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Kopački rit Nature Park
Location: The corner formed by Danube and the Drava River, Bilje, Croatia | Size: 23,891 | Established: 1996

Kopački rit Nature Park

Schools of fish and flocks of birds discover the secrets of the enchanting marshland while the boat cuts through the smooth water surface, cruising through the Èonakut channel from Sakadaš Lake to Kopaèko Lake. The white-tailed eagle circles above, keeping an eye on the herons and egrets accompanying the boat, while male coots start fighting over the affection of their female counterparts in the nearby marshes. The fight is brought to a halt when a colony of thousands of cormorants suddenly takes flight, rising skywards with slow and elegant wing beats.

The Kopacki rit National Park is an important waterfowl habitat and one of the most important floodplains in the whole of Europe as well as an inner delta with distinct features. The area is the most important spawning place for fish in the Central European part of the Danube River.

The appearance of the whole area depends on regular floods and the landscape changes its shape and function according to the amount of floodwater. Kopaèko Lake is the largest, while Sakadaš is the deepest lake in the area. The lakes are interconnected with rivers through a network of natural channels. Extensive reedbeds, backwaters, ponds, lakes and channels, forests, marsh pastures in blossom and wet grasslands provide ideal conditions for many species.