Alan
Shepherds’ huts in the area of Alan are located at the bottom of the peak of Alančić, along the edge of the forest, immediately beside the transverse Velebit road that connects the region of Lika with the sea. Alan can be reached easily: either by way of the paved road from the direction of Jablanac or by way of the gravel road from the direction of Begovača. If you want to spend your summer holidays in complete isolation from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life and get a taste of summer adventure in harmony with nature, shepherds’ huts in Alan are an excellent choice.
Shepherds’ huts in Alan have no running water or electricity, rainwater is collected in a “šterna” (water tank), whereas the power is solar-generated. Huts are equipped with alternative energy sources that ensure some of the comfort standards of modern homes, but at the same time natural harmony with the surrounding environment is preserved.
In Alan, there are 6 huts in total: three are intended for accommodation purposes, one is used as an information centre, one is used as a woodshed and one hut contains an outhouse and a portable shower.
The largest hut in Alan was transformed into the Education and Interpretation Centre “Mountain Playhouse”, containing a series of interactive exhibits focused on the topic “Natura Habitats and Species” of the Northern Velebit National Park (large beasts, deep pits, rock plants) and traditional shepherds’ lifestyle. Three outdoor interpretive exhibits have been installed in front of the “Mountain Playhouse” (Gusty Wind, Water in Karst, Life of Shepherds). One part of the Playhouse is used as a place where children’s education workshops can be held in case of adverse outdoor conditions. Apart from its use as a space intended for exposition-education purposes, this hut will soon also serve as an information point of the Park. The hut also contains a small souvenir shop.
Space intended for accommodation has also been put at the service of education and interpretation: each hut is used as an interpretive facility for one species that is important for Northern Velebit National Park (House of Longhorn Beetle of the Species Morimus funereus, House of Velebit Leech, House of Western Capercaillie) and some furniture items traditionally used in shepherds’ huts. They are supplied with beds or mattresses with bedclothes, where 24 people can sleep. Each of the first two huts contains 2 beds, whereas by climbing wooden ladders, it is possible to access the top floor/attic, equipped with 5 mattresses. In the third hut, there are 4 beds and 6 mattresses on the top floor/in the attic. Every hut is equipped with a table and several benches, small kitchen with cutlery for eating and preparing food and a wood-burning cooking stove. Huts are also supplied with simple personal hygiene utensils (wash basin), wood logs and an axe for chopping wood.
All resources must be used rationally and all necessary supplies must be procured in advance, as the closest shops are kilometres away.
We sincerely hope that you will opt for the best way to spend a wonderful vacation. We wish you a unique experience that you will never forget.
Project “Setting up of basic infrastructure for the management of the Northern Velebit National Park”
In the area of Northern Velebit National Park, infrastructure of all types is insufficiently developed, which is understandable given the fact that in the area of the Park, there are no permanently populated settlements, whereas temporarily populated seasonal settlements are no longer used.
Considering the scope and nature of the Park’s obligations (supervision, establishment of monitoring of the future Natura 2000 area), planned projects (introduction of traditional agricultural practices, educational and interpretive programmes...) and characteristics of the terrain (inaccessibility, impassable nature of some areas ), there has been a continuous need for constructing basic infrastructure facilities, which would increase the limited capacities of the Institution responsible for managing this area.
The reconstruction project of smaller infrastructure facilities (shepherds’ huts) in the southern part of the Park, has encouraged overall improvement of the management level for the entire Park as an Ecological Network area, all this through the following:
- Improved supervision of the area (illegal hunting, negative impact caused by visitors, visitors’ safety …),
- Maintenance of endangered habitats (grasslands) by introducing the activities of livestock grazing and mowing,
- Better conditions for the overall organization of scientific research conducted in the fields of species inventory and monitoring,
- Preservation of the Park’s cultural heritage – reconstruction of traditional buildings and adoption of an adequate reconstruction model for shepherds’ huts,
Higher quality services for visitors – enhanced information accessibility, introduction of high-quality educational and interpretive programmes, on-the-spot learning and familiarizing with nature, informing visitors about the concept of Natura 2000 Project and providing them with an opportunity to experience a traditional way of life that people used to live in the past, higher visitor safety standards; there are also plans to develop a high-quality eco-tourism product.
