The Zvončari tradition and local history give a trip to Matulji a distinct cultural focus. The wider destination of Općina Matulji also offers nature and themed trails.

Carnival and events

At the Zvončarska Smotra, the procession starts at Štacijon, passes through the centre of Matulji and reaches the Amfiteatar. Carnival in the wider destination of Općina Matulji takes place in January and February; its main event is the Zvončari Festival. These traditional carnival figures have a history dating back more than 500 years. The Matulji Summer Festival includes music concerts, theatre productions and other events. Check the dates for the relevant programme before your trip.

Cultural heritage in Matulji and Općina Matulji

In Matulji, the parish church of Christ the King was built in 1934 on the site of an older church; its architecture features historicist elements. The railway station is also part of the town’s history: it is considered one of the most picturesque buildings of its kind in the area and is associated with early tourist travel to the Opatija Riviera.

In the Općina Matulji area, near Zvoneća, lie the Zvonejske Njivi, dry-stone terraces created across approximately 60 hectares between the 15th and 17th centuries. They were added to the Register of Protected Cultural Heritage in 1994. Veli Brgud is a protected, officially registered rural ensemble; its settlement pattern reflects a medieval pastoral settlement. These places represent the municipality’s cultural heritage in different ways: as a terraced landscape and a historically developed settlement structure.

Lipa: remembrance and planning your visit

The Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti is located at Lipa 35, Šapjane. It is a branch of the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka. The exhibition explores the history of the Second World War in the Liburnian Karst, which includes Pasjak, Rupa, Šapjane and Brdce as well as Lipa. The centre opened in April 2015 at the site of an older memorial museum that had operated in Lipa from 1968 to 1989. The annual commemoration on 30 April honours the victims and remembers the 1944 crime.

In the wider destination of Općina Matulji, the centre is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm, and Thursdays and Saturdays from 12 pm to 7 pm; it is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Suburban bus route 30 runs from Delta in central Rijeka to Lipa. Lipa is the terminus; from there, a gently uphill footpath of about 100 metres leads to the centre. Parking is permitted nearby. Check opening hours and the bus connection before your visit.

Nature and routes in Općina Matulji

In Općina Matulji, Lisina Forest Park offers a network of forest roads and tractor tracks suitable for walking and recreation. A hiking trail follows the scenic ridge of 1,037-metre Crni Vrh and starts southwest of the mountain lodge on Lisina. The summit of Vodičke griže is about a ten-minute walk from the Vodice spring. Lisina is also home to dormice, deer, foxes, badgers, hares, martens and numerous woodland bird species; the protected Turk’s cap lily (Lilium martagon) grows there too. Trail conditions can change, so it is worth checking for updates before setting out.

The trail network of Općina Matulji includes 150 kilometres of cycling and hiking routes, including ten circular routes. Organised Matuljicious Bike & Taste rides combine nature, cultural heritage and local specialities; interpretation is available in Croatian, English, Italian and German. Two routes offer different distances and elevation gains to help you choose: the 15-kilometre Bike-and-Hike Route 119 has an elevation gain of 240 metres and starts in the centre of Vele Mune. Route 113 is a 37.5-kilometre loop with an elevation gain of 590 metres. It starts in Jušići and runs mostly on asphalt.

Jarbola is another part of the area’s local character: this indigenous grape variety has been cultivated around Zvoneća for more than 100 years. A stay here brings not only trails and cultural events into focus, but also a long local winemaking tradition.

Discover more destinations: Mučići, Zvoneće, Rukavac, Veli Brgud, Šapjane, Jušići, Mihotići, Rupa

To the wider travel overview: Općina Matulji.