July 10, 2023 – The heart of Slavonia, Geopark Papuk, became the first geopark in Croatia and the 30th member of the European network and a member of the UNESCO world network of Geoparks in 2007 at the seventh session of the European Network of Geoparks in Scotland. It has now gone through the global geoparks revalidation process to retain the flattering geopark title under the protection of UNESCO for the next four years.
As Glas Slavonije writes, the goal of this status is the continuation of research, development, and connection of the geological wealth with all other parts of the area’s biological, cultural, and intangible heritage. Moreover, the geopark must inspire a sense of pride in their region. It ensures the strengthening of the area’s identity and raises awareness of the importance of geological heritage.
One of the most significant sights of the Geopark Papuk is Rupnica, not far from Voćin. It is a unique and the first geological monument of nature in Croatia, protected since October 14, 1948. This is due to a unique morphological phenomenon in Croatia – a columnar exudation of volcanic rocks whose shapes are created by the cooling of lava and cracking in the form of a square, pentagon, or hexagon.
Successful Projects at Geopark Papuk
In the period since the previous revalidation, and even during the coronavirus pandemic, Papuk Nature Park staff worked hard on realizing several projects. A large UNESCO geoparks project was also completed, worth almost ten million euros. As part of that project, a large Geo-info center, the House of the Pannonian Sea in Velika, and several other facilities were built.
According to the director of the Papuk Nature Park, Alen Jurenc, it was precisely through the implementation of successful, justified, and valuable projects that the management and staff of the institution achieved their best to justify the status of this geopark of global importance. That is why the satisfaction with the enthusiasm of the members of the Committee and their positive findings is all the greater. It represents an additional motivation for even more serious work on preserving and presenting the world’s geological heritage, which is millions of years old.
