Kopački Rit is a nature park in eastern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

in the municipalities of Bilje and Kneževi Vinogradi. It is located northwest of the confluence of the

Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

and the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, situated at the border with

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. It comprises many backwaters and ponds along the Danube. It is one of the most important, largest and most attractive preserved intact

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Fauna & Flora

A part of Kopački Rit has been designated as a zoological reserve. Around 260 various bird species breed here including geese and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

s, great white egret, white stork, black stork, white-tailed eagle, crows, Eurasian coot,

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the subfamily Larinae. They are most closely related to terns and skimmers, distantly related to auks, and even more distantly related to waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed ...

s, terns,

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

and European green woodpecker. Many other species use this area as a temporary shelter on

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

from the northern, cooler regions to the southern, warmer areas and vice versa. There are around 40 fish species including pike, ide, tench, bream, carp, catfish, pike-perch and perch. Mammals in the area include

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

, roe deer,

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

, European wildcat, pine marten, stone marten, least weasel, sable and the

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

. Daily passes can be purchased at the visitors center. Kopački Rit also has over 140 recorded species of plant—some of which are very rare and only found in a few places in Croatia. Notable species include white water lily (''

Nymphaea alba ''Nymphaea alba'', the white waterlily, European white water lily or white nenuphar , is an aquatic flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to North Africa, temperate Asia, Europe and tropical Asia (Jammu and Kashmir). Since '' ...

''), the iris ('' Iris variegata''); azola, black sedge ('' Carex nigra''), common reed ('' Phragmites australis''); siberian cattail; graceful cattail ('' Typha laxmannii''); and flowering rush ('' Butomus umbellatus'').

Climate

Between 2004 and 2019, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of was , on 6 August 2012. The coldest temperature was , on 9 February 2012.

Access

The proximity of the big town of

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

and its surroundings, as well as excellent communications (by road, railway, plane and ship) provide ready access to visitors. The beauty of "intact" nature, the multitude of waters, flora and fauna attract not only excursionists and visitors but also many experts and scientists from the whole of Europe. Guided tourist visits by panoramic ships, boats, horse-drawn wagons or on foot are available. Some packages offer the possibility of photographing or video-recording animals,

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s in particular. Angling and hunting are allowed in certain parts of Kopački Rit that are put under less strict protection such as Vemeljski Dunavac, Danube river, Podunavlje channels, and the area by the Zlatna Greda pump station. The international bicycle routes
Pannonian Peace Route
and
Danube Route
lead through Kopački Rit, which has become the first centre for cycle-tourists in Croatia. Bikes are also available for rent through the visitors center.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kopacki Rit Ramsar sites in Croatia Nature parks of Croatia Baranya (region) Protected areas of Osijek-Baranja County Important Bird Areas of Croatia

Fauna & Flora

Climate

Access

See also

References

External links