National Park Plitvice Lakes

Hundred years ago, when the first interest was shown for enjoying the beauty of the Plitvice Lakes, the scientists called for necessary caution! Already then, scientists - naturalists while studying their unique feature, discovered a fundamental value of their natural phenomenon: travertine and travertine - forming - plants! They pointed out the need of necessary protection of the whole area as exceptional monument of nature.

After botanicians, the Plitvice Lakes were explored by geographers, biologists, geologists, foresters and other experts who have been proving by documents and drawing attention to the natural values of both local and larger area of the Plitvice Lakes. In the twenties of this century, professor Ivo Pevalek noticed at Plitvice a very complex biodynamics of travertine - forming plant's regeneration, as well as a process of travertine barriers growth, which were even then in the highest danger due to unreasonable human behavior. The first legal protection of the Plitvice Lakes was realized for a short time in year 1928/1929 under the then Financial Code.

Based on the action ruling the National Parks, passed in 1948, the Parlament of the National Republic of Croatia passed on its regular session in April 1949 a Code on declaring the Plitvice Lakes a Natural Park - as the area of a special natural beauty. During the last 48 years, certain solutions and additions have been added, and the last change took place in 1997 when enlargement of Park borders towards its belonging drainage basin of 266 km2 was legalized.

The organization of the United Nations, in fact its UNESCO office noticed the exceptional natural uniqueness of this National park and enrolled the Plitvice Lakes in 1979 on the list of World's cultural and natural inheritance, as a special value not only for us, but for the whole mankind.