Traveling along the eastern coast of Istria (on the Rijeka-Pula road), we come across beautiful, but always new and different views.
To experience the beauty of this area, stop on your left side along the road at the landscaped viewpoint, from where the view stretches across unique areas far to the horizon between Rijeka and the Kvarner islands to the east on one side, and the Istrian mainland to the south and west on the other.
A few kilometers further on, we come across Plomin, a small town built on a hill above the bay of the same name, in the place where the prehistoric fortress and later the Roman Flanona were located. Plomin is decorated with a partially preserved city rampart from the 13th century. and a large part of the fortification system that was created from the 14th to the 17th century. From the plateau in front of the city, you enter the late Gothic parish church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as St. Juraj the Younger, built in 1474. The wealth of the church is evident in the artistic woodcuts, liturgical vessels and other objects in silver and gilt, as well as the fresco with the image of Our Lady of Patronage from the Late Gothic period, by master Albert of Konstanz on Lake Constance.
On the edge of the town with a view of the Plomin Bay, there is a small church of St. George the Old from the 11th century. On its outer southern wall, there is a relief with a Glagolitic inscription from the 11th-13th centuries, one of the pearls of Croatian culture in this area. A virtual guide in the form of Countess Tonetti will take you through Plomin and tell interesting stories.
At the end of May, the Istrian bluebell (Campanula istriaca Feer), an endemic plant species of the rocky habitats of part of the Istrian mainland and the Kvarner islands, blooms here, and in its honor the event Bell calls to Plomin is organized every year.
At the foot of Plomin, at the very end of the Plomin Bay, next to the former fertile valley, is the settlement of Plomin Luka. The development path of Plomin and Plomin Port is long and inseparable. The Bay of Plomin had an important strategic and traffic significance even in the time of Greek antiquity, and it is mentioned, like Plomin, in 100 BC. under the name Kólpos flanatikòs. The bay has the shape of a fjord. It is about 4 km long and a maximum of 400 m wide. It is cut into the land above which mountains rise and is an excellent natural shield from wind and storms that can be fatal at sea, especially in Kvarner. The settlement has always lived as a trading and fishing port important for the export of bauxite, connected by a railway to the mine in Šumber. This is evidenced by the landscaped coast, but also by the interesting fact that Plomin Port once had a Port Authority.
Until the end of the Second World War, Plomin Port was an important traffic destination from where you could travel to Rijeka, Cres and Lošinj by regular ferry connection. Many sailors, fishermen and millers lived in the small town, and the abandonment of the settlement began after the capitulation of Italy in 1943.
The construction of two thermal power plants, the first in 1969 and the second in 2000, brought life back to the settlement. In addition to the thermal power plants, which produce about 12% of Croatia’s total annual electricity needs, a 340-meter-high chimney was also built, which is the tallest building in Croatia. Respecting all the benefits of modern technology in the field of environmental protection, space has been left for the development of tourist accommodation facilities with quality culinary offerings and excursions. Today, Plomin Luka is still a fishing port that is also visited by sailors.
In August, Plomin Luka, as the host of the Fishermen’s Festival on the Porte, attracts a large number of visitors who, along with entertaining music and a cultural program, can taste fish dishes at promotional prices.
Only a few kilometers from the intersection in Vozilići, on the road to Pazin, is the town of Kršan – the seat of the municipality of the same name. The castle of Kršan was first mentioned in 1274, and it got its current name Kršan in the 15th century, when it came into the possession of the noble family Kerstlein de Pisino.
In the middle of the 19th century, an “Istrian Divorce” was found in Kršan – a legal document on the regulation of borders between properties in Istria.
Parish Church of St. Antuna Abbot was built in the 17th century next to the very walls of the castle. The valuable sacral building is located in the local cemetery in the church of St. Jakov from the 15th century. Events are held in May, the Wild Herbs Festival and KRAFIfest. The two-day manifestation Festival of wild plants attracts a large number of lovers of nature and a healthy lifestyle, visitors can thus be educated, taste dishes and buy some of the products of wild and medicinal plants. Krafifest is an event dedicated to the delicacy of this region – Krafu. Pasta stuffed with cheese, a poor dish that has become a delicacy over the years and is prepared for the holidays.
Kaštel Kožljak was built at the foot of Učka. The name of the castle was first mentioned in 1102. Today we can see only the remains of the fort and the ruins of the church of St. Hadrian.
Fans of frescoes can, in addition to Plomin, visit the frescoes in churches in Jasenovik and Nova Vasa.
Šušnjevica is a small town located on the Tunel Učka-Vozilići road. It is the center of the Istro-Romanians, Ćiribirac or so-called. Vlah, who have preserved their archaic speech to this day. If you want to learn more about life in Šušnjevica and the surrounding villages, we suggest you visit the Vlaška Puti Ecomuseum.
The Pauline monastery (Kloštar), the oldest in Istria, has been active since 1287 in the town of Čepić, which is situated on the edge of the field of the same name. In 1782, the monks left it and went to Novi Vinodolski and Crikvenica. The architectural building of the monastery surrounding the courtyard with a well in the middle has been preserved to this day.
In addition to the sea and pebble beaches, get to know our hills, hills, our stone, forests and meadows by riding along marked cycling or hiking trails.
After visiting these places, you can end your visit with lunch or dinner in one of our 6 restaurants or taverns that offer local specialties such as fish and meat dishes, asparagus and truffles, donuts, etc.
Some of our 180 households that provide accommodation in modern holiday homes with swimming pools, apartments and rural holiday homes will take care of your pleasant stay.
