In October we went on a mini excursion around Croatia. We started from Cavtat, drove to the top of Biokovo, and then to Omiš. The next day we quickly visited: Omiš, Marjan Hill near Split, and Trogir. When it was already dark, we found a place to stay for the night in Primošten. Primošten is 60 kilometers from Split, and 30 kilometers from Šibenik.
Until the mid-16th century, Primošten was an island, and then it was connected to the mainland by a causeway. Many claim that its name comes from the word “premosti” (to bridge), which eventually became “primosten.” The old town core is located on this former islet. Before entering the old part of the town, right on the part where the island was “bridged,” there is an interesting sculpture of a man, woman, and donkey known as the “Monument to the Laborer.” Life here was not always easy, and the greatest support for people in their hard work was provided by the donkey, which was once an extremely useful and valued animal in these parts.
In addition to this one, we saw two other interesting sculptures that tourists should definitely look for. One shows fishermen in a boat, and the other shows a fisherman with a cat on land. Of course, as in every coastal town, before the beginnings of tourism, people lived mostly from "seafood", so it is logical that this theme was an inspiration for the sculptors, to the delight of tourists.
After viewing and photographing the sculptures, we entered through the old town gate and walked through the narrow streets to the highest point where the Parish Church of St. George is located. The church is on the list of Protected Cultural Properties of the Republic of Croatia.
What I found most interesting in the Old Town were the buildings that were preserved in their original form or new ones with stone roofs, like in the old days. There were various styles of construction, but the material was always the same – whatever was at hand.
Primošten has another peninsula that is set parallel to the former islet. It is home to hotels nestled in pine forests. The entire perimeter is lined with beaches. There were still umbrellas placed at a decent distance and made of natural materials on them. There used to be even more hotels here, the lady from whom we rented an apartment told us. Some new ones have been built, some old ones have been renovated, but the largest complex is still waiting for the current owner to start work. We toured one half of the narrow peninsula because there is a well-maintained walking path along the beach. From here, there is a good view of the old part of the city, and we could also see our next destination – the viewpoint of Our Lady of Loreto.
When we arrived in Primošten the previous evening, we saw a sign for the viewpoint of Our Lady of Loreto, but it was already dark, and the name didn't particularly appeal to us. When we glanced out the apartment window, we saw the illuminated top of a nearby hill. The landlady told us that it was a monument dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto and that we should definitely go there the next day, primarily because of the most beautiful view of Primošten and the surrounding area. We didn't regret listening to her. The statue of Our Lady of Loreto, which is located in the middle of the viewpoint, together with the pedestal, is 17 meters high, exactly one tenth of the height of the Gaj hill on which it is located. The statue is made of concrete, and the finishing is mosaic, made of gold, silver and stained glass. This statue is located on the international pilgrimage routes of Marian shrines associated with Our Lady of Loreto. In addition to Primošten, the list also includes Rome, Vienna, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Brussels and other cities. Of course, this statue was not placed in this place by chance. There is a legend that the image of Our Lady of Loreto saved the inhabitants of this town from the plague in 1835. The monument is impressive, both in size and appearance. I admit that I have never seen anything like it before.
But more than Our Lady of Loreto, I was thrilled by the view from the viewpoint. The Croatian coast is extremely indented and in this part of the Adriatic there are as many as 1200 islands and islets, 69 of which are inhabited. From this viewpoint, in addition to having an extraordinary view of Primošten, you can also see part of the island. On the other side, you can see numerous coves, a harbor... Primošten has numerous extraordinary beaches and this is one of the main reasons for its growing popularity as a tourist destination. We set off further, full of extraordinary impressions that we unexpectedly took with us from this place. We bypassed Šibenik and then headed northwest, through the unknown.
Two years earlier, when we were driving through these parts, we saw Kudin's Bridge, but we didn't go all the way down to it. Also, despite two attempts, we couldn't find the Jankovića Buk waterfall on the Zrmanja River, so our plan was to fix those two things. Following the instructions given to us by Google Maps, we headed towards Kudin's Bridge from the opposite direction from the one we had taken the previous time. We passed through completely deserted areas, with few houses. During the several hours of driving, we didn't meet a single human being, and we only passed a few cars. It was sad and a little creepy to me, but we didn't give up on our plan. In the middle of nowhere, next to a few ruined houses – an island for a roundabout and a monument dedicated to Nikola Tesla in it. A little further on, we stopped at a beautiful stone bridge. There was life here, new houses, cars. I later learned that the place is called Žegar and that over 2000 people once lived in this area, and then there were none at all, but today they are slowly starting to return, so there are about 250 of them.
