Lika Senj

Lika Senj

The wild heart of the country is found in Lika-Senj. This is where the **Velebit mountain road trip** begins. Huge grey peaks look down on the village of **Smiljan**. This is the birthplace of **Nikola Tesla**. You can visit his old lab and see how he worked with electricity. There is a museum that shows his most famous inventions. The wind here is very strong and shapes the rocks into strange towers. You can drive through high mountain passes to see the islands floating in the sea. The mountains act like a wall between the cold interior and the warm coast. The **Plitvice Lakes** are hidden in deep forests nearby. Sixteen lakes spill into each other to create many beautiful waterfalls. You can walk on wooden paths that go right over the rushing water. You can also visit a bear sanctuary in **Kuterevo**. Here young bears who lost their mothers are cared for in a natural setting. At the foot of the cliffs you can find the **Zavratnica fjord**. A sunken ship from World War II sits in the clear blue water. You can see the whole wreck from the walking path that clings to the rocks. It is a hauntly beautiful sight in the middle of a quiet bay. Drive the **Majstorska cesta** pass over the Tulove Grede peaks for the most iconic limestone views in the Balkans. For a quiet break stop in **Gospić** at the Museum of Lika to see traditional shepherd tools and woven "torba" bags. Visit the **Gacka River** mills in Sinac to see how flour is still ground by water power and buy a bag of organic rye. If you are heading to the coast stay in **Senj** to explore the **Nehaj Fortress** which was the home of the Uskok pirates. For a local feast order "Lika lamb" roasted under a heavy iron bell.

Lika Senj highlights

Part of these road trips

Follow the routes that cross this destination

The Scenic Route
The Heritage Drive
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History of Lika Senj

Lika-Senj is a county of wolves and giants, featuring the most rugged mountains in the country. This is where **Nikola Tesla** was born, inspired by the violent lightning storms of the Velebit range to eventually harness the world. As a boy, Tesla spent hours watching the mountain streams, dreaming of ways to convert the power of falling water into energy for mankind. The landscape is so wild that **bears and lynx** still roam the forests, just a few miles from the main highway. On the coast, the town of Senj was the headquarters of the **Uskoks** (fierce pirate guerrillas) who fought both the Turks and the Venetians. Their Nehaj fortress sits on a hill like a stone fist, designed to withstand cannon fire and the **Bura**, a wind so fast it can flip trucks on the bridge. The Uskoks were known for their daring nighttime raids, using their superior knowledge of the jagged coastline to escape pursuit. It is a region of raw, unpolished power. Inland, the **Plitvice Lakes** are a geological miracle of living stone. The water creates travertine barriers that grow and change every year, forming sixteen lakes that spill into each other. These barriers are formed by a unique combination of algae and moss that calcifies over time, creating a constantly evolving natural dam system. Driving through Lika feels like exploring a different planet, with vast empty plains, jagged white rocks and the purest water in Europe.
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