Viškovo: Bell-Ringing Tradition and Trails

If you’re looking for a hotel in Viškovo, you can decide on the main focus of your trip in advance: bell-ringing traditions and cultural heritage meet detailed hiking and route descriptions here. The trails differ in length, elevation and character; cultural stops each offer their own historical highlights. This makes it easier to plan whether you’d rather spend your time at an exhibition, exploring sacred art, discovering distinctive landscapes or cycling a route.

Bell-Ringing Traditions and Cultural Stops

The House of the Halubje Bell Ringers in Viškovo dedicates its permanent exhibition to the annual procession of the Halubajski zvončari, which is included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The exhibition presents the tradition in an interactive and educational way. On display are both original historic objects and modern multimedia content. The exhibition is permanent; programs and access information may change. Check the latest information before planning a visit.

The Halubajski zvončari Route also takes this tradition as its starting point. It is marked as a hiking and walking trail with an educational purpose, passing historical, cultural and culinary sites. The route combines exercise with a range of themed stops, but should not be confused with the annual procession.

The Church of St. Matthew in Viškovo was built in 1862 on the site of an older chapel. The main altar painting was created a year later, in 1863, by local painter Ivan Baštijan. Those interested in the building’s history or sacred art will find two specific historical points of interest here.

The sculpture park at the House of the Halubje Bell Ringers invites visitors to stroll. Its paths are laid out in an almost labyrinthine pattern; the grounds and sculptures may change over time. The house is also home to Restoran Zvončar, which serves homemade dishes. The menu and operating details may change, so it’s worth checking the latest information before planning a restaurant visit. The Ivan Matetić Ronjgov cultural institution organizes events such as Matetićevi dani; check the specific event dates before your trip.

Hiking Trails and Landscapes

The 8.6-kilometer Plešivac hiking trail connects Marčelji and Tibljaši. Its highest point is 429 meters. Trail conditions may change, so check locally for the latest information before setting out.

The access path to Kapitovac runs through plots bordered by dry-stone walls. It reaches a 30-meter-deep doline and a pond enclosed by walls, which serves as a resting place for hikers and cyclists. Kapitovac-kalić is located in Viškovo’s deepest sinkhole. Its water surface is elliptical and covers approximately 300 square meters. Here, the focus is on the route, the distinctive landform and the resting place; for the Plešivac trail, the key planning details are its length, the places it connects and its highest point.

Cycling and Hiking Routes in the Wider Destination of Općina Viškovo

In the wider destination of Općina Viškovo, “Tragom Halubajskih zvončara” is an easy circular cycling route. It follows sections of the three-day procession route of the Halubajski zvončari and passes the original locations, where educational activities are offered. The “Od kalića do kalića” route connects Blažići and Mladenići, runs through forested areas and over hills with views, and passes hidden kalići that are part of the area’s natural heritage. It is suitable for an easy one-hour walk or a bicycle ride. The first route follows the history of the procession; the second connects named settlements with forests and landscape features.

The wider destination of Općina Viškovo also includes the Lončeva Griža viewpoint in Lučići, at an elevation of 506 meters. From there, views extend over the Kvarner Bay, the Grobnik Field, Gorski Kotar, the Velebit Mountains and neighboring Slovenia. On the rocks below the viewpoint, an open-air exhibition features works by members of the Braća Baštjan amateur artists’ association, inspired by traditional motifs from the Viškovo area. The specific works on display may change.

Further insights into the wider destination of Općina Viškovo come from various traces of everyday life and cultural history. Every settlement in the municipality has at least one central šterna, a cistern that was once an important source of life for the community and now recalls past ways of life. The Širola-Kovačić house in Brnasi is a typical 19th-century residential and farmstead complex of the Kastavština region. Ronjgi, Viškovo, is also home to the Spomen-dom Ivan Matetić Ronjgov, an institution with a museum and memorial character. The Halubajski carnival takes place every year on the first Saturday after the feast day of Saint Anthony on January 17, and features masks, music, dancing and groups of bell ringers.

Discover more destinations: Marinići.

Back to the wider travel overview: Općina Viškovo.