with amazing coves with beautiful beaches. The wild beaches are probably the prettiest, but the official beaches have received recognition in the form of the Blue Flag, the international ecological award for the protection of sea and coast. Fourteen beaches have been adorned with the Blue Flag, and also the Punat marina, which has received this ward each year since 1998. The north-western side of the island, which is 85 metres high, is dominated by the small town of Omiπalj. It is one of the oldest settlements on the island, with narrow stone streets, and is also an important Glagolitic destination. On the eve of the Catholic holiday of the Assumption, which is locally called Stomorine according to an old custom, young dancers, tencuri, dance on the main square, sing and raise a flag, the bandira, with a crown on the top and facoleti flying in the wind. The bandira represents the assumption of Virgin Mary, while the facoleti represent the angels who follow her and protect her on her way. If you go further to the eastern side of the island, you will reach another Glagolitic centre, Vrbnik, a town on a steep cliff emerging from the sea. The locals have been mostly farmers since days of old, and the best known result of their labour is the golden Ælahtina, a unique wine produced in a limited area of some 100 hectares, which has become famous far and wide. This grapevine was once grown only for personal needs, along the edges of the fields of crops for feeding large families, as the older residents remember. Vrbnik, still untouched by mass tourism, is known for its very narrow streets, and it is no surprise that the narrowest street in the world, KlanËiÊ, is located here, recommended only for very, very slim people. Like the rest of the island, Vrbnik has magnificent beaches, some of which are nested in hidden coves that can only be reached by boat. If you like diving, south of Vrbnik are the Tenki shallows, a popular diver destination, where, in the company of lobsters, sculpins, European congers and octopuses, you can find a fabulous field of Paramuricea clavata at the depth of some 15 metres. If you continue to the north, towards ©ilo, you will find the cove of Soline, famous for pre-Roman salt pans, as well as the Meline site, with medicinal mud which heals gout. Near ©ilo is another diving attraction, the sunken Greek ship Peltastis, from the 1960s. The ship, carrying wood, was first anchored in Jurjevo near Crikvenica, but due to storm and blizzard, on 7 January, it sailed towards a safer dock in Rijeka. A strong bora wind and waves pulled it, despite its powerful engines, across the channel, and crashed it against 82
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the rocks near ©ilo. The ship’s clock stopped at 3:50, and its captain and seven sailors lost their lives. Today, covered in algae, it rests in mud, at a depth of 32 metres, with the peak of its mast at a depth of 10 metres visible from the surface when the sea is calm. On this eastern side of the island, on a 200 metre hill, lies the pretty town of Dobrinj, another ancient Glagolitic nest and an old Frankopan fortress, within whose walls a settlement developed. Near Dobrinj is Biserujka, the only one of the island’s caves which is adapted for visitors, capturing their attention with its size and the beauty of its underground rooms. It was named after a pirate treasure which, according to legend, was hidden within it. The island has two lakes and three rivers, and several brooks in the Omiπalj field, which was cultivated back in Roman times. The island of Krk is among Europe’s sunniest places, with 2,500 hours of sun per year. The pleasant climate (the 45th parallel runs through the island), with warm but not too hot summers and mild winters, as well as an abundance of water, gives rise to lush submediterranean vegetation, including, juniper, hornbeam, eastern hornbeam, holly oak and downy oak. Resistant immortelle and medicinal sage give the island its unforgettable fragrance, and of course, olives and grapevines thrive, as do another 1,400 plant species. One of them, Asperula Borbasiana, grows only in Baπka, and the climate and soil of Baπka’s surroundings produce several other endemic plants and relicts. Krk’s natural beauty derives from an exceptionally diverse relief, cliffs that dive into the sea next to fertile fields and valleys, slopes with the highest peak Obzovi at 570 metres, thick woods and dry, bare karst. Access to these sights is provided by numerous seashore promenades, footpaths, hiking trails and cycle paths - indeed, there are 300 kilometres of cycle paths. Krk’s fauna is also known for its diversity - it is home to griffon vultures, falcons, barn owls, herons, storks, swans, wild ducks, swallows, quails, owls and grebes, among others. Krk’s woods are full of small animals, such as squirrels, dormice, hares, hedgehogs, various bat species, brown bears, foxes, otters, does and wild boars. In the sea, you can encounter friendly dolphins, which you can adopt with the help of several environmental associations. There are also sightings of the rare Mediterranean monk seal. Among the many reptile species, there are wall geckos, Karst lizards and twelve species of snake. The creative touch of the human hand is felt everywhere. The island landscapes
are marked by gromaËe - drystone walls protecting Krk’s gardens and underpinning terrace-like fields - and mrgari - drystone wall constructions, whose floor plans resemble flowers, that are used to gather and sort sheep that pasture together but belong to different owners. The largest mrgari can take as many as 1,500 sheep, which are jointly examined by shepherds, several times a year, who separate their flocks into small mrgariÊi, which surround the large ones like flower petals. These interesting examples of folk architecture, about fifteen of them, are still in use and are located on the southernmost part of Krk and on the islet of PrviÊ. Similar structures in Europe can be found only in Wales, the UK and Iceland. You can reach the island of Krk by sea, land or air. The oldest way is by sea; the ship and ferry lines maintain a good connection to the land and also to the neighbouring Kvarner islands. But you can come also by land, by a bridge that has made Krk a peninsula and forever improved the islanders’ lives, bringing them closer to the mainland and freeing them from relying on the ferry schedule. Built in 1980, the bridge consists of two tall, slender concrete arches which meet on the islet of St. Marko. At the time of its completion, it was the pride of local architecture. The longer arch, with a span of 390m, was then the longest concrete arch in the world and retained this title for 27 years. In 1970, Rijeka Airport was built on the island’s plateau, primarily for the needs of the city of Rijeka, which is an administrative, business, industrial and cultural centre some 30 km away. The opening of this international airport, where the largest modern aircraft can land, was a turning point in tourism on Krk and also on other Kvarner islands, linking them to the world by the fastest possible means of transport. Finally, with such good transport connections, there is no excuse for not visiting this amazing island. But you don’t need one anyway, do you? ■