Blidinje Nature Park

10
Oct

The open and barren valley leading into the park is a result of the two past ice ages. The melting glaciers from Cvrsnica created this massive valley between Cvrsnica and Vran mountains.

Blidinje Lake is the direct result of a glacial retreat located at 1,184m in the valley below. This runway for ice, water and debris did not, however, manage to stop a wide range of life forms from prospering here. Accompanying some of the rocky and seemingly lifeless slopes are thick forests of pine, including the endemic white-bark pine at Masna Luka called Pinus leuco dermis. Three types of wild thyme and dozens of wild flowers cover the valley and mountain sides in the spring and summer. The 3-5km valley, situated at an elevation of 1,150-1,300m, is dotted with the trademark stecci from medieval ages. It is not clear how long human settlements have existed here but research began when Blidinje recently received Nature Park status. Traces of Illyrian graves and Roman roads indicate that Blidinje has been settled for at least 2,500 years. The large necropolis at Dugo Polje indicates that the waves of Slavs that came in the 7th century also made this area their home. The park is set in long sweeping valleys.