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
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.
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.
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 (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.