Visit one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Croatia – Botanical Garden Kotišina
The return to nature in recent years has become a real hit among tourists. But there is a reason for that. We return to calm, quiet and simple things in order to find inner peace and additional reasons to spend quality time with our loved ones.
This is exactly how the road leads us to the small village of Kotišina, which is only two kilometers away from Makarska, a popular tourist destination.
The magical place at the foot of Biokovo has been turned into a real paradise for lovers of cultural heritage, history and nature thanks to a project funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Everything but a classic botanical garden
This is not a botanical garden in the classical sense, where each plant is introduced according to certain rules, but it is conceived as a “fenced part of nature”, where natural forms of vegetation with native flora will be preserved. On a relatively small area of 16.5 ha there are very diverse habitats such as rocks, gullies, cliffs, arable land, and the canyon Proslap with a waterfall, which is dry most of the year, and comes to life only during heavy rains.
More than 300 wild plant species
The specialty of the Botanical Garden Kotišina is in more than 300 wild plant species, from typically Mediterranean to mountain, and medicinal plants. Among the perennials in the spring, the Adriatic iris (Iris pseudopallida Trinajstić) with its large lilac flowers is especially impressive in the garden, but the hederifolium cyclamen also stands out, which completely loses its above-ground parts in summer.
Educational hiking trails
There are several walking paths through the garden with educational boards, and certain plant species are marked with an inscription with the name of the species. This experience will be especially interesting for children, but also for all those who want to learn more about a particular species.
Learn more about the area at the Veliki Kaštel Interpretation Center
When visiting the Botanical Garden, be sure to visit the Interpretation Center Veliki Kaštel, which is located in the multi-storey fortress of the same name, which is a historical sensation of Podbiokovlje. The fort on the Biokovo cliffs was built during the Candian War to provide shelter for the population during the conflict with the Ottomans.
Today, its interior has been turned into a real modern wonder that tells the story of this beautiful region. The interpretation center is spread over several floors and is the central place for interpretation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage of the village of Kotišina.
