Photo: Kaštel Stari · CC BY-SA 4.0
Visovac Lake is a broad stretch of the Krka river in Dalmatia, named after the small island of Visovac that lies in it, with its Franciscan monastery. The island is part of Krka National Park and can be reached only by boat. North of the lake lies the Roški Slap waterfall, and the river continues downstream.
Visovac lake is not a separate basin but a calm, wide reach of the Krka, held in the karst canyon between Roški slap upstream and the barriers further down. The river here slows, deepens and spreads, which is why mapmakers call it a lake.
Augustinian monks founded a small monastery and a church dedicated to the Apostle Paul on the island of Visovac in the fourteenth century. In 1445 Franciscans, who had withdrawn from parts of Bosnia when the Ottomans took them over, settled there and enlarged it, and a new monastery was built in the eighteenth century. The oldest preserved part of the complex dates from the fourteenth century. The monastery holds a rich library with manuscripts and rare books, among them a rare incunabulum of Aesop's fables. Because of the long devotion to the Mother of God, the island is also called Mother of God Island.
The island has long drawn pilgrims, and the park's excursion boats still carry pilgrimages there. A small museum and cypress gardens are part of the visit.
The lake is part of Krka National Park, where the river stretch is protected as a whole rather than the lake alone, and its water and shores shelter fish and birds.
Photo: Kaštel Stari · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: August Dominus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Falk2 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: August Dominus · CC BY-SA 4.0
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The island is visited by boat as part of national-park excursions, so confirm current timetables, tickets and landing rules on the park’s official pages before travelling. The monastery is a place of worship, so dress and behave accordingly.
From Skradinski buk there is a two-hour round trip with about 30 minutes on the island, and a four-hour version that also goes through the Među gredama canyon to Roški slap. From Roški slap a two-hour round trip leaves through the same canyon, with departures until 15:00. The shortest way is from Stinice or Remetić, a boat ride of about five minutes with about 30 minutes ashore; boats leave every hour, from about 10:00 to 16:00 from Stinice and from about 09:45 to 15:45 from Remetić. Excursions generally run from April to October, though boats between Stinice or Remetić and the island may keep running in winter.
Swimming in the park is allowed only in marked areas, such as Roški slap, Stinice and Pisak, from 1 June to 30 September. Check the park’s current rules.
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Monastery
A Franciscan monastery and church on the island of Visovac in the middle of the lake. It is the best-known monument of the Krka valley and the reason the lake carries the island's name. Visiting Visovac The island can be…
Waterfall
The waterfall at the upper end of Visovac lake, where the Krka drops in a broad, stepped cascade before it widens into the lake. Visiting Roški slap Roški slap is easy to reach by road, by boat or on foot,…
Sight
The best-known waterfall of Krka National Park, downstream of Visovac lake and upstream of the Prokljan estuary: a wide series of tufa cascades and pools. Visiting Skradinski buk Swimming below the main falls has been banned since January 2021; you…
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