing the prototypes of some Tesla’s inventions such as induction motor, turbine, rotating magnetic fiels and Tesla coil.

From time to time, the Memorial Center organizes scientific and educational activities which are always interesting to visit.

This complex was open due to celebration of the 150th anniversary of Nikola Tesla’s birth in 2006 but it was originally built in 1956.

Cave park Grabovača

Along with all the monuments dedicated to Nikola Tesla, there are also many natural beauties near Smiljan. One of them is a cave park Grabovača that features eight caves and a pit. You can visit the caves in all the seasons except winter. If you love being active on your vacation, Grabovača is a great place for recreational activities. You can enter the cave Samograd accompanied with the Park’s guide and explore the hidden beauties of this mysterious cave. There are also organised tours to Lika river where you can enjoy free lunch and swimming.

Velebit Nature Park

When in Lika, you don’t want to miss Velebit nature park. Velebit is the largest protected area of Croatia and inside of this nature park, there are two national parks – Paklenica and Northern Velebit that are definitely worth a visit. You’ll love the richness of plant and animal life in the Velebit nature park as well as its unique relief and diversity.

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Book your holiday today, visit Croatia and discover Plitvice Lakes! Discover all the beauties of this most popular national park in Croatia.

A Fairytale of Plitvice Lakes

We can assure you that the Neverland must be a similar place to the Plitvice Lakes. You will lose yourself in the beautiful sites of stunning turquoise lakes, precisely in the beauty of sixteen of them. We assure you that you’ll find certain kind of magic cause fairies do exist and they’re all wishing you a welcome at the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Let us take you on a tour through this fairy tale about the harmony of nature!

Discover why Plitvice lakes are the Natural Heritage Site

In the midway between Zagreb and Zadar, in Ličko-Senjska county, Plitvice Lakes National Park and its 19.5 hectares of woods, sixteen lakes that spills into the waterfalls and streams represents one of Croatia’s most amazing sights. The unique ecology, stunning flora and fauna are the reasons why the Plitvice are the most popular National Park in Croatia and World Natural Heritage Site. Plitvice Lakes is the oldest national park in South-East Europe and they are under the protection of UNESCO since 1979.

The Upper and Lower Lakes Story

The story of Plitvice Lakes

The lake system is divided into the Upper and Lower Lakes. The Upper Lakes lie in a dolomite valley that is surrounded by forests and numerous waterfalls. The Lower Lakes, shallower and smaller, lie on the limestone bedrock. Over the millennium and even today, the process of sedimentation and the work of algae and moss or tufa are creating new travertine, stalactites, channels and cascades. So, we can say that Plitvice National Park is some kind of live entity because of the entire dynamic process of formation, caused even by the mild devastating effects of waters that flows through the barriers at different places. Sit down, take a break for a minute and look closely into the magical things that take place in front of you. Green, blue, yellow, brown and red are colors of the world that stands tall around you.

The Wildlife of Plitvice

Wooden walkways allow you to walk all around, and sometimes even under the waterfalls through the waters. Hiking trails through the tranquil forests of beech and fir with spruce, horn-beam, maple and pine trees, will take you to the stunning sites at which only the patient ones will have an opportunity to see some of the Plitvice wildlife – chamois, deers, foxes, badgers, or more rarely a bear and playful otters. There are records of 126 species of bird (of which 70 are permanently nesting here), 321 different kinds of butterflies, 20 species of bats and also numerous endemic species, relics of crab species, including several amphibians and reptile species. Also, you can peek into the valuable and attractive buildings of the Plitivice Lakes Park – the restored traditionally crafted mills and sawmills driven by the water power.

Planing a visit?

Plitvice Lakes are beautiful throughout the whole year, but we must warn you that it gets very busy during summer. So, we recommend you a spring or late summer visit when the weather is ideal, the park is open for long hours and there are fewer people. The only thing left is to hit the road, relax and surrender to an amazing adventure that leads you to those scenic views of colorful flowers and trees, proud wild animals, emerald lakes and waterfalls.

Words always fail when it comes to describing the beauty of Plitvice Lakes, and each and every single one of you will try to create here a personal story to retell. So, why don’t you make it like a fairy tale to remember? A tale that will maintain magic in you!

If you’re planning a visit in the summertime, we recommend you to be in the park as early as you can – around 9 am is the perfect timing to beat the heat.

Things to do on the Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes waterfall
  • Stand beside the Kaluđerovac Lake and go up to the Veliki Slap Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Croatia that has a 78 meter drop, pass by the beautiful cliffs of the Gavanovac Lake and took into the amazing emerald colors of the Milanovac Lake
  • Go on a ride with the electric boat which takes you across the Kozjak Lake – the biggest lake at some 4kms in length
  • Visit Novaković Brod, the last and smallest lake in the Plitvice Lakes, then head towards Sastavci, at which begins the river Korana
  • Experience the unique sites of the Barac cave and go for underground sightseeing on which you’ll have the opportunity to see how rich with stalactites, stalagmites, and stalagnates this cave is
  • From 8 hiking routes, pick out the route H – a 4-6 hours hike that hits most of the main waterfall
  • Go for a ride to the Rastoke – the old part of Slunj town that is well known for its well-preserved mills and the amazing waterfalls along the Slunjčica river which flows into the river Korana
  • Visit Nikola Tesla memorial Smiljan situated 65km-away from Plitvice lakes in which you’ll find early works and imitations/replicas of some newer works of this unique man
  • In the small village of Kuterevo, visit the Kuterevo Bear Refuge that was founded in 2002 when the few bears lost their mothers
  • For the extreme ones, there are paintball, archery and quad offers that give you an opportunity for the active and adventurous way of recreation
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