Ljutići: Dubašnica’s History and Hiking Trails

If you are considering Ljutići as a destination, the history of Dubašnica and hiking opportunities with different points of reference take centre stage. One trail leads from Ljutići to the Church of St Peter near Vehru; other routes are part of the wider destination of Općina Malinska-Dubašnica. The historical context helps place Ljutići within the wider Dubašnica area.

Ljutići in historic Dubašnica

Ljutići belongs to the historic Poganka group of Dubašnica villages. There are also sites of abandoned settlements in the surrounding area. The historic Dubašnica region, which includes Ljutići, was formed between 1451 and 1463 when Ivan VII Frankapan settled Croatian and Vlach families from the mainland there. The area’s role as a refuge is also part of its history: Dubašnica became a refuge for people fleeing the Turkish threat.

Ljutići is also part of the Dubašnica Ethnozone. This zone includes dry-stone farm structures covered with plant material or channel tiles. This allows the history of the village to be viewed in the context of the region’s cultural heritage, without assuming that any particular structures are located in Ljutići.

Landscape and change

Dubašnica is described as green, fertile and wooded; its name refers to a former dense oak forest. The region’s history is also associated with downy oak forests that once grew in the fertile Dubašnica Field. Over the course of settlement, the settlers gradually turned forests and pastures into cultivated land. Forest, field and human activity together form part of Dubašnica’s landscape history, which tells of both the natural environment and its gradual transformation.

Hiking trails and planning your time

The trail from Ljutići to the Church of St Peter near Vehru takes an estimated one hour and 25 minutes. The actual duration may vary depending on walking conditions, so allow an appropriate amount of time. A cultural and historical circular trail with six sights has also been designed in the Malinska area. This loop and the trail from Ljutići are separate options that you can consider individually when planning your visit.

Culture and trails in the wider destination of Općina Malinska-Dubašnica

In the wider destination of Općina Malinska-Dubašnica, the Old Cemetery of St Apollinar marks the site of Dubašnica’s original parish church. The cemetery’s bell tower was built in 1618 and remains a symbol of Dubašnica. The courtyard of the Franciscan Third Order monastery houses a lapidarium of Croatian Glagolitic stone monuments. These include the Baška Tablet and the Senj Tablet, as well as the Grdoselo Fragment, the Krk Inscription and the Valun Tablet.

Archaeological evidence offers another way to explore the region’s history. The late antique Cickini sacred complex was built in the 5th or 6th century. The permanent Cickini archaeological collection in Sv. Vid-Miholjice displays fragments of stone liturgical furnishings and decorated architectural sculptures. Another historic site is the House of Dubašnica Heritage, an old rural dwelling built for two families around the middle of the 19th century. Its programme includes workshops on traditional gastronomy, forgotten crafts, traditional music and the Glagolitic alphabet. Check which dates are available before your trip.

The wider destination offers 50 kilometres of hiking and running trails. The Mihojski puti trail connects history, natural landscapes and the cultural heritage of the island of Krk. Two circular routes offer a practical comparison in terms of distance and activity: H114 – Cesta maslina is a three-kilometre circular hiking trail that starts in Porat. B413 – Srce Dubašnice is an 18-kilometre circular MTB route with 240 metres of elevation gain, starting and ending in Porat. The B412 – Putevima svetaca MTB route runs from Sv. Vid through olive groves to the abandoned village of Sršići.

Discover more destinations: Radići, Strilčići, Porat, Sveti Anton, Malinska-Dubašnica, Vantacici, Kremenići, Sveti Vid-Miholjice.

View the wider destination: Općina Malinska-Dubašnica.