A journey to the past – The speech of the indigenous population is the Chakavian speech of Grobnik, which was declared a protected intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia.
Jelenje is located just 15 kilometres from Rijeka, a karst area at an altitude of around three hundred meters, which is the reason for its Mediterranean-continental climate.
The Parish Church of St. Michael is the oldest and biggest building of historical and cultural significance in the Jelenje Municipality. From the rich and carefully preserved tradition in Jelenje, which you will find comfortable and easy to journey through, we would like to emphasize the milkmaids (mlikarice) – women who have historically carried milk daily to sell in Rijeka. A special event has been dedicated to them in May – “A Lantern that has left its mark” (Feral ki je pušćal sinjal).
In Dražice there has been a “kovačija” for more than 70 years – the only blacksmith shop with its space preserved in its original form and today part of the tourist offer of Jelenje. It is interesting that the first owner, Antonio Marčelja, had a blacksmith diploma acquired through education in Vienna, in the period from 1913 to 1918.
With a story and testimonies of the old crafts, it is an interesting journey into the past…
