Krka National Park

Krka National Park

 

 

Location: Šibenik-Knin County Map

Open: summer: 8am- 8pm

winter: 9am- 4pm (Apr, May, Oct, Nov, 8am- 6pm)

Info: Trg Ivana Pavla Il br 5, Sibenik, (022) 201 777

www.npkrka.hr

 

Krka National Park Map

Krka National Park situate in Šibenik-Knin County. River that formed its distinct landscape flow through karstic terrain eroded porous rock created numerous cascades, waterfalls, caverns and other splendid geological features. Krka National Park is obviously most famous for its beautiful cascades. The largest and most impressive cascade is that of Skradinski Buk which consists of 17 waterfalls of various size and a total drop of 45 meters. There is a small Ethnographic Museum located nearby. Part of the cascade is diverted into an old version of a natural washing machine that was used by local people to wash their clothes. Other cascades include Bilushich Buk (22 meters), Brlyan (15 meters), Manoylovats (32 meters), Rosnyak (8 meters) and Milyachka Slap (22 meters).
 
Krka National Park was found to protect seven beautiful cascades of waterfalls, two medieval monasteries as well as pristine forests. It is located in the Northern Dalmatia, near Sibenik. There is very few regulations within a park so try to use your common sense and don't hurt yourself. While swimming in the cascades is technically allowed, you should be very careful where you decide to take a swim. Safe areas for swimmers are well marked and should be preferred over other areas. Overall Krka National Park is well kept up. Well marked paths and wooden bridges make hiking very comfortable and easy.
 
Krka National Park also boasts large diversity of flora and fauna. This includes over 200 species of birds including rare golden eagles. Waters of Krka National Park are inhabited by trout and Adriatic salmon.

 

Interesting places

The waterfalls are seven picturesque cascades located along the entire river. The largest and most famous is the lower one - Skradinski Buk.
Bilušić Buk - 22 meters
Brljan - 15 meters
Manojlovač - drop 60 meters, including the main waterfall - 32 meters
Rosnyak (Rošnjak) - 8 meters
Miljacka Slap - 24 meters
Roški Slap - main waterfall - 22.5 meters
Skradinski Buk - 46 meters.

 

Visovac Monastery (Roman Catholic) (Krka National Park)

Krka National Park is not only famous for its beautiful views and untouched nature. It is also famous for its old medieval monasteries that are worth a visit. If you get a chance visit Visovac island in the middle of the Visovac lake. It is home to Roman Catholic Franciscan monastery that was found on the grounds of Krka National Park in 1445. Originally it started as a mere hermitage hidden away from people, but over time it grew into a beautiful, yet modest island of solitude in this wilderness. Another monastery that is known as Krka Monastery is located just up the stream 3 km east of Kistanje. It was found by the Orthodox Serbian monks in 1345. Sometimes tourists who visit this national park confuse the two.

 

Krka Monastery (Serbian Orthodox) (Krka National Park)

Krka Monastery (Serb. Manastir Krka) is a monastery of the Dalmatian Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, located in Northern Dalmatia on the territory of modern Croatia, three and a half kilometers south of the village of Kistanje.

Krka Monastery was founded in 1350 by the Serbian princess Elena Subic Nemanjic, sister of King Stefan Uroš IV and wife of the Croatian nobleman Mladen III Subic. The idea of ​​founding the monastery belonged to the confessor of the princess, the monk Reuben. According to the ancient historian Lucius, the apostle Paul preached in that area. Under the monastery itself there are catacombs, where, according to legend, the apostle preached. Also not far from the monastery are the ruins of the Roman military camp Burnum. Most likely, the founders of the monastery knew about it. In 1402 the monastery was completed and expanded.

In 1530, the church in the monastery was destroyed by the Turks, it was restored only in 1577. In 1647 it was destroyed again and the monastery was plundered. Three years later, its restoration began. In the 16th century, it was ruled by the bishops of the Dabro-Bosnian diocese, such as Gavrilo, Arsentie and Theodor. In the 18th century, this was done by the spiritual pastors of Montenegro, such as Petar Cetinsky or Sava Petrovich.

The monastery received its modern look in 1779. At the same time, a new large altar was erected. Since its founding, Krka Monastery has been the spiritual center for the Serbs of Dalmatia. Many Croatian Catholics also prayed there. The monastery was often sent various shrines and jewels from Jerusalem, Mount Athos, Venice, Russia, etc.

During the existence of the monastery, it was visited by many famous Serbs, among whom were Dositej Obradovic, Gerasim Zelich, Simo Matavul, Nikola Tesla, Mirko Korolia, Milos Crnianski, Vladan Desnitsa and others.

During the war in Croatia in 1991-1995. the monastery was located on the territory of Serbian Krajina and the center of the spiritual life of Orthodox Serbs in this region. In 1995, after the destruction of Serbian Krajina, it was plundered by Croatian troops. After these incidents, the Croatian government took him under its protection.

In 1995-1998. Krka monastery was in desolation and only then gradually began to recover. Gerasim Popovich became the first monk there after the war. Dalmatian bishop Photius (Sladoevich) made significant efforts to renovate the monastery.

In addition to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, the complex of monastery buildings also includes a bell tower, built in the Romanesque style, the chapel of St. Sava, built in the 17th century, a new seminary building and monks' cells. During the founding of the new seminary building, stones from the Pec Patriarchate and a number of other monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church were laid in the foundation. Also in the monastery there are archives with many ancient books and manuscripts and a sacristy of church values, the oldest of which date back to the XIV century.

Currently, the monastery remains one of the spiritual center of the Serbs in this region of Croatia.

Theological Seminary
With the blessing of Patriarch Paisiy Yanevets and Bishop Dabro-Bosnian Theodore, a theological seminary was founded at the monastery in 1615. After some time, she achieved significant results. It worked until 1647, when, under the threat of a Turkish invasion, the monks were forced to flee to Zadar and Sremski Karlovtsi. The monks returned three years later, but the seminary resumed work only in 1964.

After the war, the Theological Seminary was moved to the Republika Srpska, to Foca. In 2001, she was returned to the monastery. Currently, it is attended by about 50 students, and in 2015, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Irenaeus visited it to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the seminary.

Monastery library
The library of the Krka monastery contains a large number of rare texts, which serve as an important source for researchers of the history of Serbian literature. An inventory of the library was carried out by the monks in the late 1950s. The most ancient manuscript kept in the monastery is "Mokproposko јevanђeљe", dating from the second half of the 13th century. Besides him, the library contains several dozen manuscripts dating from the 13th-18th centuries. In the 18th century, the monastery received a large number of church books from the Russian Empire. During this period, there were also books in Greek published in Venice. When, after World War II, Dalmatia became part of the SR of Croatia within the framework of Yugoslavia, the library funds of the monastery were replenished by Matica Srpska, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Serbian universities, etc. After the war in Croatia, the funds of the Theological Seminary of the monastery were also replenished.