Along the Paths of the Frankopans
Useful Tips and Instructions:
Before you set off, check the weather forecast, wear sturdy sneakers or hiking boots, and dress according to the season (lighter clothing for summer, a cap or hat for sun protection, a jacket or thicker shirt during spring and autumn, and a windbreaker and raincoat in winter). Bring enough water, food if necessary, a knife, band-aids, a bandage, a watch, a mobile phone, sunglasses, and a camera.
Start your journey with company, follow the trail markers, and only use marked paths.
Please do not litter, do not light fires, do not destroy or jump over dry stone walls (gromače), carefully open and close all gates you encounter on the trail, do not pick grapes, figs, or protected plants, and do not disturb sheep or wild animals.
You hike these trails at your own risk.
Emergency phone number: 112 (Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Services, Croatian Mountain Rescue Service)
The Obzova Mountaineering Society operates in the area.
For more information, visit www.pd-obzova.hr, email contact@pd-obzova.hr.
Here is the translation:
From the center of Vrbnik, via the streets Japnenica and Bočina, we arrive at the area called Kostrij. The gentle landscape, overgrown with evergreen dwarf juniper and strawberry trees, leads us straight to the bay of Melska (swimming possible).
If we continue further, the trail takes us to the bay of Sv. Marek, the largest sandy beach on the island of Krk, and to the remains of the very old church of St. Mark. For the curious, not far away, there is another beautiful natural beach in the bay of Supovica. We ascend the paved road towards Risika, and at the first junction, we turn right onto the dirt road. Following the signs, we reach the beach.
If we turn left from the trail before the bay of Melska, we arrive in Risika. Risika was first mentioned in 1284, and in the center of the village stands the church of St. Jerome. The trail continues to Gradec and the fortress of Gradec, the ruins of the castle of the Frankopan lords of Krk and the remains of the church of the Holy Spirit. The Frankopan lords of Krk, as island feudal lords, appeared at the beginning of the 12th century, receiving the island from the Venetians.
It is believed that they originated precisely from the Vrbnik area, and their ancestral castle was Gradec, located above the Vinderska valley with a stream. On June 15, 1388, the Krk lords adopted the statute of the island of Krk in Vrbnik, written in the Croatian language and in Glagolitic script. The Vrbnik statute was preserved in a copy from 1526 and remained in the private ownership of the Vrbnik notary family Petris until 1961.
Today, it is kept in the University Library in Zagreb. At the next intersection, by turning left, we reach Stoze, and then we turn left again to the Rovoznik freshwater spring. Nearby is also the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, where, according to legend, the last Frankopan from the island was married. The trail, winding through the fertile Vrbnik field planted with Žlahtina, or along the edge trail that borders it, leads us to Lug and the exit at the intersection near the church of St. Nedija (from 1445). Continuing right to the next intersection and then turning left, we return to the starting point.
5 h