https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/ en info@starigrad-paklenica.com Copyright 2017 2017-02-12T20:37:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/by-visiting-starigrad-youre-getting-to-know-lika-and-dalmatia https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/by-visiting-starigrad-youre-getting-to-know-lika-and-dalmatia#When:20:37:00Z A bit more than 265 kilometers from Zagreb and just a few hours of driving is separating you from visiting a picturesque little town connecting two Croatian regions. Starigrad is a small peaceful place where you can relax without being interrupted by noisy tourists or loud crowds because the most visitors come from small villages around the town and, if you stay in the town in the early mornings or late afternoons, you will have the perfect chance for a peaceful walk, enjoying the beach or taking a bath in the warm sea. If you're caught by bad weather or you're not in the mood for a bath, you can visit one of the wonderful neighbouring places which will ofer you rich cultural and gastronomy menu. NP Paklenica, the second biggest national park in Croatia, is located really close to the area itself. It's famous for it's two big canyons notched into the southern part of Velebit. It's a perfect destination for adrenaline lovers because the famous hiking center Paklenica can offer you a  400 meter high climb. Hikers will enjoy the place, and while entering Paklenica, you can also visit the Velika and Mala Paklenica canyons, the alp called Vaganski vrh and the highest point of Velebit called Sveto Brdo at 1752 meters height above sea level. From the top of Velebit you'll be offered with a gorgeous view on both Lika and Dalmatia, and, if you're intrigued by it, you can climb down to the closest place officialy belonging to Lika, Lovinac. It's a small place becoming famous for it's touristic and gastro offer which provides you the presence of beautiful landscapes such as Plitvice lakes, Cerovac caves and, ofcourse, our biggest park: Northern Velebit. Northern Velebit has special isolated, protected areas in it's complex such as: Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi, Luke's pit, one of the deepest ones in the world, a nature reserve Borov vrh, a botanical garden Zavižan-Balinovac, and, tourist's favourite: the Velebit Botanical Garden and Štirovača. They offer you a beautiful glance into the hidden world of mountain's nature which is the perfect escape from the town's noise and the perfect opportunity to reconnect with nature. Cerovac caves are located just a few kilometres further and are part of the Nature Park Velebit. The first 700 metres of the Gornja and Donja cave are opened and arranged for visitors of all age! Plitvice lakes is the oldest and the most visited park which doesn't have to be specially introduced. It's recommended that you introduce yourself with it and to the sixteen lakes in the complex, at least four times in life, in every season. When you visit all of the above mentioned places, you can make your way to Zadar and enjoy the famous restaurants, visit the St. Donat's Church and the Morske Orgulje (Sea Organs). You can grab a piece of the delicious rožata, a famous Dalmatian dessert, in the nearness of one of the many town museums, perhaps the museum of glass. All of these places are close to Starigrad, the perfect centre for nature and culture lovers. After the rough excursion day, it's wonderful to go back to the peaceful ambiance of your cosy apartment and enjoy the cold night breeze coming down from Velebit. 2017-02-12T20:37:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/traveling-to-starigrad-is-only-the-beginning-of-the-adventure https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/traveling-to-starigrad-is-only-the-beginning-of-the-adventure#When:20:36:00Z On your way to Starigrad you can visit a lot of  interesting places and make your travelling an adventure! If you're travelling from the north, let us lead you. Slunj is a small place which hides a true gem just by the road – Rastoke. Waterfalls which pour their water into old wooden mills make this  a beautiful place to visit and take  a small break during your trip. Climb down into this small suburbia, have a lunch and  buy flour for the best tasting bread in the world! If you move on closer to Starigrad, you can visit the Memorial centre of Nikola Tesla on your way. It's located in Smiljan,  close to Gospić and offers you a rich spectre of science related inventions all dedicated to one of the biggest inventors in the world! We believe you'll enjoy getting to know science! Closer to Starigrad, between Selin and the town itself, you can pay a visit to Večka fort, a medieval tower originating from the time when Turks were invading, famous for the legends related to king Pasoglav. On the eastern side of  Velika Paklenica, near the park entrance, you can visit one more fortification , a medieval building Paklaric located at the heigh of 121 meters. You can visit it by walking the path starting by the new mill all the way to the viewpoint. Romantic walks are always a good idea, right? Did you know that there is also a stream called Velika Paklenica between Starigrad and Selin? The St. Peter's church is located right there and it's a building which history lovers usually adore. Building of the church itself was divided into two time periods, in the middle and the late Medieval Age. Later people added a belfry and buttresses. The cemetery is actually located not only around the church, but also in it. It was used between 14th and 16th century. Massive stone blocks that remained are decorated with reliefs that show typical life in that period of time. Also, a lot of jewerly and money of that time have been found there. While visiting Starigrad, you should pay attention to etno houses near it. Their traditional building style, costumes and house exhibits will lead you back into the history and you will find out that you've probably seen some of them in your grandmother's houses, and maybe even in yours? There's a lot of reasons to enjoy the trip to our beautiful town, but also the stay itself. In the center of beautiful nature and historical buildings of Dalmatia, you can enjoy the sun, the sea and learn somethinh new about our country! 