Nature blessed Vrgada with the beauty of a lively coastline, fertile fields and a fragrant pine forest; it also adorned it with thirteen small islands that are like a strewn necklace. Those who want to see “The Mediterranean as it once was” should come here – to Vrgada where history turns its pages in slow motion. Here you are still awakened by the silence in the night, during the day one forgets the meaning of hurrying and that somewhere on the mainland cars are still rushing by, while on the beach, in the deep shade of pine trees, hundreds of crickets set the unique atmosphere of summer madness. If you are a tourist, come, the beaches with golden sand are not a marketing trick, they are the long-lasting heritage and natural adornment of Vrgada. In Vrgada, as in times long past, tourists are still greeted on a mule.
This is the largest freshwater lake in Croatia as well as in the surrounding region; it has a turbulent and laborious history. At one time a many times larger marsh, with heroic self-denial and persistence of the noble Borelli, it was transformed into a picturesque lake. With innumerable old effluents, today the large Pakoštane field is a farming area which has fed this region throughout the years. Some legends say that in the depth of the lake sleeps a fearsome dragon, but what is not a legend is the Ornithological reserve, a natural habitat for aquatic birds. On sunny winter days up to 100,000 birds float and bob on the water, enjoying the mild climate and abundance of food. The multitude of fish and fishing for the big catch are a daily happening on Lake Vrana. Catches of 200 kg ‘monsters’, most often catfish, are not at all uncommon.
At the southern most part of Lake Vranais, there is a small dock for mooring boats, with bathroom facilities and a fisherman’s cottage from the 19th century which has been renovated in the traditional style, all right next to a canal which connects the freshwater lake with the salty sea water like an umbilical cord. A short stroll to the north will lead you to a birdwatching tower from which, in good weather, you have a view of the entire lake. If you head south, with a short stroll along which you will find information boards, you will arrive in a locality called Jugovir. In times of strong southerly winds, when the level of the sea rises, here the sea breaks through and heads towards the lake. This very place is the location of Borelli’s fisherman’s cottage from the 18th century which in the past served as an overnight shelter or storage location for fishermen or as a control point for guards monitoring the fishing of eels, which in this place migrate in the greatest numbers towards the sea and back.
It has always been said that a good lookout point should offer a view “… like one from an airplane”. The Čelinka hill above Drage is precisely such a place, offering a magnificent view of all four sides of the world. Drage is on one side. West of the locality glitters the blue sea with a handful of small islands which seem to be just out of reach. Somewhat to the north is the Pakoštane Riviera, while to the east lays Lake Vrana. This locality will truly take your breathe away, like it did back in ancient times to the first inhabitants of this region, who built their first settlement on this very locality.
In 2006, at the top of the Kamenjak hill, above the middle of Lake Vrana, a lookout point of the same name was erected (Project CARDS 2002). The two connected buildings were built and decorated in the traditional style, and next to them are large information boards which tell the story of this region over two thousand years, a large plateau with benches for rest and enjoyment, a panoramic telescope and most importantly, a view of the entire lake, of the beginning of the Kornati archipelago, of the Island of Murter, and of Pirovac, Drage, Pakoštane…
During the summer heat when even the thick shade of the pine trees does not offer enough respite, come to this place. Without fear of being laughed at, be sure to bring along a tracksuit, you’re going to need it. In summer the waters which were abundant in the autumn dry up. Long ago, when the inhabitants of the Roman Empire walked these plains, drinking water flowed from here through aqueducts all the way to Zadar.
The Benkovac region is criss-crossed with forts; evidence of the centuries of battles against conquerors. The first fort, built for the purpose of defence against two impending forces, the Venetians from the west and the Turks from the east, is Kličevica, which was erected by the Kurjakovićs in 1454. Regardless of how devastated it is today, the foundation layout is well preserved, with high surrounding walls and a tower. Overgrown with nettles, Kličevac reminds us that Cesar’s troops on their path of conquest made nettle famous, as a remedy for arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, but also as healthy food.
Poučna staza oko Vranskog jezera u dužini od 450 metara omogućit će vam impresivnu šetnju i upoznavanje sa staništima i hranilištima ptica u gustom tršćaku. Vrlo je vjerojatno da ćete naići na čaplju dangubu, zaštitni znak Vranskog jezera, a pridružit će vam se i mali vranac kojemu je Vransko jezero jedino stabilno gnjezdilište u Hrvatskoj.
Povijesna dragocjenost krije se u lokalitetu Gradina u selu Vrana. Srednjovjekovna je to utvrda koja svjedoči o bogatoj sakralnoj, civilnoj i vojnoj prošlosti i važnosti Vrane. Posjet Gradini omogućit će vam da postanete, bar na trenutak dio prošlosti na ostatcima gotičke crkve svete Katarine i glavne obrambene kule ove utvrde koja se spominje od 11. stoljeća do danas.
Han Jusufa Maškovića, građen kao ljetnikovac i rezidencija zapovjednika turske vojske,najveći je spomenik turskoga graditeljstva u Hrvatskoj i najzapadnija građevina osmanlijske arhitekture na tlu nekadašnjeg turskog carstva. Sredstvima Europske unije han je obnovljen pa danas ispunjava prvotnu namjenu (14 soba, 2 apartmana, recepcija, restoran, suvenirnica, upravna zgrada, muzej, čak i 1 wellness…).
Dalmaland je tematsko-zabavni i vodeni park, podijeljen u četiri tematske cjeline – Gusarski grad, Divlji Zapad, Svemir i Vodeni svijet. U Dalmaland-u nudimo za svakoga ponešto, od adrenalinske i obiteljske zabave do spuštanja niz veliki broj tobogana i jednostavnog uživanja samo u kupanju, a rezultat toga jednodnevnog izleta su mnoštvo dobre zabave i nezaboravnih uspomena.
