Bus from PLITVICE LAKES to BERLIN

Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park is world-famous for its lakes arranged in cascades, and 16 lakes can be seen from the surface.

The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia.

The Plitvice Lakes originate in the south of the park area at the confluence of Bijela Rijeka (English White River) and Crna Rijeka (English Black River). These rivers originate south of the municipality of Plitvički Ljeskovac and unite at one of the bridges in this village.

In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register.

The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres (73,350 acres). About 90% of this area is part of Lika-Senj County, while the remaining 10% is part of Karlovac County. The lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 to 503 m (2,087 to 1,650 ft) over a distance of some eight km, aligned in a south-north direction. The lakes collectively cover an area of about two square kilometres (0.77 square miles), with the water exiting from the lowest lake forming the Korana River.

The name Plitvice was first mentioned in a written document in 1777 by Dominik Vukasović, the priest of Otočac. This name was designated due to natural phenomena that have created the lakes. Nature formed shallow basins (Croatian pličina or plitvak, plitko means shallow), which have been filled with water. For centuries, water has changed the limestone and thus the landscape of this area.

The overall water body area of the national park is about 2 km2 (0.77 sq mi). The two largest lakes, Prošćansko jezero and Kozjak, cover about 80 percent of the overall water body area. These lakes are also the deepest, with a depth of 37 and 47 metres (121 and 154 ft) respectively. On Lake Kozjak, low-noise and ecologically-friendly electric boats are being used. None of the other lakes in the park exceeds 25 metres (82 feet) in depth. The altitude drop from the first lake to the last is 133 metres (436 feet).

The 16 lakes that can be seen from the surface are grouped into the 12 Upper Lakes (Gornja jezera) and the four Lower Lakes (Donja jezera).

The Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with beech, spruce, and fir trees, and features a mixture of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a notably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, differing soils and varying levels of altitude.

Scientists have so far listed 1,267 different plants out of 109 species that can be found within the area of the national park. 75 plants are endemic, which means that they have first been defined and classified in this area of the world or not far from it.

For reasons of the poor industrial development of this region and early introduced protection measures, a nearly untouched landscape has been preserved. In the partially primeval beech and fir forests various rare species, such as the brown bear have survived. At the Plitvice Lakes, all species continue to exist that have already existed before the coming of man. This is a rare case worldwide.

Berlin is the capital, as well as the biggest city in Germany with 3,5 millions citizens. Devided in twelve districts, through Berlin flow rivers Spree and Havel and a lot of smaller streams that can be found at the city territory, in addition to lakes and forests. The city is situated in the mild climate zone between maritime to continental climate. The average temperature in Berlin  amounts to 9,5 °C.

Berlin features 175 museums and has more than 140 theaters, as well as 300 cinemas. There are 4650 restaurants, around 900 pubs and 190 bars and discos, which makes it one of the most captivating tourist destinations worldwide!

The most famous sightseeing attractions in Berlin are the following:

The Brandenburg Gate (das Brandeburger Tor) was built from 1788 to 1791. The classical construction was preserved from time of the German Democratic Republic and was considered a symbol of the Division of Germany.  After the Reunification the Gate gets another meaning and becomes the symbol of the German Unity. At the Brandenburg Gate a famous statue group designed by Johhan Gottfried Schadow decorates its top, the Quadriga.

The Television Tower (Fernsehturm) –situated  in the vicinity of Alexanderplatz, the Television Tower with its height of 368 meters it is the tallest building in Germany. The Tower is visited by more than 1 million tourists every year. When the weather is clear one can enjoy in a spectacular wide view above Berlin and the surrounding area.

Postdam Square (Postdamer Platz) – the modern city center surrounding Postdam Square was rebuilt on a wasteland after the Cold War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, which made a clear border between East and West Berlin. Today several skyscraper are shapind the skyline above the Postdamer Platz, and  Railway Tower, the Kollhoff Tower and Piano Skyscraper form the entrance gate to the inner city.

The Holocaust Memorial – The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or the Holocaust Memorial consists of 2711 concrete blocks built (stelae) in honour of the millions of people that were murdered during the time of the National Socialism. Underground of the Memorial’s field of stelae contains  Place of Information (Ort der Information), which documents the persecution and destruction of the European Jews.

The Old Arsenal (Zeughaus) Unter den Linden – it is the oldest building construction at the Boulevard Unter den Linden. The previous Zeughaus was the most extensive armory in the Prussia in the XVIII century, but, during the XX century it was redesigned by the government into the Museum of German History, which presented the collection of the history of Germany.

Central Station (Hauptbanhof) – Berlin Central Station was officially opened in May 2006. From Monday to Sunday, around 80 Shops are opened on different levels of the station. The glass construction and the glass roof represent the distuinguishing feature of the station.

Berlin is one of the most visited centers of national and international city tourism, and with its cuisine and specialities you can experience the perks of Berlin to the utmost.