Senj Impression

Senj - is a town at the foot of Velebit in Kvarner, Croatia, tourists just cross over it.Travel agencies practically do not know this place, so it just walks off the coast unnoticed. Buses with tourists pass by rushing to Rijeka, Zadar or the surrounding islands. Frankly, "Ne čudim se"¹ . See is all around.

The town of Senj

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I was attracted to this place by pirates. That was the only information we had. In the morning we were waiting at the local bus station with a wandering pair of Asian tourists. Fortunatelly, the ticket office was opened. Here, young woman on our question "Kako možemo doći u Senj?"² said that " Autobus ide, dođe…“³.

Her answer didn't help us much, but we readily said we would wait. We were worried about how much it would take. The bus came in few minutes.

The journey was not long. All the time we went along the coast and had a beautiful sea view. The bus suddenly stopped and fired us in front of a tobacco shop. Below us we find the sea, above us the city. No one around us. "Šta ćemo ovdje raditi? Kak se ćemo vratiti?"⁴ were the questions that came to our mind when we saw a bus without us running forward and leaving us in the middle of the road. So we thought we were going to have a short walk. Kupaći kostim⁵ in our bag already yelled that he wants to go out so we first went towards the sea.

On the way we saw a few buildings from communism, on the other side of the road pier with boats. Ancient authors mention this city in connection with the port. Occasionally an anchor or a cannon emerged. At the end the camp with good prices.Beach nearby none. There's probably no way out here. So we have changed the plan and started with a history. We returned to the starting point and turned up into the city.

Port of Senj and the island Prvić

Senj - empty center of the town

Supermarket in the town centre

Senj - residue of the Uskok ships

On the way we met a few people, but we were constantly haunted by a strange feeling. We walked into the historic center, which is not large, in the naive assumption that everyone here will probably be found in cafes and restaurants. Well, there really was no Croatian "nema problema"⁶because "ovdje ima neki problem"⁷.

Historical buildings in the center of the city are eroded. On the way we found one restaurant and we weren't hungry, but we'd rather eat. There were a few local boys beside us in the restaurant who were chatting with the waiter. Restaurant looked pretty nice compared to the surroundings. But they had no seafood specialty. Thus, we were reliant on pljeskavica with pomphrites⁸. Pljeskavica was not so delicious but in these conditions, you eat what they serve you. So I didn't complain.

After this gourmet experience, we made a pilgrimage through the city. We circled the empty streets. Somewhere there is the Gothic Town Hall and the Carina Palace from the 8th century, which is an episcopal archive. It is possible that we passed them and we had no idea. Our whole pilgrimage was to end at the fortress, which thrones over the entire city and is its symbol.

Also this is Senj

Tvrđava Nehaj⁹ has been our goal from the beginning. It is a spherical tower , which was the seat of Croatian pirates - Uskoks.It was built in the 16th century in a strategic location. Behind the town The Velebit national begin and below it there is the sea. It overlooks the surrounding area. It has several floors. There is a restaurant there is a restaurant and a museum on the others.The unfortunate feeling that we had from this place from the beginning disappeared when we arrived at Nehaj.

You can't even imagine how much joy can parking lot bring to the man. The entrance fee to the fortress is acceptable and in the museum you will learn a lot of information about the life of Uskoks and understand the character of the whole area. Around the tower there is a park, which is beautifully lit in the evening and there are also trails that will guide you through the entire history of piracy in this area. The restaurant offers a wide selection of dishes and every tourist who comes here is grateful to be here. The view of the fortress and the fortress itself lit our faces, and we thought that the city was not so bad.

Symbol of the town - fortress Nehaj

The sea is beautiful here. Bathing is prefered in Spasovac baywhich is just outside the city. There is also a campsite.The whole site is suitable for those who are not fans of history and mass tourism.Clearly this is the perfect place for those who like camping and want to freshen up in the sea water during the summer heat and avoid the crowd on the beach. The two campsites that the city provides are equipped with everything you need.

The museum

Ghost´s town

The impression from Senj was peculiar. In winter, there is a strong bura¹⁰that repeatedly damages buildings. The town is not big and there are few job opportunities. Therefore, the locals move what gives the overall impression of extinction. Tourists are concentrated in camps. Sometimes we were haunted by the feeling that some hrvatski gusar¹¹ would pop up around the corner and robb us. There is no life in the center typical for other Croatian cities during the summer. As for accommodation, prices are very affordable..

In addition to camping lovers, this city is a good starting point for those who would like to visit the Velebit mountains.Senj is therefore the perfect combination of holiday in the mountains and swimming in the Adriatic sea. In the evening you can go to the beautiful Nehaj and if you have enough courage even after a little haunted center, which is absolutely safe, because Juraj Daničić and Nikola Jurišić¹² are no longer here.