Cycling
Krk
Through the olive grove labyrinth
Krk – Kornić – Ponikve – Muraj – Lakmartin – Krk (northernern hinterland of the city of Krk)
Karakteristike
The unique combination of education and recreation will attract all cyclists who dare to take a ride through the northern hinterland of the city of Krk. This less demanding MTB trail starts in Krk, and for the most part, follows the educational trail. Following the Paths of the Golden Drops of Krk's Treasure, marked with information boards and dedicated to olives, olive growing on the island and olive oil. Heading eastbound from Mate Balota Street towards Kornić, cyclists can immediately start learning after coming across the first boards in the lower part of the route. They describe a misshapen and knobbly branched tree with oval leaves and oval fruit, whose colour ranges from dark green to black. This is, of course, the olive tree, which for centuries has been one of the most important crops in this region. Olives are used to produce a nutritionally invaluable oil rich in antioxidants and vitamins, which is used for food and medical purposes. The Roman travel writer Apicius established that Krk extra virgin olive oil was among the finest in the world 2000 years ago when he called the Liburnian oil exemplary of the Mediterranean. The secret to its excellence undoubtedly lies in the indigenous varieties, as well as the geographical location of the northernmost island of the Mediterranean, which greatly benefits from the Continental-Mediterranean climate.
While passing through olive groves on the way to Kornić, cyclists are imbued with the timeless beauty, strength and resilience of the olive trees. At one point, they will be transfixed by the mesmerising view that unfolds towards the sea, the islet of Košljun, the pine-laden Prniba peninsula and the nearby settlement of Punat. After arriving in Kornić, you can visit the Parish Church of St. James the Great, which was finished in the mid-19th century and physically bookends the Krk Camino route, as well as the Kornić Ethnographic Heritage Collection – Kornić Folk House, which depicts life in the country from a hundred years ago. The collection was entered into the registry of the Museum Documentation Centre, which consists of more than 700 exhibits. A cooper's workshop, tools for farming and cattle breeding, equipment for making cheese and storing oil, as well as a small collection of scales, are displayed on the ground floor. A wood-fired oven is exhibited on the stone terrace – “balatura”. In the living quarters on the first floor, you can see, among other things, a traditional kitchen with a hearth, water containers, a manual corn grinder, kitchenware shelves, religious folk paraphernalia, a collection of musical instruments and folk costumes, with bedclothes displayed on the second floor. After cycling further into the Ponikve area, the neatly arranged olive groves and the “gromače” and “gomile”, the most common forms of dry stone wall architecture, give way to dense greenery and a forest offering pleasant shade, while acknowledging the proximity of the eponymous lake, from which the majority of the population of Krk Island, as many as 99.5 %, is supplied with water. Before returning to Krk, recreationists will pass through the village of Muraj and arrive near Lakmartin, where all lovers of local gastronomy can try traditional Krk sheep’s milk cheese at the Magriž family farm, including the variety enriched with the unique aromas of sage and immortelle, which are emblematic of Krk Island.
Highlights:
– olive groves
– dry stone wall architecture – “gromače” and “gomile”
– Parish Church of St. James the Great, Kornić
– Kornić Ethnographic Heritage Collection – Kornić Folk House
– Magriž family farm
