Pušća – Historic Architecture, Churches and Trails

Pušća combines historic buildings with trails on Crikveni brijeg and regional culinary traditions. This gives you several points to consider when choosing a hotel: architecture and history are just as central as outdoor activities and local traditions. Taking a closer look at the individual places and their history can help you tailor your stay to your interests.

Architecture and History in Donja Pušća

The old school building in Donja Pušća was built in 1913. Its decorative details point to the late Secession style. The year it was built and its design give the building a distinctive place among the area's historic structures. If you are interested in architecture, you can consider two aspects here: the building's origins in the early 20th century and its characteristic decorative forms.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Čisla (Kapela Majke Božje Čislavske) stands on the hill above the parish church in Donja Pušća. It was built in the 18th or 19th century in the Baroque Classicist style. Its valuable Baroque furnishings include an altar dating from 1772. The building and its furnishings offer different historical reference points: the building is dated to a period, while the altar bears a specific year.

The Church of St. George (Sv. Jurja) is also a prominent landmark: it stands on a plateau above Donja Pušća. The late Baroque stone statue of St. Florian in Pušća is also part of the church's history. Art historian Doris Baričević classifies it among the few statues still preserved in the wider area around Zagreb and highlights its cultural and historical value. The statue was erected in 1778 on land belonging to the then noble Hadrovica family of Žlebec. The original is housed in the Pušća municipal administration building; a replica was erected on 13 May 1995. This distinguishes the date the original was erected from the later installation of the replica, without confusing the two objects.

Trails and Outdoor Activities

The “Staza života” (Path of Life) runs along Crikveni brijeg in Pušća, following the slope from the parish Church of St. George (Sv. Jurja) to the Church of Our Lady of Čisla (Majke Božje Čiselske). A lookout point was built at the hill's highest point in connection with the route. Check the condition of the lookout point before your visit. The route's connection between the two churches and its position on the slope give it a clear course; the lookout point provides another landmark on Crikveni brijeg.

Donja Pušća lies along the Zaprešić–Dubravica–Klanjec road. When planning hiking and cycling trips, it is useful to consider each of the routes described according to its own course. In the wider destination of Općina Pušća, there is also a cycling and pedestrian path along the Lužnica stream, connecting Pušća with Zaprešić. It is about 5.8 kilometres long and three metres wide; its design allows cyclists and pedestrians to pass each other. Information about the path's construction is from November 2024. Check its current condition before setting out.

The Wider Destination of Općina Pušća

The wider destination of Općina Pušća encompasses the dynamic hilly landscape of Marijagoričko pobrđe, with extensive, largely preserved areas of aesthetic and natural landscape value. The parish Church of St. George (Sv. Juraj) in Donja Pušća is also part of this regional context: it was originally Gothic and was later given a Baroque style. Cycling tourism routes that include Pušća are Marija Gorica–Brdovec–Pušća and Kupljenovo–Luka–Dubravica–Marija Gorica–Pušća. You can distinguish the different routes by their names and courses, without confusing them with the “Staza života.”

Local Products and Wine-Making Tradition

Pušća is associated with a wine festival and an agricultural market. Tastings of local products are part of the Pušćanska salamijada and the špekijada. In the wider destination of Općina Pušća, the Vinski podrum Pušća connects cultural heritage with the tradition of winegrowing and winemaking as part of the InterWine project. If a visit is important to your plans, check the current operating conditions. This lets you consider the regional wine-making tradition as a distinct aspect alongside the churches, architecture and trails.

For the wider travel overview: Općina Pušća.