Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest National Park in the Republic of Croatia. With its exceptional natural beauty, this area has always attracted nature lovers, and on 8th April 1949, it was proclaimed Croatia’s first National Park. The process of tufa formation, which results in the building of the tufa (or travertine) barriers and created the lakes, is the Outstanding Universal Value, for which the Plitvice Lakes were internationally recognised on 26th October 1979 with their inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.