In my last article I wrote about the city center tour, and in this one, I will take you a bit further. If you are walking down the city center and you find yourself on the Rječina shores, look up, and you will see the medieval castle overlooking and guarding the city. This is the Trsat Castle ‒ a place of hidden history that offers a breathtaking view of the city and the Kvarner bay.
How to get to Trsat?
I suggest starting from Ban Jelačić Square, as from that point there are several ways to get to Trsat. You can catch a cab (they circle this area often, and one might be parked at the bus station), and just across the street next to the river, there is a bus station. The bus no.2 will drive you directly to Trsat.
The final and most challenging way to get there is to take the stairs ‒ the Petar Kružić staircase that leads directly to the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and the Trsat Franciscan Monastery ‒ the largest pilgrimage center of Western Croatia.
The steps were built in 1531 by order of Warlord Petar Kružić, and were extended over the centuries (reaching today’s 561 steps) and adorned with votive chapels. You will pass by 4 chapels while walking up the stairs. The Chapel of the Consolatrix of the Sad, which sits at the beginning of the Trsat Staircase, from 1744, is a Baroque chapel with a relief of Madonna with the Child on her front. On the top of the stairs, there is a chapel built the same year as the 118 stairs ordered by Petar Kružić himself, called the Chapel of St Nicholas, the votive chapel of Petar Kružić.
After passing through the last chapel, you will find yourself in front of The Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat. According to legend, the church is founded in this place because of the miraculous transportation of the Nazareth Barn, and its stay on Trsat (1291 – 1294). Hence,
Trsat is often referred to as the Croatian Nazareth. After the house of St.Mary was relocated to Loretto, Prince Nikola I of Krk built the first small church on the place where the barn stood on Trsat.
In front of the church is a statue of Pope John Paul II – The Trsat Pilgrim, by sculptor Ante Jukica, erected in May 2005 in honor of his visit in 2003.
The church is well known for the Painting of the Lady of Trsat, Mother of God with baby Jesus. Originating from 1367, it was a gift from Pope Urban V, Chapel of Votive Gifts, Tombstone of the Krk Prince
Nikola VI the Frankopan, Wrought grille of 1707, a unique work of Croatian Baroque art, Treasury, the main altar and the altarpiece of St Mihovil and St Anna. For those who want to explore the church, the Franciscans are always willing to organize a tour.
The Shrine is surrounded with Mary’s Garden, and above it on Mount Fortica is Calvary.
Opposite the entrance to the church is the Croatian Reading room (designed by Mate Glavan, alocal builder), surrounded by houses from the 19th century. This is the urban center of Trsat. If we continue down the Street of Petar Zrinski (west from the church), it will lead us toward the castle (kaštel), the Trsat Gradina.
The Trsat Castle medieval hillfort, located on a 138 m hill above sea level, was mentioned for the first time in 1288. On the same site was a Liburnian observation point from prehistoric times. This fort was used for monitoring roads towards the inland. The Frankopans, Croatian aristocrats originating from the island of Krk, were the masters of the medieval castle with the longest mandate. The castle was abandoned in the middle of the 18th century following a great earthquake. The Austrian military leader and Count Laval Nugent, originating from Ireland, chose the castle for his last resting-place, in the first half of the 19th century. He also renovated it in the romantic classicist and Biedermeier styles.
The plateau of the Trsat Castle offers a magnificent view of the ruins of the limes situated on the hills facing the castle, Katarina and Kalvarija, as well as of the whole area of Rijeka's Old City. The Trsat Castle is one of the oldest fortifications on the Croatian coast, bearing witness to the features of early medieval town construction.
Today, it is a perfect place to have a drink, listen to music and enjoy a magnificent view of the city.
Trsat is a great place to spend a day, full of good restaurants and bars with local food. For beer lovers, there is a pub with more than 200 beers. Aside from the two main attractions, the Shrine and the Trsat Castle, you can spend some time walking around the parks, or going for a hike and visiting the mill ruins in Rječina Canyon. In the next article, I will write about the industrial heritage of Rijeka and what there is to see.
