Oključna: Hiking, Cave and Cultural Heritage

Oključna brings together several different themes to consider when planning your trip: a hiking trail with information about duration and elevation gain, Queen’s Cave, a distinctive plant species and a Baroque chapel. The specific descriptions can help you make outdoor activities, nature and local history the focus of your stay. When looking for a hotel, you can match these interests to your travel dates.

Hiking and trails around Oključna

The KOMIŽA – ZAGREBENJE – OKLJUČNA hiking trail is listed as taking about 2.5 hours to walk. The route involves 390 metres of ascent and 390 metres of descent. The surface also changes: asphalt gives way to macadam and, finally, a farm track. Trail conditions may vary seasonally, so take this into account when planning.

Another description covers the VIS – OKLJUČNA route: after 2 kilometres, it branches off from the road, continues for about 1.5 kilometres on asphalt, and then changes to macadam on the way to the village. These kilometre figures describe the road route, while the approximately 2.5-hour walking time refers to the KOMIŽA – ZAGREBENJE – OKLJUČNA hiking trail. Keeping these different details in mind makes it easier to match them to the relevant routes.

Near Oključna, a macadam road also connects with a road leading towards Oključna Bay. This road connection is a separate point of reference, distinct from the described approach to the village and the hiking trail. When planning your routes, keep the details for each route separate.

Queen’s Cave and Teuta’s bellflower

Queen’s Cave consists of five chambers connected by passages. Stalactites and stalagmites define its interior. A narrow path leads to the cave east of Oključna; the walk is listed as taking about an hour. This time refers to the walk to the cave and should not be confused with the walking time for the trail via Zagrebenje.

An excursion to Queen’s Cave also includes about a half-hour drive along a macadam road to Oključna. Check the availability of this excursion before your trip. This allows you to take the walk to the cave and the drive included in the excursion into account as separate details when planning.

The local plant life also has a special connection to the area: Teuta’s bellflower (Campanula teutana) is currently known only from the surroundings of Oključna on Vis. It blooms from mid-May to the end of June and grows in hard-to-reach crevices in north-facing limestone cliffs above the sea. If you are interested in the plant, this flowering period is a specific guide to choosing your travel dates.

Chapel and local history

Oključna is protected as immovable cultural property and classified as a rural ensemble of the town of Komiža. One building with a history of its own is the Baroque Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua. It was built on 8 July 1714 as a family chapel on the Mirce estate.

The chapel also has a distinctive architectural feature in its immediate surroundings: it stands beside a house with a semicircular tower. The coat of arms of the Visković family is on the chapel’s lintel. Oključna’s classification as a rural ensemble and the details about the chapel’s construction date, purpose and design offer two different ways to explore local history.

Discover more destinations: Podšpilje, Komiža, Biševo.

Go to the overarching travel overview: Općina Komiža.