Photo: Silverije · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Dubrava is a reservoir on the Drava in northern Croatia, divided between Međimurje and Varaždin counties. It is the largest of the four reservoirs built on the river and the largest artificial lake in Croatia, and the second largest lake in the country overall. The Drava flows in near Prelog, the only town on its shore, and the dam of the Dubrava hydroelectric plant, built in 1989, stands near Sveta Marija. The lake is popular with anglers, and there is a small marina and a small airfield for powered hang gliders.
How it formed
Dubrava is a reservoir. The Drava flows into it near Prelog, and the dam of the Dubrava hydroelectric plant, which began working in 1989, stands near Sveta Marija; before that the land was floodplain meadow and side channels of the river. With Lake Ormož and Lake Varaždin upstream, it belongs to the chain of Drava reservoirs run by the Croatian power company HEP.
History
The lake takes its name from the village of Donja Dubrava near the outflow canal, but it is Prelog, the only town on its shore, that is most closely tied to it. Prelog has started the procedure to rename it Priločko jezero; the change still needs the approval of the state.
Nature
The lake lies in the protected Drava corridor, the Mura-Drava Regional Park, which is part of the Natura 2000 network and of the five-country UNESCO Mura-Drava-Danube biosphere reserve. Its open water is an important wintering place for waterbirds: greylag and white-fronted geese, many kinds of duck and big flocks of coot. The richest spot is the wetland by Prelog’s marina, where the Drava enters the lake among reed beds, islands and shallows; goldeneye, little grebe, pygmy cormorant, marsh harrier, night heron, kingfisher, penduline tit and great reed warbler are among the birds seen there.
Gallery
Visit
Getting there
Nearest settlement: Prelog
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
Prelog is the base for the lake. South of the town, on the western shore, are a small marina with log cabins and a small airfield for powered hang gliders, and promenades and cycle paths run along the water all year. The lake is popular with anglers for its many kinds of fish, rowers and small sailing boats use it in the warmer months, and a hot-air balloon festival is held here every year.
For birds, take the paved road from Prelog to the marina wetland in winter or spring and bring binoculars or a telescope; there is no hide. Keep a distance from flocks on the water so that they are not put up. Međimurje’s lowland cycle routes, among them the Drava route, follow the river banks through the regional park, so the lake fits easily into a longer ride.
Nearby lakes
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Sources & data
- Statistički ljetopis Republike Hrvatske 2004, table 1-11 "Jezera / Lakes", Državni zavod za statistiku, 2004
- Croatia's 2022 Water Framework Directive reporting to the EEA: lake water bodies (SWB, category LW), field cArea, European Environment Agency (WISE WFD), reported by Croatia, 2022
- Croatian Wikipedia: Dubravsko jezero, Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata: Lake Dubrava (Q820542), Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikipedia: Lake Dubrava, Wikimedia Foundation
- Have you ever been to the largest artificial lake in Croatia?, Total Croatia News
- The largest artificial lake in Croatia: Lake Dubrava, Prelog, Turističke priče
- Preloška marina, Birdingplaces.eu
- Vodič za promatranje ptica uz rijeku Dravu u Varaždinskoj županiji (2022), Javna ustanova za upravljanje zaštićenim dijelovima prirode Varaždinske županije
- Cycling in Međimurje, Međimurje County Tourist Board