Kozara National Park | |
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Location | ![]() |
Nearest city | Prijedor |
Coordinates | 45°00′30″N 16°53′30″E / 45.00833°N 16.89167°E |
Area | 39.08 km2 (15.09 sq mi)[1] |
Established | 6 April 1967[2] |
Governing body | http://www.npkozara.com/ |
Kozara National Park (Serbo-Croatian: Национални парк Козара, Nacionalni park Kozara) is a national park in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was proclaimed a protected national forest in 1967 by Josip Broz Tito. It is situated between the rivers Una, Sava, Sana and Vrbas, in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These 33.75 square kilometers of dense forest and hilly meadows have earned the nickname 'Green Beauty of Krajina'.
The Kozara Marathon, also known as Kozara Ultra Trail is held in the stunning Kozara National Park, offers a thrilling and challenging experience for both seasoned and less experienced trail runners.The park is also the site for Kozara Grand Prix, a mountain bike race that takes place in the wilderness of the park. The race is part of the Union Cycliste Internationale calendar.[3]
Kozara is a popular hunting ground too, with a large 180 square kilometers area of the park open to regulated hunting of deer, pheasants, foxes, boars, hares, and ducks.
A smaller part of the park is designated for nature lovers. Walking, hiking, biking and herb picking are among the many activities in Kozara.[4]
Kozara was also a former battleground during World War II. The Partisans intimate knowledge of Bosnia's rough terrain gave them an advantage over the newly occupying Nazi Germans.