Dear users,
Zones and numbers of all trails have been modified. Due to these modifications, possible differences in trail numbers may occur between the web site, maps and field labels. The adjustment period will run all through 2019 so we kindly ask for your patience and understanding. For correct information plese refer to our website where old trail numbers are listed as well to avoid confusion.

241 (ex 41) GROŽNJAN

The coat of arms of the city of Grožnjan incorporates a hand holding a white lily reaching for the sun rising above a silver hill. The hill of Grožnjan today still shimmers in silver colour of many olive trees planted on its terraced slopes. You have certainly explored Grožnjan – the city of artists, within its city walls, but the 8.4 kilometres long walk through its surrounding introduces you to its famous olive groves. The trail starts on the car park next to a five-a-side pitch, after the city cemetery and right before the city entrance. The trail does not enter the city, but turns left on the road along the city walls and leaves the church of St. Cosmas and Damian (crkva sv. Kuzme i Damjana) on the left side. The church was built in 16th century and it is ornate with valuable contemporary frescoes painted by the Croatian painter Ivan Lovrenčić in 1989. If you turn around, you will see an old oil press with a plaque containing a quote from the Grožnjan Declaration of Olive Oil. The main slogan of the Declaration: “When you pass by an olive tree, bow to its magnificence” tells how much this noble plant is important to the olive growers of Istria.

The trail continues on the east side of the city walls along Belvedere Street. Reaching the city walls on the south, right before Nova vrata Street, it turns left to the route of the famous enduro race Grozni Grožnjan. The winding path downhill runs for about a kilometre through fields and woods and some 200 meters lower it reaches a gravel road. Just before the village of Reganzini, the trail turns left onto a path which runs for about 200 meters through the fields and reaches a wide gravel road that ascends to Grožnjan. The trail ascends along the road until there is a sharp bend to the left. Here, the trail turns to the right onto a winding path descending through trees and a beautiful big olive grove. After the olive grove, the trail reaches a gravel road next to two buildings in the village of Bolara. From this point and almost until the end of the route the trail mostly ascends. It continues in the direction east-northeast, through a “wood gate” towards another olive grove and an outbuilding. At the outbuilding, the trail continues along the north path uphill through bushes and silver olive groves. After a kilometre and a half of the winding path, at a sharp bend, the trail again joins the gravel road which ascends towards Grožnjan. The trail leaves the gravel road after less than one hundred meters and turns right onto a path running through the bush. Then, it continues along the Grozni Grožnjan route, and after about five hundred meters reaches another important site in the history of Grožnjan – the railway track Parenzana. This narrow-gauge railway operated in north-west Istria at the beginning of the 20th century and connected the inland towns with ports of Trieste and Poreč. The trail just crosses the railway track and continues to ascend up to an asphalt road. There, the trail turns left and soon reaches the village of Pertići, which is the highest point of the trail at 330 meters altitude. The trail does not follow the main road but descends towards Parenzana in the direction southwest-west. After 500 meters of a slight descent, the trail reaches again the Parenzana railway track and enters into a 187 meter long tunnel Kalcini, which runs through the highest point of this narrow-gauge railway (at 293 meter altitude). Until recently, the local people used the cool and shady tunnel and it specific climate for growing of mushrooms. After exiting the tunnel and reaching the main road, the trail turns left towards Grožnjan and after about 500 meters the trail arrives back at its starting point next to the five-a-side pitch.

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Note: Map and trails on the website are informative and are to be used at one's own risk.