Other titles:UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
Summary: Plitvice National Park has enormous symbolic importance in Croatia. While it faces an uncertain future, UNPROFOR's Czech Battalion undertakes crucial maintenance work.
Description: Shots of waterfalls in the National Park. Empty visitor centre and pleasure boats. The park lies in Serbian-held territory and is not open to the public. Destroyed houses along the roadside. Most residents of nearby villages and former employees of the Park have left. Interview with Duro Grbić, one employee who has remained. He says that 2700 people used to work here but now that there is no money from tourism, it has become impossible to live. He hopes that once the war stops, life will start again.
Two years ago, CZECHBAT of UNPROFOR took over the maintenance of the park. Two soldiers walk across a wooden walkway at the base of a waterfall. A man cuts wood with a chainsaw. A group of men help restore a wooden bridge. Interview with Jan Prem, Chief of CZECHBAT Engineers, who explains the support that they offer local workers and the necessity of maintenance work. UNPROFOR engineers supervise workers fixing handrails for the bridge.
CZECHBAT are responsible for the woodland area. They recently put out a fire that had blazed for three days across a large area of the woodland. Interview with one of the firefighters, Vojtech Plessnik, Anti-Tank Platoon Commander, who describes the damage. Without UNPROFOR the damage caused by the fire would have been even more extensive. Interview with Josef Archer, CZECHBAT Staff Sergeant, who explains his job monitoring the water quality of the Park’s rivers for UNESCO.
Interview with Ijila Drakulić, General Director at Plitvice Lakes, who says that the beauty of the lakes should not just be for Serbians but for the whole world but they need to be preserved in a good condition. Despite this optimism, most staff work in the Zagreb office. Interview with Andelko Kružičević, Director of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, who hopes that reason will prevail, the Park will be preserved and maintain its esteemed place in world heritage. Closing shots of lakes, waterfalls and sunset.
Alternative Title:UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
Colour:English (Tape Code A)
Digitised:
Object_Number:UNT 421
Sound:Croatian (Tape Code C)
Access Conditions:
Featured Period:1990-2000
Production Date:1994-08 1994-09-07
Production Country: UN
Production Details: Webb, Steve (Production individual)
UNT 443 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 12 [Main Title])
UNT 421 X (PLITVICE LAKES (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title])
UNT 494 (UN IN CROATIA AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA [Main Title])
