The best of Adriatic Sea #3: National Park Mljet

In the past blog the best of Adriatic Sea we were talking about National Park Brijuni. Now, we will move forward on the third National Park under the name Mljet. On 11 November 1960 the Park was founded and all these years it delights numerous visitors with its beauty. Also, National Park Mljet is the first marine protected area in Croatia. The most famous locations in National Park are Small Lake and Great Lake (Malo i Veliko Jezero) which are bays submerged by the sea. The Park is extremely rich with life and has numerous endemic and endangered species. Due to the very mild Mediterranean climate and soil composition, lush vegetation has developed on Mljet, which is mostly consisting of: Aleppo pine and an evergreen forest of holly oak but also anthropogenically degraded forms of vegetation that include shrubland, garrigue and rocky grounds. Furthermore, those who prefer more cultural sites will not be disappointed, the park has numerous archaeological sites and the heritage of ancestors that exudes the old island settlements. The most popular sight is the Benedictine monastery located on the island of St. Mary on Great Lake (Veliko jezero). The National Park is possible to visit with own boat and more information about the prices you can find on website of National Park Mljet. For more information about renting a boat we suggest checking Yacht charter Dalmatia.

Settlements and villages

The National Park Mljet has 18 settlements and villages. The Mljet has settlements located outside of the National Park: Saplunara, Korita, Maranovići, Okuklje, Prožura, Prožurska luka, Sobra, Babino Polje, weekend settlement in the bay of Sutmiholjska, Blato, Kozarica, Ropa. On the other hand, Polače, Pomena, Goveđari, Soline, Babine Kuće, Njivice, Velika Loza, Tatinica and Pristanište are settlements located in National Park. The easiest way to visit this lovely villages is renting a boat with Yacht charter Dalmatia and exploring beauties of National Park Mljet.

The oldest settlement is Polače which date back to the Greek and Illyrian period. The settlement was located on the walls of the Late Antiquity palace and has now 140 inhabitants. Today in this settlement you can see many buildings from the Roman period. Some of archaeological monuments worth to visits are remains of the Roman vilae rusticae and thermal baths, late Antiquity residential complex constructed near the end of the 5th century, early Christian church from the 5th – 6th century, Nodilove košare – a sacral edifice from the 6th century, late Antiquity citadel on the hill above the port of Polače.

Isle of St. Mary

On the island you can found the famous Benedictine monastery with the Church of Saint Mary situated in the southern part of the Great Lake. The monastery was built from 1177 to 1198 and later Benedictines built church on monastery. The coat of arms of the Gundulić family was installed on the porch in the 16th century, after which the church was partitioned and extended. The building is currently a two-story Renaissance structure with courtyards on two sides and an arcaded main tract facing the courtyards. The monastery was also reconstructed in the Renaissance to form a unique structure with the church. The monastery's history dates back to 1198, when Pope Innocent III issued a document dedicating the Church of Saint Mary on the isle of the same name in the Great Lake on the island of Mljet. Until 1809, when it was shut down during Napoleon's authority, the monastery carried on with its operations. The monastery was transformed into a hotel in 1960, and it operated until 1991. The damaged monastery was returned to the Dubrovnik Diocese in 1998. There are currently active renovation and redecoration projects.

Source: National Park Mljet