Natural Wonder · Plitvice, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. Built 1949. It drew 1,720,331 visitors in 2017.
Photo: Zysko serhii via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Plitvice, Croatia |
|---|---|
| Type | Natural Wonder |
| Built | 1949 |
| Area | Area: 296.85 km² |
| Annual visitors (2017) | 1,720,331 |
| Coordinates | 44.8806° N, 15.6161° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Plitvice Lakes is known for
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia.
About Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, for its outstanding and picturesque series of tufa lakes, caves, and connected waterfalls. The national park was founded in 1949 and is in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History
During the 6th century, Avars settled in this region, which were accompanied by the Croats. The Croats eventually defied Avar control and settled permanently in this region. In medieval times, frequent attacks by Mongols posed a permanent threat to the settled population.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Plitvice Lakes website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Plitvice |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Zemunik Airport (ZAD) |
| Distance from the airport | 55.6 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Zadar Airport (ZAD) · Zadar, Croatia · 55.7 miles away
- Rijeka Airport (RJK) · Rijeka(Omišalj), Croatia · 56.1 miles away
- Zagreb Franjo Tuđman International Airport (ZAG) · Velika Gorica, Croatia · 63.5 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Croatia
More natural wonders
Frequently asked questions
What is Plitvice Lakes?
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia.
Where is Plitvice Lakes located?
Plitvice Lakes is in Plitvice, Croatia. Its coordinates are 44.8806° N, 15.6161° E.
How do I get to Plitvice Lakes?
The nearest town is Plitvice, and the nearest airport is Zemunik Airport (ZAD), about 55.6 miles away (straight line).
When was Plitvice Lakes built?
Plitvice Lakes was built 1949.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvice_Lakes_National_Park — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189849 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://np-plitvicka-jezera.hr — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.