Into Each Heart Some Water Falls

Krka Waterfalls

These are our favorite waterfalls in Europe, even if we haven't explored a great part of the Nacionalni park Krka in Dalmatia (Croatia). The river is born from a 22 m high waterfall, Topoljski Slap near the city of Knin. There are seven waterfalls on its way to the sea, with a total height difference of 224 meter, while the river is only 73 km long. The lower third of the river has brackish water, due to the tide influence from the Adriatic Sea.

A boat links Skradin on the lake below to the lowest part of the park. We visited mainly the last waterfall on the river, Skradinski buk, and the area above it with a watermill and several houses with old crafts. Further up the river, there are the Visovac Monastery (Roman) and the Krka Monastery (Orthodox). There are also many trails through the park, guided tours to learn more about its special flora and fauna, etc.

If was funny to see so many people bathing in the water right under the big waterfall. Higher up, the Park Rangers didn't allow people to cool their feet in the water. That is quite understandable because of the delicate balance in the water between temperature, alkalinity and amount of calcium solved in the water.

Skradinski Buk

Plants building dams

What's so special about these falls, is that there's so much vegetation lining them.
The waterfalls in this region, at Plitvice, on the Una and the Krka, exist in very special circumstances, a co-operation of physical, chemical and vegetation factors. To begin with, there is a warm climate that helps the chemical reactions taking place in the water. We are here in a Karst region, with much calcium carbonate in the rocks, lime that is solved into water that passes through the rocks, like we know from caves with stalagmites and stalactites. The Krka region is a paradise for speleologues. So we have water that is oversaturated with calcium carbonate, that is quite free from organic matter and that flows at 0.5 to 3.5 meters per second. The water is alkaline (pH >8).


But unlike the 'lifeless' creation of stalactites, the vegetation around the falls helps to build barriers against the water. The bacteria, algae and mosses receive the deposits of lime on their surface, lined with small shards like animal shells, particles of limestone or dolomite. The living organisms catch the calcium and form new layers of travertine that are intermingled with the algae, mosses and small plants. This process is dynamic and goes on continuously, slowly changing the form of the falls, rivers and pools. It's another force, next to erosion, that builds the landscape. Travertine is also formed at geothermal springs, like in Yellowstone National Park*.

Second level on Skradinski Buk

Next level for the Panorama deck

Smithy, watermill and looms

Fleeting water -and fish- everywhere