Location
Risnjak National Park is located in the northwest of Croatia and in geographic terms it covers forest area of Gorski Kotar. It is located near the Adriatic Sea, about 15 km northeast of the city of Rijeka. The park surface is 63.5 km2 and covers the central part of the mountain massifs Risnjak and Snježnik, as well as the source of the river Kupa with its upper course.
History
The area around the mountain Risnjak and the mountain itself were declared a national park in 1953. In early 1997, the NP Risnjak extended to Snježnik and the source of river Kupa.
Nature
The particularity of climatic conditions and terrain, as well as proximity to the Adriatic Sea is the reasons for the appearance of temperature inversion, so the same kind of flora and vegetation are also found along the mountain peaks and the valleys of the National Park. On a relatively small area of Dinara mountains alternate fourteen major types of mountain forests along with the thirty plant communities. When it comes to plants, the best known are: protected rare flower – Edelweiss, then rhododendron, pinguicula alpina, yellow gentian, lilies, orchids, mountain avens, hairy mountain rose, alpine snowbell.
Sights
Risnjak is a rare place in Europe where you can still see the bear, wolf and lynx in their natural habitat. Lynx is probably the rarest and most hidden beast that lives in Europe. Only a few hunters or rare people find traces of lynx or animal itself. The lynx, hunter of the big and small game, is a loner who hunts mainly at dusk and at night. It represents an important link in the food chain in the ecosystem of Risnjak. This mountain range was named after it.
Tourism
Educational trail Leska with its 23 stations represents the best way to get to know Risnjak. For visitors is interesting the source of river Kupa with the first five kilometers of its flow and Risnjak with beautiful mountain pastures. Nature lovers have at their disposal a perfect stone sculptures, lush forests and meadows with a magnificent view that stretches from the highest peak of this massif, Veliki (Great) Risnjak (1528 meters) or from Snježnik (1506 meters) on the Kvarner Bay.
Connection
Risnjak is 130 km away from the capital of Croatia, Zagreb. It is connected with the highway A6 Zagreb – Rijeka, exit Delnice, further on direction of Brod na Kupi towards Crni Lug. The Park Administration is situated in the place Crni Lug, which is 12 km away from Delnica. Those are some of the most common access points to Risnjak: from Crni Lug, from Gornje Jelenje, from Mrzla Vodica, from the direction of meadow Lazac, and from the direction of Platka.
Contact
Address:
NP RISNJAK
Bijela Vodica 48, Crni Lug
Telephone:
+385 51 836 133
+385 51 836 261
+385 51 836 116
Web: www.np-risnjak.hr
Mail: np-risnjak@ri.t-com.hr
