Općina Matulji: Carnival, Memorial Culture and Trails

Općina Matulji combines memorial culture in Lipa with the Zvončari traditions of Matulji and trails through Lisina. This offers different ways to plan your trip: a visit to the Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti, carnival season, or a route through the landscape. The villages and their inherited cultural features also tell the story of the municipality’s diversity.

Memorial culture in Lipa and practical information

The Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti opened in April 2015 on the site of an older memorial museum that operated in Lipa from 1968 to 1989. Its exhibition 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 centre is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Thursdays and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Check the opening hours before your visit. Local bus route 30 runs from Delta in central Rijeka to Lipa; Lipa is the final stop. From there, an approximately 100-metre-long, gently uphill footpath leads to the Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti. Parking is permitted nearby. Before setting out, also check the bus service and visitor information.

Zvončari and carnival season

The carnival in Matulji takes place in January and February; its main 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 the Saturday before Shrove Tuesday. At the 29th edition, 14 groups of Zvončari paraded through Matulji. If you want to plan your trip around carnival, check the dates of that year’s programme in advance.

Routes through Lisina and the municipality

In the protected landscape of Lisina, a hiking trail follows the scenic ridge of Crni vrh, a peak rising to 1,037 metres. The trail starts southwest of the mountain hut in Lisina. The protected martagon lily (Lilium martagon) also grows in Lisina. Current trail conditions are a useful basis for planning your hike.

The Matulji area has a network of 150 kilometres of cycling and hiking trails, including ten circular routes. Two routes can be compared by their stated distances and elevation gains: the 15-kilometre Bike-and-Hike Route 119, “Od Golopusta do sup Šije,” gains 240 metres and starts in the centre of Vele Mune. Route 113, “Mune i Žejane,” is a 37.5-kilometre circular route with a total elevation gain of 590 metres. It starts in Jušići and runs mostly on asphalt. Route 119 is shorter on both stated measures, while Route 113 is the longer loop with more elevation gain.

Route 117 starts in Rukavac at the car park below Kinkel House. It goes through Gornji Rukavac and the protected area of Lisina, then follows the old Žejane–Bukvina–Zvoneća road and continues to the terraces of Zvonejske njivi. Route 114 starts in the small village of Zvoneća, known for cultivating the indigenous Jarbola grape variety and for the Church of Saint Anthony. Via Sušnji and Zdemer, passing a memorial plaque and a bench dedicated to the milkmaids, it continues to Rukavac and Lisina. When planning, you can choose between routes with precisely stated figures and routes whose descriptions link several places and cultural features. Check trail conditions before setting out.

Villages, language and local culture

Near Zvoneća lie the Zvonejske njivi, an example of rural architecture in the municipality of Matulji. The stony terraces were created between the 15th and 17th centuries over an area of approximately 60 hectares. In Rukavac, the hamlet of Andrejići is part of a registered cultural heritage site designated as a rural ensemble. It includes traditional stone buildings and a small traditional tower structure called a tornica. The entire village of Veli Brgud is also designated as a protected and officially registered rural ensemble.

The language of Žejane, called žejånska limba, is named after the village in the northwestern part of the municipality of Matulji. It is considered an endangered variety of Istro-Romanian, with the ISO-639-3 code RUO, and is included on the Republic of Croatia’s list of intangible cultural heritage. It is spoken by approximately 30 residents, mostly middle-aged and older.

Jarbola is an indigenous grape variety that grows exclusively in the Zvoneća area. In Matulji, local oštarije serve dishes made from recipes passed down through generations and complement the culinary experience with Jarbola, a wine made from this grape variety. Alongside the landscape and carnival, language, architecture and food culture are therefore among the distinctive subjects you can take into account when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Mihotići, Rukavac, Jurdani, Matulji, Brešca, Male Mune, Veli Brgud, Mučići, Jušići, Pasjak, Zaluki, Zvoneće, Šapjane, Rupa.

For the broader travel overview: Kvarner Bay.