Attractions of Karlobag

St. Joseph's Church

The single nave church with the lateral chapel of St. Anthony. Behind the altar there are choir stalls and a wooden stand for the pulpit from the 18th century from where monks prayed their daily breviary. In the church we find the valuable painting of the Last Supper by Cristoforo Tasca.

The monastery is of square ground plan with a rectangular yard, cloister, with a large cistern (rainfall water) 6 m in diameter of 300-year-long capacity for the needs of the inhabitants of Karlobag.

The single nave church with the lateral chapel of St. Anthony. Behind the altar there are choir stalls and a wooden stand for the pulpit from the 18th century from where monks prayed their daily breviary. The monastery has a library with theological literature from the 16th, 17th and 18th cent.

In the church we find the valuable painting of the Last Supper by Cristoforo Tasca. The monastery is of square ground plan with a rectangular yard, cloister, with a large cistern (rainfall water) 6 m in diameter of 300-year-long capacity for the needs of the inhabitants of Karlobag.

The monastery has a library with theological literature from the 16th, 17th and 18th cent.

The fortress Fortica and Kava - Mediterranean garden

At the beginning of the Middle Ages the new settlement of Scrissa or Bag developed next to the sea, in the Fortica area. Remains of a small four-corner fortress from the 13th or 14th cent are situated on a higher plateau with a defense tower in the center and at 250 meter above sea level. The fortress is completely of private ownership.

A chaplain and a small crew were constantly in the fortress and they provided for the security of the town and supervised the navigation of vessels towards Pag. Remains of the water supply cistern have been preserved. The current and arranged Kava Mediterranean Garden with an exhibition of private owned mosaics.

The name Kava (quarry) refers to the possibility that there may have been a quarry but it is more probable that in the area there were military dormitories. Today there are luxuriant gardens with squares and other buildings.

Sterne

In the time preceding the water system network, the only source of drink- ing water were the sterne. They also represented the key to unity; the wheel would often entangle, new love stories and friendships would arise.

Today the šterne are reminders of the past and the old way of life which we have decided to protect as cultural and historical heritage and take you, at least for a moment, through the past of our locality. Karlobag has 6 localities, city šterne that must be visited.

St. Karlo Boromejski church

A church from 1710, built on the foundations of the church of St. John (1615). It was badly damaged during the bombings in 1943. The remains were removed 1958 except for the preserved tower, one part of the wall and the entire bell fry.

Next to the church stands the monument of Šime Starčević, father of the first Croatian grammar.

Calvary

A chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows was built in 1727 on higher ground above the town, on Calvary, and it was consecrated on September 12 by the bishop of Senj, Modruš and Krbava, Nikola Pohmajevic.

The inhabitants covered all the expenses and converted it into a small church in 1740.

School in Karlobag

The stone building was built in 1875 through the efforts of Baron Mollinary, and it was the most grandiose building of the time in Karlobag.

Baske Ostarije

Baske Ostarije lie on the Velebit, at 924 n N/V in the western part of Lika, in the micro-region of the Lika basin of moun- tainous Croatia, at 18 km from Karlobag.

The locality bore the name Ostarije until 1900 when it was changed into Baške Ostarije. The locality is divided into ham- lets: Raketa, Ripiste, Stupacinovo, Takalice, Prpic polje. St. Elisabeth’c Church in Ostarije was built in 1855 in the parish of the Holy Virgin Mary from Baske Ostarije founded in 1820. Gospic University Registrar’s Office of the Gospic-Senj Diocese.

Kubus

The monument dedicated to the building of the Karlobag– Gospić Road across the Velebit, the Cube (Kubus, Ura) on four spheres is situated on the Oštarije Saddle or Stara vrata, at 927 m above sea level from where the view extends over Karlobag, the island of Pag and the entire Velebit Channel.

In 1846 the Cube was put up during the construction of the road from Gospić to Karlobag (1844-1850). There are 33 steps leading to the Cube. On one side of the cube there is the inscription Ferdinand I, Austrian Emperor MDCCCXLVI.

A fountain made of carved stone

In memory of the building of the Knezic– Kekiceve road built from 1844 to 1851.

An interesting fact to mention is that people called this source the source of fertility.

The Theresiana Educational Trail

The Theresiana was built in 1786 as a better connection between Gospić, the Regiment Headquarters of the time, and the free port of Karlobag.

