Veliki Lubenovac and Alan
Veliki Lubenovac and Alan are located in the Northern Velebit National Park
Veliki Lubenovac and Alan, each with its own characteristics, expand the diversity of the Northern Velebit National Park.
Veliki Lubenovac
Veliki Lubenovac is one of the most beautiful localities in the Northern Velebit National Park. It is a karst valley located at the edge of the strict nature reserve Hajdučki and Rožanski Kukovi. Lubenovac was once a summer settlement of shepherds and their flocks as evidenced by the remains of some fifty summer huts, drystone walls and rainwater cisterns. To be seen on Lubenovac is also a pond called Lubenovačka Ruja, which in the past served for watering livestock– sheep, goats, cows and horses.
Veliki Lubenovac is a good point of departure for mountaineering tours to Veliki Kozjak, one of the most beautiful peaks of north Velebit.
Lubenovac can be accessed on foot on a dirt (macadam) road from the direction of Begovača (intersection at Careva Kuća), on a dirt (macadam) road and mountain path from the direction of Alan, or down the Premužić Trail. Whichever route you choose, you are sure to have a wonderful day’s trip that will lead you to the very heart of Northern Velebit.
Alan
Alan and the surrounding area is a locality of wide mountain pastures, karst valleys, and slopes with picturesque peaks towering above. Veliki Alan (1414 m above seal level) is one of the most important Velebit passes over which runs the vertical mountain road that connects Lika with the Adriatic coast. At the foot of the Alančić peak lies the Mountain Hut Alan. Located at the edge of the forest close to the road, Alan commands a stunning view of the sea and the islands.
In the immediate vicinity of Alan is the locality called Mirovo. Once a summer mountain settlement, Mirovo is today just another Velebit grassland with visible remains of stone walls and old shepherd’s summer huts. In the past, Mirovo was one of the largest seasonal settlements on Velebit as testified by the remains of numerous stone huts, animal shelters, drystone walls and rainwater cisterns.
Alan je također dobra polazišna točka za planinarske ture po Velebitu, a do Alana možete lako doći asfaltiranom cestom iz pravca Jablanca ili makadamskom cestom iz pravca Begovače.
Interesting facts
The derelict ropeway that was used for transporting logs from Velebit, running from Alan to the Stinica cove on the Adriatic coast, is something of a monument to human absurdity. It was built under horrendous conditions by political prisoners of the Goli Otok penitentiary. Underused and economically unsustainable, it remained in operation for only a couple of years.