Velebit House is spread over four floors and covers a number of thematic ensembles intertwined and interspersed with each other so that the richness of Velebit, its diversity and cultural and natural value can be better displayed. In Velebit House you will meet a large part of this diversity – various insects and birds, large beasts, endemic plant species adapted to extreme living conditions… But the value of this mountain is not only in the number of plant, animal and fungal species, but also in the diversity of its landscape, with many superficial karstic forms – sinkholes, ridges, crags, limestone pavements… to name just a few.
Zavratnica is a 900 m long narrow inlet located at the foot of the mighty Velebit Mountains, in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, 1 km south of Jablanac. The bay is about 50-150 m wide. Because of its natural values even in 1964 was declared a protected landscape, and since 1981 is an integral part of the Nature Park Velebit. At the begining of 20th century a promenade and terrace in the center of the bay were built to prevent further deterioration. To stop the torrents coming from the mountain in the the cascades and terraces cypresses, alpine pine, fig, holm oak and other trees were planted. Zavratnica is the habitat of 129 plant species, of which 100 indigenous.
Premužićeva Trail is a 57 km long hiking trail that leads along the Velebit across the craggy ground of the north and central Velebit. The trail starts at Zavižan Mountain Hut, takes you to Veliki Alan and ends at Oštarijska vrata.
Trails takes you to the wildest and the most beautiful parts of Velebit that were known only to the small number of locals. The difference betwen the highest and the lowest point of the trail is just 200 m, so the trail is perfect for hikers. Shelter can be found in several mountain and hikers hut along the trail.
Beautiful place and more beautiful animals … bears are wonderful … if you are passing through, definitely stop and visit. You can help the volunteers to make life easier for these wonderful animals.
It is a way to drive, in the middle of the countryside, but worth a visit. These people, all volunteers, help these orphanaged brown bears live a decent life. There are some 800-1000 brown bears left in Croatia. None die a natural death. All human. And Croatia gives out licences to hunt up to 120 bears a year. More than 10% of the total bear population!
This organisation needs our attention and our support. And it is lovely to see these gorgeous, peaceful bears.
The route includes three kilometer long section of the old Austro-Hungarian road Teresiana, built in 1786, which connects former regimental center Gospić with port Karlobag.
Visitors can enjoy the picturesque view of the Oštarijski plateau surrounded by rocks. Once they reach Oštarijska vrata they will enjoy a delightful view of the Adriatic Sea and the islands of Zadar and Kvarner archipelago. Following the trail the visitor comes to small green karst depressions with green rocks on the borders – this is the village of Konjsko. There you can encounter grazing sheeps and horses, owned by the few remaining locals.
Grabovača is high ground a mountain, part of Central Velebit, located between the karst Lika plateau and Perušić field, 2.5 km from the center of Perušić.
The historical monuments of Kula from the 16thcentury, and the parish church of the Holy Cross from the 17th century can also be seen. Grabovača has a priceless wealth of subterranean karts shapes which makes 1/4 of the total number of protected caving structures in Croatia.
Six caves and one pit, three caves are on the list of protected national geomorphological monuments of nature:
The Lika River springs from the foot of the Velebit, at a 600 meter height above sea-level. The 78 km long
Lika is the longest precipitating river in Lika. The accumulation lake dam Kruščica was built in the Lika canyon (Lika Field Valley polje). The Lika River is cut off from the precipice in Lipovo Polje Valley where it disappears underground to join the Gacka River.
In 1996, not far from Ličko polje the artificial accumulation lake of Kruščica has been created. It has an 80-meter high dam in whose depths there is the sunken sv Ilija (St. Elias) village with a church bearing the same name.
Kosinj Bridge is a seventeen meter-long stone bridge that crosses the Lika River connecting Gornji and Donji Kosinj. It was designed in the 19th century by Milivoj Frković, a civil engineer, and built according to the old Croatian bridge building technique. The bridge is unique with its openings in the arches whose function is to relieve the impact of the waves on the bridge, while being, at the same time, outlined in the water as symmetrical circles.
There were about sixty functional mills on Gacka river and its tributaries worked during the course of the 20th century. Today, only few of them are still in use and tyey are located at the river Gacka springs. Representing the ballacne between man and nature they keep the memory of an old, extinct crafts.
