Photo: August Dominus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Veliko Jezero, the Great Lake, on the island of Mljet is in fact a bay that is connected to the open sea by a channel, and together with Malo Jezero it is the natural heart of Mljet National Park. On its islet of St Mary stands a Benedictine monastery, and the lakes are the most visited place on the island.
The lake was formed when a karst field sank beneath the sea. It is joined to the open sea by a long, wide channel at a place called Veliki Most, which opens into the Soline channel and then into the sea. Before 1960 the channel at Veliki Most was shallower and narrower than today, and a strong current ran through it that changed direction every six hours with the tide.
The Benedictines came to the island in the twelfth century and built a monastery on the islet of St Mary, where the remains of a Roman building have also been found. At the channel they built a mill, used in salt-making, and the nearby place of Soline takes its name from it. The old bridge at Veliki Most was demolished in 1958 so that the Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito could enter the lake with his yacht. The national park was proclaimed in 1960.
Tradition says Odysseus stayed on Mljet for seven years. The Odysseus cave is where he is supposed to have met the nymph Calypso, who nursed him back to health. You can reach it by boat or by a rough path from Babino Polje.
The lake is the home of the only endemic jellyfish in Croatia, Aurelia relicta. It has no stinging cells and is not dangerous.
Photo: August Dominus · CC BY-SA 4.0
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The lakes, the islet of St Mary and the villages of Goveđari, Polače and Pomena are the central parts of Mljet National Park, and the lakes are the most visited place on the island. Check the park's official pages for the entrance ticket, the boat to the islet and seasonal rules before travelling.
Car ferries run all year from Prapratno on the Pelješac peninsula to Sobra, where buses connect to Pomena and Polače, the two park entrances with most of the places to stay and eat. A passenger boat runs from Dubrovnik to Polače from June to September, and summer ferries are the most frequent, so plan around them.
Admission includes a short bus ride to Pristaniste on Veliko Jezero or to Mali Most on Malo Jezero, and the boat to St Mary. The islet's 12th-century Benedictine monastery is now a restaurant with shaded paths and views of the lake. Buying the ticket online is possible, and the park is open daily.
The clear, calm water is good for swimming, and it suits beginners in kayaks. Kayaks and bicycles can be rented at Pristaniste and Mali Most, and trails lead around the lakes and through shaded pine woods.
Fish and seafood are served all over the island, and many restaurants buy from local fishermen. Try makaruli, homemade macaroni with goat's cheese and fried garlic, and prandispanj, a traditional cake.
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Monastery
A small islet in the southern part of Veliko jezero, best known for its medieval Benedictine monastery, later rebuilt as a two-storey Renaissance building. Remains of a Roman building have also been found on the islet. Visiting St Mary's islet…
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