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Promenades of Opatija

The Rumanian king Carol, a guest of villa Amalia, got lost one day in the course of his daily horseback ridind somewhere in the woods at the foot of Vaprenac (probably in 1896 during his first stay in Opatija). Enraged, of following day he went straight to the office of the county captain, baron Arthur von Schmidt-Zabierow, demanding an explanation why the trailis were not properly attanded to and marked with signposts. When the sly Zabierow discreetly whined that there was no money for such undertakings, Carol gallantly put a considerable sum for that purpose on the table. That money was well spent and in 1901 the promenades where completed. The memory in honor of this benefactor was kept for a certain time by naming it the Woodland Trail of King Carol (of recently the Carmen Sylva Promenade) and King Carol's Promenade (today called the Matko Brajša Thoroughfare). Thanks to the project of Bavarian physician Max Joseph Ortel, the woodland trails of Opatija were precisely measured, pointing out ten-minute walking distances and benches for taking a rest. In guidebooks the Woodland Trail of King Carol is marked as a "1st of 2nd category road", which means that the hiker moves along a straight or slightly sloped trail, and the total walking distance is estimated at about an hour and a half.

Indeed the trail, rutted with access roads, stairways and vegetable plots, is no longer what it used to be, but for the most part it has preserved the wilderness of the evergreens, the asparagus and moss-covered underpinning of the dry stone walls that only seem poorly cobbled up together. This itinerary has several memorials that lend diversity to the hike, and the hiker becomes a researcher. Those who want to cover the entire length of the route should go up from Slatina to the Vaprenac Road and go further on to Plahut, or, a slightly shorter version, go trough the tunnel under the Nova Cesta road, follow the woodland trail that goes to the source of Vrutki, and from there climbs along a steep and narrow and twisting path up to the promenade.
Above the Vrutki Brook one crosses a small bridge that the Austrians named after Littrow - admiral and teacher at the Maritime Academy in Rijeka, but in Opatija, where he lived in the villa Rusticana, he was better known as a poet and the father of a paintress of motifs of Opatija.
After passing the Opatija settlement called Carmen Sylva (until recently Zora), the hiker reaches the trail bifurcation and comes upon a plaque that mentions Arthur baron Schmidt-Zabierow, head of the Volosko County who cunningly managed to procure money from the king of Rumania. Schmidt-Zabierow, a passionate hunter of snipes, griffon vultures and dolphins, otherwise resided in a house, next to the present-day town hall, that was designed by Karl Seidl, and he is buried in the family tomb at the Volosko Cemetery.
"Mala Fortica", or "The Little Fortress" as everybody in these parts calls the belvedere built of the Rock of Queen Elisabeth. However, one should look for the inscription Carmen Sylva Ruhe, above the stone bench at the foot of the belvedere. The reference, of course, is to the Rumanian queen Elisabeth who signed her verses by using the pen name Carmen Sylva.

It appears that somewhere in the immediate vicinity there once used to be a "Goethe's bench", but it can only be found on the pages of old guidebooks. It is not out of question that it was located on a small rise just around the first bend in the trail, as soon as one leaves the "Little Fortress". At this point, traces that a plaque once stood there are still visible and perhaps it might have been engraved with Goethe's verses.
As a recently, the French inscription in stone, on the plateau that follows and meadow that is a wonderful playground for kids, has been renovated with the intention to, once again, extol the virtues of the Rumanian queen Elisabeth.
At a height of 180 meters above sea level, near the settlement of Varljeni, the "Vela Fortica" or "Big Fortress" was erected (also called Zorin vrh or Aurora-Hohe). In its immediate proximity an inn was opened in 1904.
From Zorin vrh (Zora's Peak) it is possible to descend to the shore in several ways, but the best way is by cutting across the settlement of Kosićevo, going through tunnel under the Nova Cesta road and continuing towards Volosko. On that trail, running right above the Nova Cesta itself, one can still find the inscription Konig Karol Fels, chiseled into a rock alongside the winding trail.

The more ambitious who wish to flex their muscles by hiking uphill to Vaprenac must start from behind Hotel Palce up to Vaprenac road, cross the Nova Cesta and go up the concrete stairway to Plahut. From there the climb continues along stone stairs, with landings here and there, some of which were best known to the milkmaids who delivered milk or the gravediggers, hence were named after them. Passing through Kolaviće and at the foot of the road leading to Učka Tunnel, we come to Vas. Through Luketiće we finally reach Vaprenac (519m. above sea level). The trail from Slatina to Vaprenac is classified as a II and II category trail, and the duration of the upward climb is estimated at approximately an hour and a half. In the version of the ascent via Zadke, the old guidebooks mention the St. Lawrence church, but all that remains of the church today are its ruins.

One might add numerous other trails to these, trails that are longer and lead to the summits of Mount Učka (the highest 1396m) and other hills overlooking Liburnia.