The Brijuni, a group of islands comprising two large and twelve smaller isles strung along Istria south-west coast, are located not far from mainland Pula.
Their land area is barely 7 km2, but together with the protected surrounding Sea the total area of the park is 34 km2. The Brijuni are renowned for the indented nature of their respective coast lines and their preserved Mediterranean vegetation, partially landscaped into a park.

The islands also boast a valuable cultural heritage dating from Roman and Byzantine times. In more recent times, over the past 100 years, the beauty of the islands has made them a popular holiday resort for world statesmen and the aristocracy.

Although not permanently inhabited there are people on the islands throughout the year due to numerous visits by tourists ferried over from the mainland on excursion vessels. 
Veliki Brijun (Great Brijun) offers accommodation in 3 smaller hotels, enabling their guests to savor an atmosphere of peace, surrounded by beautiful nature, with the tourist flurry of Pula being within arm’s reach. This is also the site of the oldest golf course in Croatia. And despite the large numbers of visitors, nature has been preserved, as the large numbers of birds which winter on the islands bear witness to.

Almost half of the area of the islands comprises landscaped parks and grassland, a prominent feature being solitary holm oaks, with their clipped crowns. Some 30 years ago when Brijuni were the official residence of Josip Broz Tito, then President of Yugoslavia, a part of its landscaped park was turned into a safari-park, its inhabitants being predominantly exotic herbivores such us elephants, antelopes, gazelles llamas and zebras.

Due to its exceptional value the cultural and historical heritage of the Brijuni islands contributed significantly to this area being declared a national park. Particularly reach is the heritage of Roman times when, in the 1st century, there existed in Verige cove one of the summer residences of Roman emperors. Numerous preserved statues are testimony to that fact. Still more abundant are finds from the Byzantine period, during which a well fortified fort was build in Dobrila bay, which was occupied up until the 14th century.
In the 19th Century the Austro - Hungarian Monarchy built an impressive system of fortifications in order to ensure the defense of Pula, then its main naval port. These fortifications have been preserved to this day, and by their dimensions and monumentality they represent a prime example of European fortification architecture.

Since 1983 the islands were declared a National Park.