National park "Mljet" was established in 1960th as the oldest national park in the islands. It is located on the west side of the island and occupies an area of 5375 hectares. Its boundaries encompass about one-third of the island with the mainland adjacent islets and coastal sea belt width 500 m from the farthest point of land. As a unique example of the distinctive vegetation, with large and small lakes as a geological and oceanographic phenomenon, this area is significant and well-known and globally. Exceptional cultural and historic heritage in an unbroken succession dating from the time of the Illyrian tribes, the Roman Empire, the Republic of Dubrovnik and reaches to the present day life of modern man is characterized by stable conditions of life in harmony with nature.
Luxuriant vegetation of the island, especially in the area of National Park, Mljet is obtained as the Green Island ". The remains of the Mediterranean rainforest, native oak trees are present only in fragments, and is best preserved in the coppice area Great Valley. Aleppo pine is the most beautiful and best preserved forest type and species in the Mediterranean. A number of endemic species including the Star thistle, Jupiter's beard and woody spurge is found on cliffs of the southern coast of the island.
One of the peculiarities of the island are typical of karst underground habitats: the half-cave, caves and pits, with endemic fauna of invertebrates, including some of his research named after the island of Mljet, where they were first discovered.
Mljet lakes are its current appearance of deep sea bay received after the last ice age, when the ice melts there was a gradual increase in sea level where the karst depressions, where the lake today, first began to meet with water, a further increase in sea level and sea. Today the lake is a sea seas linked Vratosolina narrow passageway, through which the words exchanged water under the influence of the tides.
Imposing a Benedictine monastery and church on the island of St. Mary the Great Lake that dates from the 12th century and the remains of the bridge at the entrance to the Great Lake Mills with the 17th century, which was unique in that it is used the energy of currents for its start-up and grind grain. The monastery continued to work and when in the early 15th Century annexed Dubrovnik Republic, and extinguished in the 19th century, the arrival of Napoleon's power.
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