The karst Rječina river has always been important for Rijeka, and the area of the deeply incised canyon with its waterfalls and rapids has helped write the economic history of the city. Start from Tito square and walk along its left bank, where many industries operated: a tannery, a rice-husking plant, slaughterhouses, ice, soap and pasta factories, as well as the most famous of them all, the Hartera Paper Mill. These compounds of great architectural and environmental value are the cradle of Rijeka’s modern industrial heritage.
Walking further along the trail, at the foot of Trsat hill, you will enter a dense forest that preserves the overgrown ruins of the Žakalj and Matešić mills. Rječina was used as a power source for numerous mills built in the 19th century, whose flour was exported all over the world. Today’s ruins and water tunnels can be seen under the green ivy, which gives the site a mystic and fairy-tale impression. You will then come to Lujzinska cesta, and along the slopes of Trsat.
Enjoy the view of the city and the Kvarner Bay while you take a break at Trsat Castle, one of the castles of the Frankopan nobility. After visiting the oldest Marian shrine, the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and the Franciscan Monastery, descend to the starting point via a stairway built in 1531 by Petar Kružić, a Croatian military general.
Note: After heavy rainfall, it is not advisable to take the walking trail due to the Rječina’s high flow.