We passed the Krupa Monastery because we had visited it the previous time, and we didn't have time. We had a lot of plans, and the October day is short. We successfully arrived in Golubić, to the parking lot above Kudin Bridge. A novelty compared to the period two years ago is that there is a fee to enter the bridge. It is a protected cultural monument within the Velebit Nature Park, and is also part of the MAB area, that is, it is located in a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO protection. Considering all this, the ticket price was symbolic – 3 euros per person.
From the entrance to the bridge, you have to walk about 1,5 km on a fairly steep, uneven road that we didn't even feel. It was warm, but the wind was blowing, which was getting stronger by the minute. When we reached the bridge, it was blowing so much that I was afraid to cross the bridge, afraid that I would end up in Krupa. Krupa is a tributary of the Zrmanja River and flows into it not far from the bridge. Not only the bridge is interesting, but the entire surroundings are also interesting. The bridge is a story in itself. There is a legend that at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the bridge was built by a boy named Kuda, with the intention of bridging the river to reach his beloved who lived on the opposite bank. The bridge is made of stone, using the dry stone wall technique. It is 109 meters long and an average width of 1,5 meters. It has 12 arches. When we look at the bridge today, it seems incredible that Kuda built this himself, but love works wonders, so this may be another proof of that.
The wind was blowing harder and harder. Somehow we climbed to the car. We didn't give up on our original plan to find Janković Buk. The navigation system led us not along roads that were rarely traveled, but rather along roads that seemed to be completely untraveled. Eventually, we reached the end of the road. There was no sign of the waterfall. I descended along some rocks and saw it deep down. It wasn't particularly impressive. I had seen photos where it looked incomparably more beautiful and powerful. The summer was more than dry, and autumn wasn't very rainy either. I was scrambling along the rocks to get the best shot possible, and then I saw a path. And so, completely unprepared, wearing only sneakers (although we had hiking boots and poles in the car), with only a camera in our hands, we descended to the banks of the Zrmanja River. On the opposite bank, we could see the remains of former buildings. You can get there by taking a hiking trail that leads from Obrovac. We were headed for it two years ago, but we gave up looking for a better solution, but we didn't find it then. I took a few photos and headed back. The ascent was easier. We came along the path a little above the parked car. The turn is almost completely imperceptible from the road, despite the fact that someone made a stone pile. It's amazing that there were no signposts anywhere along the way. It's as if tourists are not welcome here or nobody cares.
Our plan was to climb the famous Tulove Grede on the fourth day of our stay in Croatia. It was supposed to be the highlight of this year's "tour" of Croatia. We wanted to treat ourselves to it for our wedding anniversary. The wind decided to mess up our plans, but we were stubborn and optimistic: "Maybe it doesn't blow like this up there." It blew even worse. From Tribanj, where we spent the night, we headed towards Obrovac and the turnoff to Tulove Grede, which is also part of the Velebit Nature Park. This incredible rock formation has been popular far and wide for a long time. Namely, in the sixties, the German series about Vinnetu, based on the novels by Karl May, was filmed here. Tulove Grede and its surroundings "played" the Wild West and thus became famous all over the world. Most of the not-so-common natural phenomena, such as Tulove Grede, are accompanied by legends. According to one of them, dragons hatched from eggs here, and invisible Velebit fairies lived in the rocks. The third mythical creature mentioned in legends is the Black Queen, who brought misfortune.
A wide road was built across Tulove Grede at the beginning of the 19th century – Majstorska cesta, the first state road connecting the south and north of Croatia and was 41 kilometers long. It was, among other things, the link between Vienna and Zadar. We counted on it when we set off in the wind that carried parts of trees. The road is partly paved, but even where it is not, the road is wide, and the surface is completely decent. At the very top, we came across a brick wall. When we moved the car a meter in front of it, we felt that due to the gust of wind we had no control over it, so we quickly turned back. We had already given up on climbing because on such rocky terrain, nothing should disturb your concentration, let alone throw you around, around. We were hoping to at least take a walk. As soon as I started to get out of the car, it was clear that this was not a good idea. But I had to take at least some photos, read what was written on the memorial plaques, and get to the chapel. When I managed to get back so that the wind wouldn't blow me away to the Novigrad Sea, I did well. That's when I panicked. Will the car be stable until we get down? I made Duško and I immediately head back. On the way back, we passed some hikers from Slovenia. I don't know if they panicked too or if they carried out their plan to the end. I would guess the latter.
And so, by force of circumstances, we celebrated our wedding anniversary in a quiet fish restaurant in Zadar. When we complained to our best men that the wind had ruined our plans, they said that the wind that day could be classified as average, and that it can often be much stronger. And we don't think it can blow anywhere like it does here.
Bonus video:
