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Every visitor who becomes acquainted with at least
part of the beautiful natural environment and
valuable natural heritage of the County of Primorje-
Gorski kotar will undoubtedly agree that this is a very
special and uniquely preserved area. In addition to the
unquestionable diversity of its wonderful landscapes,
the area also abounds in an extremely rich biodiversity
that can hardly be matched. Care for the entire natural
heritage comes within the scope of the public institutions
that also manage the protected natural areas. In charge
of Risnjak National Park and Učka Nature Park are the
respective public institutions founded by the Republic of
Croatia. In charge of the other protected areas (about
thirty in total, including almost all types of protection
categories in the Republic of Croatia – from strict
reserves to monuments of park architecture) is the
county’s
Priroda
Public Institution (
Priroda
means
“Nature”).
Apart from the “must-see” visit to the Risnjak National
Park and the Učka Nature Park, we encourage visitors to
see at least some of the other attractive destinations in the
protected areas that offer something for every taste: from
the wild canyons, ravines and waterfalls in Vražji prolaz,
Zeleni vir and Kamačnik, to the somewhat tamer areas
of Gorski kotar’s forest parks (Golubinjak, Japlenški
vrh), preserved forest ecosystems, such as Dundo forest
on the island of Rab, or the unusual coastal areas of
sandy coves and pyramids in Lopar. Some individual
natural monuments are also worth visiting, such as
interesting old trees that defy the march of time, but also
some typical underground karst features, such as the
Cave of Lokvarka.
Risnjak National Park, situated only 15 km inland
from the Adriatic Sea, is the largest protected area in
Gorski kotar covering a total of 63.5 square kilometres.
In addition to the massifs of Risnjak and Snježnik, the
area of the National Park also encompasses a hydro-
geomorphological natural monument – the source of the
River Kupa with its upper flow. Risnjak forms a mighty
climatic and vegetational barrier between the coast and
the continental part of Croatia. We recommend entering
the park at Crni Lug, a typical Gorski kotar village, where
the pension and the National Park Authority are located.
There you can find plenty of useful information about
the park and follow the Leska Educational Trail that
leads through the beautiful forest at the foot of Risnjak.
The trail, which only takes about an hour and a half to
complete, explains the many natural phenomena of this
part of the park to visitors. More ambitious visitors should
not miss the walk through the River Kupa valley to the
river’s source, a unique karst phenomenon, beneath the
village of Razloge. Also worth visiting are the extensive
PROTECTION OF NATURAL HERITAGE
in the County of Primorje-Gorski kotar