January and February belong to carnival in the Municipality of Matulji. Its central event is the Zvončari Festival; the Zvončari are traditional carnival figures whose origins date back more than 500 years. The Zvončarska Smotra traditionally takes place in Matulji on Shrove Saturday. At its 29th edition, 14 Zvončari groups paraded through Matulji. As the dates of individual events vary, check the schedule for the relevant year before visiting.
Commemorating history in Lipa
The Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti interprets the history of the Second World War in the Liburnian Karst. In addition to Lipa, this area includes Pasjak, Rupa, Šapjane and Brdce. The present-day centre opened in April 2015 on the site of an older memorial museum that was there from 1968 to 1989.
The centre is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Thursdays and Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Check the opening hours again before your visit. Suburban bus line 30 runs from Delta in central Rijeka to Lipa; Lipa is the terminus. From there, the Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti is reached via an approximately 100-metre-long, gently uphill path. Parking is permitted in the immediate vicinity of the centre. Check bus connections and current visitor information before travelling as well.
Lisina and trails through the landscape
The protected martagon lily (Lilium martagon) grows in the protected landscape of Lisina. A hiking trail runs along the scenic ridge of Crni vrh, a peak 1,037 metres high. The trailhead is southwest of the mountain lodge on Lisina. The ridge route and the view from the summit give this hike a clearly defined scenic focus; check trail conditions before setting out.
The Matulji area has a network of 150 kilometres of cycling and hiking trails, including ten circular routes. The routes can be distinguished by their stated length, elevation gain and course: Bike-and-Hike Route 119, “Od Golopusta do sup Šije”, is 15 kilometres long, climbs 240 metres and starts in the centre of Vele Mune. Route 113, “Mune i Žejane”, is a 37.5-kilometre loop with a total elevation gain of 590 metres. It starts in Jušići and runs mostly on asphalt.
Other routes are defined by their sequence of places and landscape features. Route 117 starts in Rukavac, at the car park below Kinkel House, passes through Gornji Rukavac and the protected area of Lisina, follows the old Žejane–Bukvina–Zvoneća road, and then leads to the terraces of Zvonejske njivi. Route 114 starts in the small village of Zvoneća. The village is known for growing the indigenous Jarbola grape variety and for the Church of St Anthony. The route continues via Sušnji and Zdemer, where there is a plaque and bench dedicated to the milkmaids, and leads to Rukavac and Lisina. The routes thus offer different kinds of guidance: one through measurable distances, the other through a sequence of named places and waypoints.
Stone heritage and local traditions
Near Zvoneća lie the stony terraces of Zvonejske njivi, an example of rural architecture in the Municipality of Matulji. They were created between the 15th and 17th centuries and cover about 60 hectares. Andrejići, a hamlet of Rukavac, is also listed in the Register of Cultural Heritage as a rural ensemble. It includes traditional stone buildings and a small traditional tower-like structure called a “tornica”. In Veli Brgud, the entire village is designated as a protected and officially registered rural ensemble.
Jarbola is also associated with Zvoneća: this indigenous grape variety grows exclusively in the Zvoneća area. Local taverns in Matulji serve dishes made from recipes passed down through generations, complementing the experience with Jarbola, a wine made from an indigenous grape variety.
Another cultural distinction is the language of Žejane, called žejånska limba. The village of Žejane lies in the northwestern part of the municipality, and the language is named after it. It is considered a variety of Istro-Romanian and has the ISO 639-3 code RUO. This endangered language is spoken by about 30 mostly middle-aged and older residents and is included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia.
Discover more destinations: Jurdani, Matulji, Veli Brgud, Rupa, Mihotići, Rukavac, Šapjane, Brešca, Male Mune, Zvoneće, Mučići, Jušići, Pasjak, Zaluki.
For the broader travel overview: Kvarner Bay.
