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| The Mljet National Park |
National Park of Mljet was founded in 1960. It is the oldest National park on the islands. Namely, the park is situated on the western side of the island Mljet. This island is the most southerly and easterly islands in Croatia. Mljet is situated to the south of the Pelješac peninsula: only Mljet Channel divides them. The whole island is of volcanic origin, it features numerous chasms and gorges. The borders of this national park take approximately 33% of the whole island. Natural wonders make this place so unique. The most famous natural attractions on this area are Small and Big Lakes. Within the context of uniqueness of the national park we have to mention cultural and historical heritage, which reaches far into the past - Illyric times, Roman Empire, The Republic of Dubrovnik. The island itself is very hard to reach and it’s often said that it is lost in the open sea. But, our recommendation for you is: discover it, don’t let it remain a secret for you, it’s really worth seeing! You must have heard stories about Odyssey and St. Paul and about Benedictine monks as well. If you haven’t we're sure that you all know about the Mediterranean Seal. It is believed that Odysseus found his shelter here after surviving a shipwreck. The proof for that is cave which bears his name, a large egg shaped cave accessed by a long tunnel. This cave is used by the local fishermen. Amazed by the beauty of the nature and in love with nymph Calypso Odysseus stayed on the island for 7 years.
One legend says that after the shipwreck that happened in 61.AD on his way to Rome St. Paul landed on the island of Mljet, or to be more precise, on the beach of Saplunara. This story is mentioned in the Bible. St. Paul spent 3 months on the island of Mljet preaching Gospel. Above Saplunara, in Žara field there are the remains of the church that people still call St. Paul’s church. T It is also believed that St. Paul named Saplunara first, after Latin word «sabulum» that means «sand». Since the eight century, the central part of the island has been populated by Croats from the area of the River Neretva. Benedictine priests became the feudal masters of the island in the mid 12th century. They built the church and the monastery in the middle of the Great Lake. In the 14th century the monks and the local population made the following agreement: people were no longer requested to work in the fields; instead of that they would pay an annual tax to the monastery. Since then, the monastery has been the cultural, religious and political centre of the island. The Benedictine monks allowed people to inhabit the area of today's National Park until as late as the 19th century. During the rule of napoleon, the Benedictine order was abolished and in 1809 monastery on Mljet closed its doors. Here are some of the most important reasons why this area was proclaimed a national park:
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| A beautiful sunset view from Mljet |
So, let’s say something about the Great and the Small Lake. These two lakes are connected by a shallow channel, and the Great Lake is connected with the open sea through the channel Soline. In the middle of the Great Lake is the small island of St. Mary, as we have already mentioned. The rich vegetation of the island is the reason why this island is often nicknamed the Green Island. Today, there are five types of forest on Mljet and there are also other areas of biological interest: sand dunes on the coast, high, steep coastal cliffs, as well as cliffs further inland, and, finally, the vegetation on the reefs. The main characteristic of the island is its isolation, its size, many forests and rather small population. These are all reasons for large variety of animals on the island. Here you can find domestic goat, donkey and some other domestic animals, than stone marten, Indian grey mongoose, mouse, dormouse, hedgehog, turtle, small grasshoppers and numerous birds, as well as all sorts of non-poisonous snakes. Since 1958 the following animal species have bean brought to the island: Five species of snakes and six species of lizards have been registered on the island to date. Mljet's largest daylight bird predator, the Snake eagle, feeds on snakes and lizards. The fish of this area include: painted comber, gray mullet, black-tailed sea bream, annular gilthead, brown wrasse, bamboo fish, cantor, cackier, smelt, stripped bream, conger eel, moray, forkbeard, dentex, grouper, sea-bass, gilthead, black umber, and others. The sea of Mljet is also rich with octopuses, lobsters and sea spiders, as well as various types of corals. In the lakes of Mljet there are different shell species: oysters, mussels, pen shells etc. In Great Lake, next to the Small Bridge lives stone coral. Today's population on the island mainly lives from agriculture growing grapes and olives, and tourism that enabled the development of new villages along the coast. You can reach "Mljet" National Park by a ferry from Dubrovnik and by numerous tourist charter boats from Korčula, Hvar and Split, which dock in Pomena. The settlements of Polače and Pomena are connected to the lakes by a system of forest paths. Swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and walking through thick shades of forests will make your stay very pleasant. Sightseeing from Montokuc and other peaks offer beautiful view over the entire National Park, and also to Pelješac and the open sea of the South Adriatic.