2017-02-12T20:36:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/paklenica_national_park1 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/paklenica_national_park1#When:06:32:00Z The Paklenica National Park encompasses the areas of the impressive canyons of Velika and Mala Paklenica, vertically incised into the southern slopes of the Velebit Mountain. Composed of karst features, the Paklenica park abounds in highly varied rocky “sculptures”, which alternate with wooded valleys and mountain meadows. It hides in its bosom the opulent beauty of the underground, as best exemplified by the cave of Manita Peć. Orchids and lilies in green glades, endemic blue-bells on sheer cliffs, dense forests of black pine, and incredibly varied species of butterflies and birds are all only a part of the rich flora and fauna that exist in the Park.     All the full beauties of Paklenica can be experienced only by hiking, and in recognition of this, over 150 km of hiking paths have been made. The particular attraction of this area is the closeness of the seacoast, which allows you to experience all the charms of the mountain and the sea in one place. Paklenica is also considered to be among the most famous European climbing centres. The climbing area is settled at very beginning of the canyon Velika Paklenica. The climbing site has over 400 climbing routes of various difficulty levels and lengths and the climbing season in Paklenica lasts from early spring until late autumn. Practical Guide The administration building and information-presentation centre of Paklenica National Park are situated in Starigrad-Paklenica, Dr.Franje Tuđmana 14a tel.+385 23 369 202 fax +385 23 369 155 e-mail: prezentacija@paklenica.hr Entrance 1 – main entrance: Paklenička ulica bb, Starigrad-Paklenica, tel.+385 23 369 803, open for visitors all year round Entrance 2 – Mala Paklenica, Put Jukića bb, Seline, open from the beginning of May until the end of October TOURIST OBJECTS: Ethno-house Marasović Paklenica mill Belvedere and Paklarić fort Souvenir shop Manita peć cave Lugarnica forest cottage "Paklenica" mountain hut Educational centre for the popularization birds of prey and owls Source www.rivijera-paklenica.com 2015-03-26T06:32:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/hike_and_bike_path https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/hike_and_bike_path#When:12:34:00Z The hike and bike path connects Starigrad-Paklenica and Seline, the coast and its mountain backdrop, the past and the present. If you start out from the centre of Starigrad-Paklenica, you can expect a gentle ride/walk through the streets of the old town. You can complement the experience with a walk along the Mirila educational mountain trail, letting you discover a unique part of Croatian cultural heritage – the stone memorials located along the trails of Velebit, which bear witness to the former way of life and death on the slopes of Velebit. We recommend a visit to the small ethnographic museum and the Dalmatian tavern in the newly-renovated ethno-house in the hamlet of Marasovići. From here, you can head into Paklenica National Park or continue along the path that wends its way through the old, picturesque villages situated on the gentle mountain slopes, with idyllic views of the Velebit Channel. You can reach the shore from any of the old villages on this path and treat yourself to refreshments in one of the quaint restaurants and cafés or even cool off in the crystal clear sea. You will be amazed by the sumptuous beauty of the natural beaches of Pisak and Kulina, and there, on its final cape, Večka Tower stands hiding the secret of King Pasoglav... There is also the old Croatian church of Saint Peter (10th century) nearby, which is certainly worth a visit. Having seen and learnt so much about the life and customs of the people living at the foot of Velebit, you will return to Starigrad-Paklenica, where you began this short trip through history. Trail length: Starigrad-Reljani 8km Trail difficulty: easy, apart from the section from Matkovača to Mirila (900m, medium difficulty) and crossing the riverbed in the Mala Paklenica canyon (200m, medium difficulty) Terrain: asphalt - macadam - earth - stone Altitude difference: 100m 2008-02-11T12:34:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/mirila https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/mirila#When:12:30:00Z Along the mountain paths through the Velebit passes, elevations and clearings, the mirila can be found - stone monuments to the deceased. They date back to the times when people lived and died in the Velebit hamlets (17th – 20th century), mainly making their livelihoods from animal husbandry. They preserve the memories of those who died on the mountain slopes and who had to be carried to the village church and to the graveyard where they were buried. On these tortuous treks, stopping for a rest and placing the deceased on the ground was only permitted in one place - a place where the deceased would say his final farewell to the sun. A mirilo was erected at this place - the height of the deceased marked with a stone laid at his head and feet and then these stones were connected with other slabs. The headstones were adorned with symbols engraved in shallow relief. They were revered and visited more than the grave itself where ‘only the body lay, without the soul that had remained at the mirilo.’ The mystical markings depicted on the headstones, among which the cross and the sun’s corona were the most common, point to the continuity of artistic decoration from prehistoric cultures through to early Christianity and the iconography of medieval Bosnian tombstones, while inscriptions are rare and belong to more recent times. As stone markers of a unique funeral cult, the mirila tell us of the customs, the way of life and the creativity of an entire age. 2008-02-11T12:30:00+00:00 https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/manita_cave https://starigrad-paklenica.com/paklenica-croatia/manita_cave#When:12:27:00Z The park boasts some 70 caves, among which the most beautiful are Manita Cave and the Vodarica pit. Only Manita Cave is open to tourists. From Anića Luka, there is a path heading towards the western side of the canyon, to Manita Cave. The entrance to the cave is about 550m above sea level. The cave is 175m in length and is divided into two halls, which abound in stalactites, stalagmites and calcium carbonate columns. It is thought that these features are approximately 80,000 years old. The cave is reached by a 1-½ hour walk and visitors must be accompanied by a guide. 2008-02-11T12:27:00+00:00