Town
Cres
Behind
the clocktower in the main town square is beautiful 16th
century church of St. Mary (Crkva Sv. Marije Snježne) and
next to that town Lodge, also dating from the 16th century.
In the eastern part of town can be found the monastery
of St. Francisco with its mid 13th century church. And
next to it the Benedictine Sisters monastery. In the square
there is a statue of Franjo Petrić, one of the most important
16th century European philosophers.
Lake
Vrana (Vransko Jezero)
Apart
from its obvious beauty, this lake is an interesting phenomenon,
because of its geological and hydrological characteristics.
The first thing that impresses you is its size. Usually
in the Mediterranean carst (geological term) where water
is scarce, there it is, large lake that is 5.5 kilometres
long and 1.5 kilometres wide. Total of 5.75 square km.
The water is drinkable and of the highest quality and it
is used on the entire island, with little need for filtering
or purification. Because of this, tough, access to the
lake is strictly forbidden and scrupulously controlled.
Lake is on average 72 m deep - 61 m under the sea level
- and its height above sea level varies between 9 and 13
m depending on the time of the year.
The most interesting thing, though, is that even with the
increased consumption of water, due to tourism, the new
waterway etc. the level of the lake has risen. The only
explanation is that it is connected to the carst system
somewhere on the continent and gets it's water supply from
there. Divers have discovered an entrance to a tunnel,
which may prove that theory, but only further scientific
measurements and research are likely to be able to explain
this phenomenon.
The surface temperature in summer is 25C deg. and 6C deg.
at the bottom. In the winter temperatures on the surface
and at the bottom are the same 4C deg.
Vrana
The
village dates from ancient times and is situated above
the Lake Vrana. There is an interesting gothic church in
the village (St. Mary) and a chapel of St. Rocco dating
from the 15th century, in which there is a statue of the
Saint who protected the inhabitants from the plague.
Valun
One
of the most beautiful bays on the Adriatic Sea. The French
newspaper "Le Figaro" called it "St.Tropez of the Adriatic". The name Valun has probably Roman roots - Valun as the bay is surrounded by
high and steep hills so it gives the impression of a valley.
The inhabitants of the ancient settlement Buchevo visited
the church of St.Thomas regularly and sometimes, rather
than climb they stayed overnight. Later they built shelters
and houses around the church and that is how Valun grew
to be a village of significant size. In the village you'll
find the church of St. Mary and the famous "Valunska ploča" - gravestone with inscriptions of names of members of an old Croatian family
from the 11th century. (Stone from the grave was originally
brought from Bučevo.) It is an important monument for Croatian
history as the inscription is written in the Croatian language,
in Latin as well as in Glagolic letters.
Lubenice
A
village situated high above the sea (375 m/asl). Down below
you can see small bay and beautiful beach of St. Ivan.
On the south side of the bay is Žanja with its blue grotto
which locals call "Škulja na Žanje". The grotto is 20 m long. In Lubenice itself is the castle (hiding tower) of
Zubjenice, later Lubenice.
The name of Lubenice derives from there. It was of strategic
importance because it provided protection and was used
as an observation point to control the passage of vessels
through the straight of Vela Vrata (Big Gate). From the
medieval fort you can still see partly preserved walls
and two town gates. Near the south gate is the small Romanic
church of Sv. Nedelja, and also restored parish church
of St. Antun Pustinjak.The church of The Blessed Virgin
Mary with its 18th century campanile and the gothic church
of St. Jacob are also nearby. At the end of the 19 century
Lubenice had 187 inhabitants but today there are only few
families who live for a large part of the winter season
in their houses in Cres.
If
you notice any changes on route, which are not introduce
in route description, please inform us about changes
on email: rigo@pedala.hr
Croatia / 