Travel ideas for Croatia - unique sights, worth Guinness records

Medvednica Nature Park in Croatia is in an incredibly beautiful mountainous area featuring an abandoned medieval mine Zrinjski. Back in 1527, the first mine has been laid there; zinc-lead ore has been mined in it. Mine literally turned precious, as that ore was rich in silver. During the tour, visitors would be able to see fragments of rock with veins of precious metal.
Long deserted tunnels serve as sites for guided tours, as part of mine is converted into a museum where you can see samples of old appliances and other miners’ devices. To make the atmosphere in the museum even more realistic, it was fitted with wooden statues of workers. The main inhabitants of the desert tunnels are bats, which make atmosphere in the mines even more ominous.
Travelers who are not afraid of bats are offered to take part in an exciting campaign providing an opportunity to adopt a bat. The whole point is that there are many rare species among bats living in mines that are on the verge of extinction. All funds raised at the event go for the maintenance of the animal population; after such a commemorative event tourists receive a personal certificate that they have their own pet in the mysterious Zrinjski mine. ... Complete sights collection

Croatia is rich in picturesque rivers, many of which are found for rafting. Dobra River is a right inflow of Kupa River and is very challenged among mid-level athletes. Its length is 104 km, the distinctive feature of the river is the diversity of the small sleepers. Although there are almost no high and extremely complicated river flows, this shortcoming is offset by the numerous obstacles.
A part of the river bed stretches through the deep ravine. This range is considered the most complicated and attractive among the most experienced athletes. Another unquestionable advantage of the river is its numerous pools and dams, which make the water level in the river almost 6 months a year sufficient for rafting. Here you can train in the early spring as well as in the autumn. On the Kupa River itself, you can go exclusively in the spring. During spring awakening, after the heavy rains the river water level increases and allows the raft rides. Even at the beginning of summer, however, the level of the water falls impetuously. ... Complete sights collection

One of the most original and most attractive stadiums in the world can be found in the Croatian town of Imotski. The construction of the local stadium was not incredibly expensive, its size is just as modest. The surrounding landscape makes the Gospin Dolac Stadium, opened in 1984, really unique. The small stadium was built on the steep cliffs, within reach of the striking historical sights. From the only colorful stand of the tiny stadium you can admire the panorama of the forest, the mountains, the wonderful lake and the old observation tower near the football field.
Gospin Dolac is the home stadium for the Imotski football club and can accommodate 4,000 spectators, although the number of curious tourists visiting the stadium is much bigger. The trip to the strange stadium will be an unforgettable excursion, during which you can see the interesting historical and natural sights. Within easy reach of the stadium are the ruins of the old town. The tower visible from the grandstands is only a part of the buildings hidden behind the rocks. ... Complete sights collection

In Croatia, the most famous and well-preserved amphitheater is to be found in Pula. The construction of the ancient monument had been lasting more than forty years and was completed in 68 AD. Nowadays, it is a permanent venue for theatrical performances, military ceremonies, public gatherings and enchanting concerts. The antique monument is perfectly preserved to this day. All three Roman orders and four towers have miraculously survived. In scale the largest amphitheater in Pula takes the sixth place in the world.
Limestone served as the main building material for the construction of external arenas. Their height is 29.4 meters. Originally, the theater could accommodate up to 23000 spectators. In the 5th century, when gladiatorial battles were banned, the arena gradually fell into despair. Numerous initiatives for dismantling and relocating the historical monument were constantly rejected. In the early 19th century the ancient theatre was decided to be completely reconstructed.
The reconstruction has been supervised by the world-famous architect Pietro Nobile. By 1932 the amphitheater has been fully prepared for large-scale events. Currently, the theater has 5000 seats. Visitors will have an opportunity to diversify the rest with a lot of interesting events. They can stroll through the underground rooms of the amphitheater, as well as look into the archaeological museum located on its territory. During the reconstruction of the arena, scientists discovered many unique artifacts that make up the museum's exposition. ... Complete sights collection

