Krka National Park wins the bronze medal for sustainable cultural tourism

Krka National Park wins the bronze medal for sustainable cultural tourism
Krka National Park receives new international recognition

At the awards ceremony of the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), held in Sibiu, Romania, the Public Institute of Krka National Park was awarded the bronze medal in the category “Resilience in sustainable cultural tourism destinations” for its project “Cultural heritage as a key component of sustainable development at Krka National Park”.

This recognition confirms the importance of cultural heritage as a fundamental part of sustainable development, and places Krka National Park amongst the best ranked European cultural tourism destinations.

“This award is great recognition for all our staff and associates who work tirelessly to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Krka River. Thank you to all of those who have worked and supported us in ensuring that the Krka remains a place where nature and culture can live together in harmony,” stated Nella Slavica, director of the Public Institute of Krka National Park.

The project that brought the Park this award highlights cultural tourism as a key determinant in sustainable development, and a tool that facilitates achieving a more balanced spatial and temporal distribution of visitors. The aim is to preserve and validate heritage, and reduce visitor pressures on the Park’s most visited locality – Skradinski buk; instead, redirecting visitors towards the upper reaches of the river that abound in cultural and historical content. This supports the preservation of heritage and the development of the local community in those areas, securing sustainability.

Some of the most significant examples of the validation of cultural heritage are seen at the Burnum archaeological site, home to one of the best preserved Roman military amphitheatres in Croatia. Artefacts unearthed at this site are on display in the Archaeology Collection of the Krka Eco Campus in Puljane. Through the event called Burnum Ides, the Park revives the ancient Roman period through demonstrations of the life, arts and crafts of that time.

An important cultural segment in the Park is the restoration of the water mills at Skradinski buk, where old crafts such as milling wheat, smithing, and weaving are displayed. Here we also find the remnants of the Krka hydropower plant, which was the first to provide artificial lighting to a city (Šibenik) in 1895, based on the patent of Nikola Tesla.

The Park also nurtures its intangible heritage, such as the traditional skills of processing cloth and preparing food, which is presented through various workshops, training sessions, and documentary films. The series entitled “Kad se sjetim Krke” [When I remember the Krka], that tells the stories of people along the river and their customs, won international acclaim, including the Intermedia Globe Gold award in Hamburg.

The results of the project “Cultural heritage as a key determinant of sustainable development of Krka National Park” confirms the project’s quality, with nearly 45 thousand tickets for the upper and middle river course sold in 2024, an increase of 167% over 2015. Cultural events such as the Burnum Ides and Krka Fest attract more than 10 thousand visitors each year. According to a survey conducted by the University of Šibenik, 76% of visitors listed cultural heritage as their primary motive for visiting the Park.

Each year since 2014, the European Cultural Tourism Network in cooperation with Europa Nostra, European Travel Commission and NECSTouR, has held an awards ceremony to recognise the best European practices in sustainable cultural tourism. The recognition awarded to Krka National Park is further confirmation that it has successfully combined natural and cultural heritage, and that the Park is among the most sustainable cultural tourism destinations in Europe.