Risnjak
Encyclopedia
Risnjak is a mountain in the Risnjak National Park
, in Gorski Kotar
, Croatia
. It belongs to the Dinaric Alps
mountain range. The name of the massif probably comes from ris, the Croatian word for lynx
. Another interpretation suggests that it comes from the local word risje, which is a name for a type of grass.
The vegetation is very diverse. Thirty different plant communities have been recorded, of which the most common are beech and fir forests (Fagetum illyricum abietotosum) which go up to 1240 m and then are replaced by sub-alpine beeches (Fagetum croaticum subalpinum). The highest vegetation is a belt of mountain pine (Pinetum mughi croaticum). The fauna is also diverse, but has been less well researched. There are particularly many species of birds and mammals, including several types of chamois, while since 1974 the area has once again been inhabited by the ris (lynx).
The highest peak of Risnjak mountain is "Risnjak" or Veliki Risnjak at 1528 m.a.s.l. (the latter name means "Big Risnjak"), and it is also the highest peak in the Risnjak National Park, and the second in Gorski kotar next to Bjelolasica. On its southern slope is located the mountain lodge called Šloserov dom, built by Josip Schlosser
. The peak can be reached only on foot, from Crni Lug (3 h) or from an unpaved road beginning in Gornje Jelenje (1 h).
The highest peaks of Risnjak mountain are: Veliki Risnjak (1528 m), Snježnik (1506 m), Sjeverni Mali Risnjak (1434 m) and Južni Mali Risnjak (1448 m).
Risnjak National Park
Risnjak National Park is a national park in Croatia. It is located in Gorski kotar, the most mountainous and heavily forested region of the country, about 15 km inland from the Adriatic Sea. The park covers an area of 63.5 square kilometers including the central part of Risnjak and Snježnik...
, in Gorski Kotar
Gorski kotar
Gorski kotar is the mountainous region in Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka. Together with Lika and the Ogulin-Plaški valley it forms Mountainous Croatia. Because 63% of its surface is forested it is popularly called the green lungs of Croatia or Croatian Switzerland...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It belongs to the Dinaric Alps
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides form a mountain chain in Southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro....
mountain range. The name of the massif probably comes from ris, the Croatian word for lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
. Another interpretation suggests that it comes from the local word risje, which is a name for a type of grass.
The vegetation is very diverse. Thirty different plant communities have been recorded, of which the most common are beech and fir forests (Fagetum illyricum abietotosum) which go up to 1240 m and then are replaced by sub-alpine beeches (Fagetum croaticum subalpinum). The highest vegetation is a belt of mountain pine (Pinetum mughi croaticum). The fauna is also diverse, but has been less well researched. There are particularly many species of birds and mammals, including several types of chamois, while since 1974 the area has once again been inhabited by the ris (lynx).
The highest peak of Risnjak mountain is "Risnjak" or Veliki Risnjak at 1528 m.a.s.l. (the latter name means "Big Risnjak"), and it is also the highest peak in the Risnjak National Park, and the second in Gorski kotar next to Bjelolasica. On its southern slope is located the mountain lodge called Šloserov dom, built by Josip Schlosser
Josip Schlosser
Josip Schlosser was a Croatian physician, alpinist and botanist.Together with Ljudevit Farkaš Vukotinović, he was an author of Flora croatica , the main work for the knowledge of plants in Croatia. He was the most prominent 19th century botanist and explorer of Risnjak mountain, and wrote numerous...
. The peak can be reached only on foot, from Crni Lug (3 h) or from an unpaved road beginning in Gornje Jelenje (1 h).
The highest peaks of Risnjak mountain are: Veliki Risnjak (1528 m), Snježnik (1506 m), Sjeverni Mali Risnjak (1434 m) and Južni Mali Risnjak (1448 m).