Natural attractionsZeleni vir and Vražji prolaz
Vražji prolaz (The Devil’s Passage) has a special place among the natural sights the Skrad surroundings abound in. One of the most beautiful Croatian canyons (800-metre-long canyon), full of wild romance. Through a narrow, barely 2 meter wide canyon, between a hundred meter high cliffs, the Jasle mountain creek fights its way through wildly murmuring. Over it, standing on supports cut into a live cliff, there are galleries and bridges the visitors use to pass through. There are steep cliffs all around, while deep down, under your feet, there is a loud, foamy creek.
The water has been flowing here for millennia, making its way through the stone, shaping this stunning landscape that leaves a strong impression on every visitor.
At the end of the gorge, there is another tourist attraction: a cave called Muževa hižica. This is open to visitors to a depth of 200 metres. A deeper tour requires proper equipment and good caving skills.
The area of Zeleni vir was declared a nature reserve in 1962. The excursion area, which is located 302 metres above sea level, can be reached from several directions. Zeleni vir is a powerful spring at the bottom of a shallow, spacious cave. Above the entrance, a picturesque waterfall crashes down the vertical 70-metre-high cliffs, creating a glittering water curtain.
It got its name after the emerald green color of the water of a small lake whose source one does not notice inside the cave. Its waters, encompassed by a small dam, flow into an underground canal leading towards a hydro power station built in 1921, the first hydro power station built in Gorski kotar.