Claustra Alpium Iuliarum is a late Roman defence system consisting of several sections of stone defensive walls, towers, fortresses and fortifications, the remains of which are still visible today from Rijeka to the Julian Alps. Out of 30 km of walls and more than 100 towers, a good part is located in Rijeka’s surrounding area, and you can visit some of them on this route.
You start from the centre of Dražice and move towards Jelenje, where the town centre once hosted an approximately 3600-meter long wall with five archaeologically proven towers. On the way to the Rječina, first make a stop at the Jelenjska kovačija (smithy), which has been preserved in its original form with equipment that is almost a hundred years old. Afterwards, take a peek into Gašpar’s mill in Martinovo selo, which has been tirelessly grinding grain for 350 years using the power of the Rječina river. Here you can learn how bread is made, from grain to “pogača”. From Gašpar’s mill, the only one remaining out of 27 that were located on the Rječina, you will start the ascent to Saršoni. After this, you arrive at Studena by a forest track, and then to the “Za Presiku” valley where you will see the preserved remains of an almost 5-kilometer-long wall. Together with the Rječina canyon and the wall section found in Rijeka, it represents a 20-kilometer-long uninterrupted line of a defence system. From here, follow the course of the Zala stream along the forest track and continue towards Radovanje. What follows is a descent and a beautiful view of the Grobnik Field, as well as a visit to the “Claustra” archaeological site, which contains the remains of a square tower.
