Kapela
| Kapela | ||
|---|---|---|
| Highest peak | Bjelolasica ( 1533 m above sea level ) | |
| location | Croatia | |
|
||
| Coordinates | 45 ° 16 ' N , 14 ° 58' E | |
The Kapela Mountains ( the Kapela , literally "Kapellengebirge") is a 130 km long wooded mountain range in Croatia . The mountains extend in a north-east-south-west direction about 30 km inland from the Adriatic coast and form a watershed between the Mediterranean and the Danube . In the north it reaches close to the border with Slovenia , where it joins the Gorski kotar ridge .
The northern section of the Kapela is called Velika Kapela and extends to the towns of Jezerane and Križpolje . To the south of it begins the Mala Kapela section , which extends to Korenica and almost reaches the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina near Bihać . Politically, the mountains belong to the three Croatian counties (provinces) Primorje-Gorski kotar , Karlovac and Lika-Senj .
The Kapela Mountains are a classic karst area . On limestone and dolomite formations one can find extensive forests (“green karst”), mainly with beech and fir stands . The Plitvice Lakes National Park is particularly well-known with its unique, largely natural lake landscape in the middle of primeval forests and karst formations, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as one of the first natural monuments worldwide .
Since the karst soil is not suitable for agricultural cultivation, the area is relatively sparsely populated and, due to its altitude, traditionally served as a border forest between the Croatian coast (the historical regions of Istria and Dalmatia ), which from the 16th century to 1815 mostly belonged to the Republic of Venice was controlled (afterwards by Austria-Hungary until 1918), and the catchment area of the Save or its tributaries Dobra , Mrežnica and Korana , which have their sources in the Kapela Mountains and flow to the east; this area of central Croatia was part of Austria-Hungary for centuries .
The highest point is Bjelolasica in the Velika Kapela mountain range near the village of Mrkopalj at 1533 m above sea level. NN . The Mala Kapela is crossed by one of the longest road tunnels in Europe; it is 5,780 meters long and opened on June 15, 2005 .
The current name “Kapela” comes from the fact that there was once an important monastery of the Pauline Hermit Order in Modruš on the 623 meter high Gvozd mountain . This monastery was founded by the princes of Krk at the time (later known as Frankopans from around 1430 ). It was founded around 1390 by Ivan V. Krčki , called Anž, / Johann V. von Krk / (* before 1343; † 1393), together with his wife Anna and his son Nikola IV (Mikula). The monastery received lavish possessions, not only on the mainland but also on the island of Krk . Up to 80 monks once lived in this monastery, all Croatians ( Glagolites ). The monastery was completely destroyed by the Ottoman conquests in 1493 and 1531. After the reconstruction of the chapel of St. Nicholas in 1738, the entire Gvozd mountain range was given the new name "Kapela" (German: chapel ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Franić, Dragutin. Plitvička Jezera i njihova okolica (1910). P. 377; quoted from Krčki knezovi Frankapani IS 48; Fras, Topography of the Croatian Military Frontier 1835, p. 117; Kussan, Geschichte des Oguliner Regiment, p. 129