The order to build a new, modern road was given by Emperor Joseph II. The road was named after his mother Mary Theresa. Wishing to inform people of the culturalimportance of the Theresiana, the public institution of Velebit Nature Park arranged one part of the educational trail.

The trailis exclusively for pedestrians and it is particularly interesting due to the region it crosses where in a small area oneexperiences the two Velebit faces in their complete beauty.

The educational trailbegins in Baske Ostarije (924m above sea level.), and descends to Konjsko village (655m/above sea level) 3 km in length. Thisis the longer walking tour and lasts from 2.5 – 3 h. A shorter tour of about 1.5 h is also offered.

The Premuzic Trail

The Premuzic Trail was named after the construction engineer Ante Premuzic who designed it in 1930, while the construction it self was finished in 1933. The trail crosses the most beautiful and most interesting parts of the North Velebit.

A beautiful view spreads over the Adriatic Sea and the islands of Pag, Rab, Goli, Prvić and Krk, and onto the Lika hinterland from the continental side.

The cultural heritage of the park manifests itself in the numerous remains of old cattle lodgings, houses, drystone walls witnesses of times gone when this region was settled by a greater number of people that later left and settled around the world leaving only traces of their presence in this exceptionally beautiful and unique area.

Dabar and Dabarski Cliffs

People call Dabar the karst basin shaped valleys.

The Dabar and Dabar Cliffs region extends along the central part of the mountain massif, from Bacic-kuk opposite Budak mountain to the northwest and up to Ljubacki Mountain and to the pertaining cliffs over Ostarije to the southeast, approximately 10 km.

Shallow and deep valleys follow one another, Bacic duliba, Dosen duliba, Crna duliba, Ravni dabar, Crni dabar. All the Dabars and Dulibes except for Crne Dulibe were settled and cultivated in earlier times.

Cesarica and Ribarica

Cesarica is situated in a lovely cove at the foot of the Velebit in a channel bearing the same name, 7 km northwest of Karlobag and 55 km southeast of Senj, next to the Adriatic Highway.

Few are acquainted with this jewel of the Croatian coast. Up to the Second World War this locality had a school, church and monastery. Current Cesarica is more of a weekend locality than a place to live in. It can be proud of its beautiful cove, crystal clear sea and the powerful Velebit in the background inspiring awe with its frequent gusts of the north wind bora.

The church of St. Helen with its parish building holds the people together( 18.08.). Ribarica is situated under the Adriatic Highway, at the foot of the Velebit in the Velebit Channel.

It is located at 5 km northeast of Karlobag and 60 km southeast of Senj. This new locality is only about fifty years old and, thanks to its position, it has developed into one of the tourist centers of the Lika-Senj County.

Zavratnica Cove

If you are planning an outing from which you expect to discover new and interesting destinations you must visit Zavratnica - a significant landscape and one of the most beautiful coves on the Croatian coast.

From its first appearance Zavratnica was a flooded valley with 100 meter high canyon cliffs. The length of the bay is about 900 m, and the width varies between 50 and 150 m. It first appeared in layers from the Cretaceous Age where numerous sandbanks were formed due to the fragmentation and the planting of trees and underbrushes. 129 types of plants have been counted in Zavratnica of which 100 are autochthonous and 29 are alohtone.

The upper trail with a viewpoint and sea promenade were built at the beginning of the 20th cent. At that time Zavratnica became the sheltered summer resort of the Viennese and Prague elite. How to reach it: You can reach Zvratnica from Jablanac, the ferry port for the island of Rab, a half-hour walk along the sea trail.

If you have a mountaineering and adventurous spirit you can descend into the cove using the mountain trail from Zavratnica village.

Lukovo Sugarje

Lukovo Sugarje-initially a local development center, south of Karlobag and situated in the cove bearing the same name and a short strait connects it with the open sea.

The settlement dates from the Middle Ages and was abandoned in the 17th cent. Later it revived with many localities on the nude and steep slopes of the maritime Velebit. The church of St. Luke the Evangelist was built in the 18th century and renewed in 1873. The parish was established in 1809.

The local cistern was built next to the church in 1840. The elementary school was opened in 1907 although the inhabitants of Lukovo had demanded it from the military headquarters in Zagreb back in 1875.