Travel Destination: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
If anyplace on earth is a natural paradise, Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is that place. Of all Croatia’s eight National Parks, Plitvice is the oldest and most visited. It’s easy to see why. Bears and wolves lurk in its primeval forest; schools of silvery fish dart through its pristine rivers; its beech trees are a cacophony of chattering birds.
The crown jewels are the 16 translucent lakes connected to each other by a breathtaking series of cascades. Dazzling as the Plitvice national park appeared on a recent visit, I couldn’t help recalling that this exceptional site was a war zone during the breakup of former Yugoslavia.
Located near Croatia’s then- disputed border with Bosnia-Hercegovina, the park’s troubles began in 1991 when the Yugoslav army seized the park and turned it into an army barracks. The Croatian army forced them out in 1995 but, a year later, the effects of war were everywhere. The area surrounding the park was a nightmarish landscape of bombed out houses and abandoned farms. The park’s three hotels were shot to pieces and part of the lake system was closed while specialists removed mines from the falls and forests.
Shaking off the aura of gloom, I set out to tour the park that UNESCO had named a world heritage site. Even with only half the park open, I was soon entranced.
Miles of wooden walkways wound over, under and alongside the falls. From merry two-foot bubblers to long walls laced with foam, the falling water was everywhere. I resolved to return one day when the park had been rebuilt.
It happened that my grand return to Plitvice occurred this year at the end of a long, hard winter in central Croatia. Although I had visions of tranquil lakes shimmering under a blue sky the weather turned out to be cold, foggy and damp. But damp is good in Plitvice. Between the melting winter snow and days of rain, much of the park was a roaring mass of water. Water pounded into swollen lakes, flooded out the walkways and splashed through the trees. It was splendid.
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