Nikola Tesla - Protector of Plitvice

During Tesla’s visit to Zagreb in 1892, city authorities were very interested in his idea to light the city with electricity. To achieve that, a hydroelectric power plant was to be built on some nearby river, which would supply the city with electricity. Since at the time there were no experts in Zagreb who would be able to accomplish that, the city fathers asked Tesla, as a top-level electricity expert, to designate a location on which the future plant would be built.

After he had heard their request Tesla explained to them that, due to low waterfalls, there was no river near the city with a convenient location. The nearest suitable location would be the waterfalls of the Korana river, at Plitvice. The officials declared that they would build the plant there, but when Tesla heard that he advised them not to do that because it would devastate the natural beauty of those divine waterfalls. He added that a man must live in harmony with nature and that he should not disrupt its natural properties no matter how useful that would be. The arguments which he delivered were strong enough to make the officials lay-off the idea of building the plant on the beautiful Plitvice Waterfalls.

A few decades later, the Plitvice Waterfalls were endangered again. At the time when energy became more necessary, some engineer recalled Tesla’s old idea to build a hydro-electric plant on the Korana waterfalls. Despite the voices that claimed it would permanently ruin the landscape, the experts stated that the benefits would be far greater. And so ensued a great argument between the experts and the Plitvice defenders.

Eventually, reason won over, the idea of building the plant was abandoned, and the Plitvice Lakes were pronounced national park, protected by the state.

Thanks to Nikola Tesla and other preservers of nature, this corner of our country nowadays is a point of attraction for tourists and nature lovers from our country and from all over the world, who come in great numbers to admire the untouched natural beauty.