About
The Three Little Birds Artist Residency is based at a farm estate in the small village of Janja Gora, located in Lika, the central region of Croatia. It is situated between Ogulin on one side and the Plitvice Lakes National Park on the other.
The artist residency programme aims to explore the intersection between contemporary and innovative artistic practices and the landscape and rural environments. Participants of the artist residencies are invited to stay and work on-site to be inspired by Janja Gora. The residency programme offers artists the opportunity to stay and work in an environment full of natural beauty and to respond to the area’s unique history and diverse ancient landscape.
Residency stays are between one week and ten days long.
The Three Little Birds Artist Residency is immersed in the ancient nature of the River Dretulja Valley, part of the Plaški Valley. It is located in the central part of Croatia between the Adriatic coast, Velebit and the Plitvice Lakes National Park.
The Dretulja River rises in the western edge of the Plaški Valley, at the foot of the mountain Mala Kapela, and descends after 10 km, taking on a series of smaller streams along its entire course. The area also includes a series of springs in the peripheral parts of the valley. The main natural feature of the Dretulja Valley is the vast wetlands that cover the entire valley and the grassland slopes on both sides of the river, all with pronounced biodiversity.
The valley is rich in wet meadows and bogs (among the last in Croatia) with numerous protected plants and animals. In the valley of the upper Dretulja, 161 plant species have been recorded to date.
Several individual sources of varying intensity form the main stream of the Dretulja River. The river's most abundant source is the Vrelo Dretulje (Dretulja Spring).
Lake Sinjac is located near Janja Gora, in the neighbouring hamlet of Jezero in Plaški. It comprises four interconnected sources, or boilers, which are also called Gorske oči (Mountain Eyes). Lake Sinjac, with its 203 meters, is the second deepest Croatian karst lake and is located on the way to the Plitvice Lakes National Park.
On the hill Plaška glava, southeast above the village of Plaški, there are ruins of the medieval town of Plaški built as a fortified town probably around second half of the 14th century.
The hilly terrain of Plaški Valley offers the possibility of cycling in nature or recreational hiking while collecting medicinal herbs and forest fruits.
