Another heat wave is ahead, how to survive it? The answer is, without hesitation - in Gorski kotar. We suggest a walk in the fresh air and a tour of attractions that you won't get bored of even in a week's stay. We have already seen the beauty of Gorski kotar during a pleasant ride on the Čača raft and refreshments on the Lake Lokvar, we visited and source of Kupa which we highly recommend that you include in your list of places for an excursion at least for the weekend, and today we continue with suggestions and recommend you to visit some of the most beautiful natural phenomena and viewpoints that, despite all the fresh air - leave you breathless...
The highest town in Croatia and the Mountaineering Center Petehovac
Delnice is the central and largest settlement of the entire Gorski Kotar. They are located on the Delnički polje and are surrounded by the peaks of Drgomalj, Petehovac and Japlenški vrh. With an altitude of 730 meters, they are the highest city in Croatia.
It is from Petehovac (Štimčev Vrh 1024 meters) that you can best see Delnice, and this location is a "must see" for all visitors and tourists of Gorski Kotar. Also, at the top there is a Mountaineering Center of the same name with a ski slope and ski lift, as well as an accommodation and catering facility.
Petehovac rises on the southeastern side of Delnice like a relief step, behind which continues the undulating plateau that is extremely suitable for ski touring in the winter, with peaks higher than 1000 meters, towards the Mrkopal region. In addition to the entire Delnice, the peaks of Risnjak, Slovenski Snežnik, Drgomlje, Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe, and even the top of Triglav can be seen from the viewpoint at the top.
Due to its exceptional beauty, the area of Petehovac was protected and declared a significant landscape in 1963.
Petehovac is an ideal place for an active holiday at any time of the year
An altitude of over 1000 meters, favorable summer climate conditions, rich flora and fauna, numerous mountain trails and sports fields are excellent prerequisites for all kinds of activities. This is where they stand out altitude physical preparations and training for athletes, which can supplement sports activities in Delnica facilities (sports hall, swimming pool). A recommended activity is to go to Delnice on foot on a mountain path or road, which will be extremely useful for people who suffer from bronchitis, asthma or reduced immunity.
There you can also rent a bicycle or a scooter, and some of the outside services include paintball, horseback riding, rafting, swimming, hunting or fishing...
Mountain Center Petehovac - an excellent example of family micro-entrepreneurship
After a walk and a tour, you will surely get hungry, and the autochthonous Goranian specialties will instantly restore your energy, of which we definitely recommend the goulash with homemade boar gnocchi, fugue with porcini mushrooms or breaded oyster mushrooms in the Petehovac restaurant. For dessert, we recommend homemade forest fruit desserts.
How to get to Petehovac?
The location is easily accessible by car, but you can also use several hiking trails.
For those visiting Petehovac for the first time - enter Delnice on the old Lujzijana road, turn left (from the direction of Rijeka) or right (from the direction of Zagreb) at the INA gas station, bypass it and continue following the road sign to Petehovac. It takes about 10 minutes of easy driving along a forest road to reach the very top.
Jagodina stijena - we will tell you the story of tragic love
While you are there, be sure to walk to Jagodina stijena, which is 500 meters from the main building in Petehovac. The legend of Delnica was also immortalized in the novel of the same name by Milivoj Magdić from 1934. The legend and the novel tell about the tragic love story between Jagoda Matković, a woman from Delnica, and prof. Branko Milić from Zagreb.
Namely, the story goes like this: Branko knew Jagoda from childhood when he used to come to Delnice to his relatives in the summer, where later in his mature years he recognized Jagoda and the two of them, nostalgic for their childhood, spent their time walking through beautiful landscapes where there are plenty of strawberries in early summer, especially on Japlenški vrh , city park and Petehovac. The situation was not so simple because Branko has a marriage and business obligations in Zagreb, because of which Jagoda suffers and in the end throws himself into the abyss, from a steep rock above a deep sinkhole on the slopes of Petehovac.
This tragic story of unrequited love was written forever in the novel, the rock was named after Jagoda, and today it is a favorite destination for many visitors who come there and admire the pure, stunning beauty of the Goranian nature, which was also written about by the author Magdić.
Devil's Pass - one of the most beautiful canyons in Gorski kotar
The Devil's Passage is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena of Gorski kotar, and we can freely say Croatia as well. It is about 800 meters long, in some sections it is only 2 meters wide, and it was created as a result of the action of water that ate away at the stone for thousands of years and created an unusual path.
At the end The devil's passage, 14 meters above the Jasle stream is an opening in the rock, the entrance to Muževa hiža cave. It is about two hundred meters long, and at its end there is a hall with a pond. A strictly protected species of horseshoe bat hibernates in the cave and must not be disturbed when visiting the cave.
Husband's daughter
*Keep in mind that the temperature in the cave is around 8ºC both in summer and winter, and the Devil's Passage runs out of water in the summer due to drying out.
And finally, a special secret of Gorski Kotar...
We all know how sleeping in the summer can be really stressful due to the high temperatures, and if you just want to get a good night's sleep on your annual vacation - then you have nothing to think about but the direction of Gorski Kotar. Thanks to the pleasant, mild climate and fresh air, you will fall asleep so naturally and easily, and we are telling you from experience, and as soon as you get up, you will feel that you are more rested.
If you are looking for the perfect place to relax and sleep easy, we suggest you Holiday houses Runolist:
For the best tours in Gorski kotar, we suggest you look for a real Goran fox, ours blogger Jelena Holenko and experience the best first-hand travel stories.
