Drina National Park
Description
Drina National Park is the youngest national park in BiH, founded in 2017 in the Srebrenica municipality, along the left bank of the Drina. It covers over six thousand hectares, from the Perućac dam to the Rogatica and Višegrad borders, facing Serbia's Tara National Park across the river. The park is a realm of untouched nature and rich biodiversity.
Its greatest gem is Pančić's spruce, an endemic relict now found almost only around the middle Drina. Alongside it grow several hundred plant species, many of them endemic, while the forests and cliffs are home to the brown bear, the chamois and the golden eagle. Especially striking is the Drina's gorge-canyon valley, nearly a thousand metres deep at the mouth of the Crni Potok. Beyond nature, the park also guards a rich cultural heritage – from the ancient site of Skelani to the building tradition of the Osat region.
Plant life
Drina National Park is unique for its flora, with around 635 vascular plant species. The most notable is Pančić's spruce, an endemic Tertiary-relict conifer that once grew across Europe but now survives almost only around the middle course of the Drina. Beside it grow many other endemics, such as the Derventa knapweed and Maly's daphne.
The Osat tradition
The park lies in the historical region of Osat, famed for its skilled folk builders – the dunđeri, whose log houses still adorn places on both sides of the Drina. Among themselves they spoke a special, secret "Osat" or builders' jargon. The Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić wrote of their craft in his story "Osatičani".
The Drina canyon
The heart of the park is the gorge-canyon valley of the Drina and its tributaries, one of the deepest in the country – at the mouth of the Crni Potok the canyon reaches almost a thousand metres deep. The Drina, one of the region's loveliest rivers, was once tamed by famous raftsmen, and its winding course gave rise to the saying "don't straighten the crooked Drina". Part of its course now forms Lake Perućac.
Eco Tourism
As a young protected area, Drina National Park is developing visitor facilities in harmony with nature – walks and canyon tours, watching rare plants and animals, and activities on Lake Perućac, where a marina is being built. The park is ideal for lovers of untouched nature, photography and quiet rest away from the crowds.
