Pod rastočkim krovom

Pod rastočkim krovom means Under the Roofs of Rastoke, and the phrase evokes the village of Rastoke, one of Croatia’s most picturesque places inland, at the edge of the small town of Slunj, in the Kordun region, about twenty-five kilometres from Plitvice Lakes. It is a place where a river breaks into waterfalls beneath the walls of old mills, and where houses seem to float on water.

The setting is the key to its beauty. Rastoke lies at the point where the small Slunjčica River meets the larger Korana, in a Croatian landscape of rivers. In the last stretch before the confluence, the Slunjčica flows over a wide barrier of travertine, a soft, porous limestone that builds up around moss and plants in clear, mineral-rich water, and the stream splits into a series of channels and cascades, dozens of them, that tumble through the village in a maze of small waterfalls, pools and islets. The water is startlingly clear and cold, and the sound of it is constant. Wooden bridges, footpaths and viewing platforms wind among the cascades, and the effect, in good weather, is of walking through a miniature version of Plitvice.

People have worked with this water for centuries. The travertine barrier drives water over a natural drop, an ideal source of power, and from early times mills were built beside the falls to grind grain. Over time Rastoke developed a cluster of watermills, along with fulling mills for cloth and other workshops, and many houses were built right at the water’s edge, with wooden balconies and walls rising directly from the stream. Many of the surviving buildings date from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, though the tradition is older. Some mills are still in operation, so you can watch the old mechanism at work, and the village has been protected as a cultural and historical heritage site since the early 1960s.

Walking through Rastoke is the main activity, and it takes an hour or two if you stop to photograph and read the signs. Photographers love the mix of timber, stone, water and greenery, which changes with the seasons. There is no entry charge to explore the village itself, though some private sites, such as a mill or garden, may ask for a small fee. Nearby sights include the Fairy Garden, known as Vilin Gaj, a shady spot among the cascades, and several historic buildings, including a guest house in an old house, and the town of Slunj has a small centre and a castle ruin overlooking the falls.

Rastoke is an easy day trip from Plitvice Lakes or a stopover on the road between Zagreb and the coast. It suits families, photographers and anyone who enjoys water, with spring offering the fullest flow.