Matulji – Zvončari, cultural heritage and cycling routes

There are different ways to plan a trip to Matulji: focus on Zvončari customs and local events, or explore cultural and natural attractions across the wider destination of Općina Matulji. If you are looking for a hotel in Matulji, this distinction can help you organise your sightseeing and activity plans.

Carnival and events

Carnival takes place in January and February across the wider destination of Općina Matulji, with the Zvončari Festival as its main event. Zvončari are traditional carnival characters whose origins date back more than 500 years. During the Zvončarska Smotra, the procession starts at Štacijon, passes through the centre of Matulji and reaches the Amfiteatar. The Matulji Summer Festival features music concerts, theatre productions and other events. If your trip depends on a specific carnival date, check the programme for that year.

Memorial centre and history in Općina Matulji

The Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti is located at Lipa 35, Šapjane, in the wider destination of Općina Matulji. The centre is a branch collection of the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka. It opened in April 2015 at the site of an older memorial museum that operated in Lipa from 1968 to 1989. Its exhibition interprets the history of the Second World War in the Liburnian Karst; this includes Lipa as well as Pasjak, Rupa, Šapjane and Brdce. Every year on 30 April, people commemorate the victims and remember the 1944 crime.

Suburban bus route 30 runs from Delta in central Rijeka to Lipa, its final stop. From there, a roughly 100-metre uphill walk leads to the Memorijalni centar Lipa pamti. Check transport information before travelling.

Cultural heritage and local features

The Zvonejske Njivi are dry-stone terraces near Zvoneća. They were created between the 15th and 17th centuries across an area of about 60 hectares and were added to the Register of Protected Cultural Goods in 1994. The entire village of Veli Brgud is designated and officially registered as a protected rural ensemble; its layout reflects a medieval pastoral settlement. In Matulji, the parish church of Christ the King was built in 1934 on the site of an older church. It features historicist stylistic elements.

Jarbola is also closely connected with the municipality: this indigenous grape variety has been grown in the Zvoneća area for more than 100 years and thrives only there. It complements the stone terraces as another distinctive feature of the cultural landscape.

Hiking, nature and cycling

The wider destination of Općina Matulji has a network of 150 kilometres of cycling and hiking trails, including ten circular routes. Lisina Forest Park has an extensive network of forest roads and tractor tracks, suitable for hiking and recreation. Lisina provides habitats for edible dormice, deer, foxes, badgers, hares, martens and numerous woodland bird species. A hiking trail follows the scenic ridge of Crni Vrh and starts southwest of the Lisina mountain hut; the summit is 1,037 metres high. The summit of Vodičke griže is about a ten-minute walk from the Vodice spring. Trail conditions can change, so check them before setting out.

Route 117 is 30 kilometres long and has a total elevation gain of 560 metres. It starts in Rukavac in the car park below Kinkel House, then runs via Gornji Rukavac and the protected area of Lisina, and along the old Žejane–Bukvina–Zvoneća road to the terraces of Zvonejske Njivi. The 15-kilometre Bike-and-Hike Route 119, “Od Golopusta do sup Šije”, starts in the centre of Vele Mune and has an elevation gain of 240 metres. Its length and elevation gain provide practical points of comparison for planning. Organised Matuljicious Bike & Taste rides in the Matulji area combine scenery, cultural heritage and local specialities; interpretation is available in Croatian, English, Italian and German.

Discover more destinations: Jušići, Zaluki, Mihotići, Male Mune, Rupa, Mučići, Jurdani, Brešca

For the overview of the wider destination: Općina Matulji.