A unique military facility is the Zhelyava air base, located in Croatia. It was built on the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1968. The construction of the unique underground airfield took 20 years and cost more than 6 billion US dollars. For comparison, it can be said that today's defense expenditure of Serbia and Croatia is only about two billion.
At the time of construction, the underground air base Zeljava was one of the most expensive and largest military projects in Europe. During the Yugoslavian war in 1991, the air base was actively used. By 1992 it had been destroyed by the Yugoslav army. At the moment, Croatia does not have any funds for the reconstruction of the military complex, although part of the air base is still owned by the Croatian army.
According to the international frontier, Zeljava was divided into two parts. The area around the air base is considered incredibly dangerous. Here, there are a lot of unexploded mines, so the air support point for dog training is often used. The proximity of the air base to the border made it an accommodation for illegal migrants. Curious tourists are frequent guests of the destroyed facility. Recently, the government of the nearby city of Bihać proposed to build a new aerodrome on the airbase. This actual initiative is currently unfulfillable because of the lack of money. ... Complete sights collection

In Croatia, there is the unique Plitvice Lakes National Park. Its marvelous landscapes are impressive. The reserve was founded in 1949. Now, it is the largest national park in the country. As you might guess from the name, the main feature of the park are lovely lakes located on its territory. Ponds lying in the complex mountainous terrain form wonderful cascades with waterfalls and mysterious caves.
It’s important to note that you can admire picturesque lakes not only in summer, but also in winter, when ponds and waterfalls are frozen and snow-covered. The national park will appeal to nature lovers, who will have an opportunity to stroll through the birch and fir forests, observe rare birds, and see other typical representatives of the local fauna. The national park owes its marvelous beauty to the rapid flow of the Koran river that for many years has been grinding limestone and forming the unique barriers. Today, they serve as bowls for lakes.
The territory of ​​the park is more than 296 square km. It is visited by a million people every year. In total, there are 16 large lakes and 140 waterfalls, as well as about 20 caves, which also can be visited during trips to the park. Travelers won’t swim in lakes even though there was such an opportunity before 2008. The thing is that swimming there is very dangerous; a lot of people have drown. In 2008, it was decided to ban swimming totally. It’s better to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park in summer, as in warmer months virtually all its areas are open for tourists. ... Complete sights collection

In Zagreb you can find the biggest shopping mall in Europe. Its' name is "West Gate Centre" and it was opened in 2009. In this mall there are nearly 500 various shops on the area of more than 100 thousand square meters. The mall was built in 15 months and now "West Gate Centre" is ready to present not only a wide range of shops but also a wide range of entertainment.
Visitors with children will be interested in KIDS WORLD. The area of this park is 4 thousand square meters. It is good for babies and teenagers at once. The mall has all season ice skate and boiling club, more than 20 restaurants with different cuisines and over 10 bars. The enormous shopping mall in Zagreb is dramatically differing from others by its terrific design. Its halls are always decorated with an original art installation and thoroughly made system of lightning.
From the shopping mall the visitors can see the magnificent views of the city thanks to the panorama windows in many parts of the mall and in the atrium. The design of the mall was detailed thought: huge palms, fairy lights, made of mini lamps, stylish designers’ furniture and colorful banners. We also have to mention that new FiFi systems and electric EPGS that were used there. That’s why the mall is not only beautiful but also safe. For those, who are interesting in the shopping, the area of 3 300 meters with various shops is available. ... Complete sights collection

One of the world's largest death camps was founded in the village of Jasenovac in Croatia in 1941. About 700,000 people were killed during its existence only by rough estimates. Thousands of Jews, Roma, and Serbs lost their lives in this camp. The symbolic monument recalls the tragic past of these places today. It is called "Stone Flower". This beautiful memorial was abandoned for several years after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The historical museum located next to it was also closed.
The full restoration of the historical complex took place only in 2006. The memorial built during the communist period was completely reconstructed. Beautiful glass panels with the names of the dead prisoners of the camp engraved on them were installed next to it. In addition to the old stone monument, visitors to the complex can see a lot of interesting objects today. They can also visit the military museum. It also got a second life.
Many interesting objects have been preserved in the vast historical territory. They remind of the tragic times for Jasenovac. You can even see the old train here. Prisoners were taken to the camp on it. Jasenovac Monastery is located nearby. Explanatory signs are installed everywhere on the territory of the historical complex. They allow visitors to conduct self-guided tours here. A documentary was made about one of the world's largest concentration camps in 2015. It tells a lot of interesting facts about the historical monument and its authors. ... Complete sights collection