Milka Trnina-the opera singer who saved Plitvice Lakes

A soprano like no other

A voice that shook the world started out singing in a small village in Croatia. From the moment she could walk, Milka Trnina had a powerful voice and she continued to work on that voice every single day of her life. She managed to get into a very luxurious music school in Zagreb and there she honed and perfected her voice. Still Croatia was too small for her talents and soon she was performing in Vienna. In 1883 she graduated from her class, earning a gold medal. Her dramatic soprano amazed every audience that heard her sing. 

After that Milka Trnina started to perform as a regular in Leipzig, later moving on to Graz and at all times she was the best selling artist. People would come all over the world to watch her perform iconic opera pieces. Audiences that saw her perform, described Milka's performances as pure electricity, it was on the level with the top sopranos in the world. It did not matter if she was performing in German or Italian, every act was perfect. Music critics would come from all over the globe to watch her opera performances. Many of them considered her a once in a generation talent. As time went on various myths and legends appeared in connection with Milka Trnina and her songs, she was that influential. It is said that Carl Russ-Suchard, the creator of the famous Milka chocolate brand, actually named his entire brand because he fell in love with Milka Trninas performance of Wagner. Rumor is that Milka was his favorite singer

Milka Trnina was a star who performed at the top for over twenty years. She was an opera diva who transported the audience to another world every time she performed. In total she portrayed over sixty characters and did over two thousand opera performances. Sadly her career as an opera singer ended after an illness that permanently damaged her vocal cords. Because of her illness Milka Trnina could not perform as she once did and she decided to leave the stage forever. Still her love for music was always present so she continued teaching music to others. She did work for the New York Academy of Music for over 3 years before she returned to Zagreb, where she continued to teach music until the end of her days. Milka Trnina died in 1841, leaving all of her worldly possessions to the Croatian National Theater. Now the theater has her stunning dresses in which she performed all over Europe and America. 

Sadly we only have one single fragment of her voice recording. The recording technology of that time was not sufficient and the singer did not like how she sounded on said recordings. For that reason she requested that all the recordings of her voice be destroyed. Milka Trnina did not want audiences in the future to experience a lesser version of her voice. Now the magnificent voice of Milka Trnina is preserved in a fragment that is less than one second long. 

An unlikely environmental hero

While Milka Trnina was traveling all over the world, she never forgot the beauty of her homeland, Croatia. She was in love with one location, Plitvice Lakes National Park. Plitvice Lakes at that time period was not the glorious park that it is now, the people protecting the park did not have enough funds to preserve the natural beauty of that location. This is where Milka Trnina comes in with a giant donation. After a performance in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb she decided to donate all of her income to Plitvice Lakes. 

The Society for the Beautification and Landscaping of Plitvice Lakes and their Surroundings decided to honor her humanitarian work and they named one of the most beautiful waterfalls after Milka Trnina. Her donation was crucial for the park's development and continued protection. Now the Plitvice Lakes are a National park and one of the most beautiful locations in Europe. The Milka Trnina waterfall is the only waterfall in the park named to honor a famous person and another interesting fact is that Milka was very much alive when she had a waterfall named after her, now that is a rare honor. Today the park offers countless activities for anyone who visits it, it is a truly once in a lifetime experience. The park has developed so much that people can do fully immersive wine and bike tours in the park, and it is truly the most beautiful hike anyone can experience. 

To truly understand why Milka Trnina saved Plitvice Lakes so many years ago, a person should really see the National Park for themselves. You can begin your Plitvice Lakes journey right here.

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