One Day Excursions From Starigrad-Paklenica
We recently wrote about the things you can do when you visit Starigrad-Paklenica, and of all we mentioned a couple of places like Paklenica national park or Zrce beach. This blog will be all about these places and we hope everyone will find something that’s up to their taste.
One day excursions from Starigrad-Paklenica
So, you’re here and you would like to take your family or friends to one day excursions from Starigrad-Paklenica (you just want them to be as near as possible). Hopefully, as we mentioned earlier, and what we like to brag about, Starigrad is right there in the middle of everything cool there is to see on Croatian coast. But first, let’s start with mountains. Mountain Velebit to be exact.
Mountain Velebit and Paklenica national park
We won’t go in too much detail because we have a whole blogpost dedicated to it. But, Velebit and Paklenica must be mentioned in this article. Almost everyone who come to Starigrad are obliged to visit this national park – some of them come for hiking, some of them for climbing, and some of them just want to experience its beauties and maybe take a picture or two. But everyone is amazed by the nature and wildlife with promises that they’ll return here as soon as possible.
Kornati national park
Yes, it’s true. Starigrad is right there in the middle of three great Croatian national parks, with Kornati and Plitvice lakes being the other two. There is a saying that when God created the world he used the remaining stones and land (which he couldn’t use elsewhere) and scattered them in the Adriatic sea. Thus, Kornati archipelago emerged with its simply breathtaking blue waters and white islands. If you come here in Starigrad, make sure you book a one day boat trip to Kornati. You’ll never forget it, we promise.
Modrič cave
This one is for our adventure lovers. Modrič cave is a prime example of untouched nature: found only two decades ago it is almost intact by men. To keep this beautiful cave in shape for further generations you can only visit it in small groups so make sure you book your visit in time.
Krka national park
Krka river, located just 100 km from Starigrad (situated near the old town of Šibenik) is a nice place to take your family and friends on a one day trip. Its clear blue and green waters offer great scenery for taking pictures and there’s also a place inside the park where people come to bathe and swim. So, after you return home, you’ll have a story of how you swam in a river that’s also a national park.
Plitvice lakes national park
There are two things Croatia is known for abroad: Dubrovnik and Plitvice lakes. You’ve probably seen it in nature and wildlife magazines or TV shows about our country. And what’s the greatest thing – everything they said it’s true. And even more. More than one million people every year come here to see the most beautiful 16 lakes arranged in cascades in the world. Founded in 1949 it is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. Plitvice lakes national park is located just 135 km from Starigrad-Paklenica or just a two hour drive from here.
Plitvice lakes – simply breathtaking
Historic towns – Zadar, Nin, Šibenik
If you’re up for some culture and history then these three towns offer a treat. Travelling from Starigrad you could visit them all in one day. First on your route should be Nin, just 50 km from Argyruntum Apartments. It’s a place blooming with history and culture, one of the first towns Croatians founded upon arriving to Dalmatia. Later on in 10th century Nin was famous for being sort-of-a-capital of Dalmatia with first Croatian bishop presiding here. Next stop for you should be Zadar, the largest city in central Dalmatia, and a place where all the cultural findings of this area are kept. We recommend you visit the Church of St. Donatus, built in 9th century this is the largest pre-romanesque building in Croatia. Also, while here, go and see (and hear) the “Sea organ” – musical instrument played by the sea waves. Next stop, of course, is Šibenik, located just 50 km south from Zadar. Here you’ll find the Cathedral of St. James, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list as well as four fortresses located near the sea that are built in the 16th century by Venice.
Island of Pag and Zrće beach
Most internationally famous thing about Pag is its Zrće beach. The beach is a well-known Croatian summer destination for partygoers, with several all-hours discotheques and beach bars operating during summer months. It regularly features gigs by internationally known house and trance DJs (Armin van Buuren to tell you just one name) at the peak of the Croatian summer season in July and August. Zrće is particularly popular among young club goers, while other pebble and sand beaches on the island are more family-oriented. If you’re young and up for some partying, we highly recommend you visiting Zrće – it’s just an hour and a half drive from Starigrad.
Zrmanja river
Zrmanja river is probably one of the most beautiful rivers in all of Europe. It is famous for rafting trips that take place in spring and autumn, and also kayak and canoe trips that are used during low water level period of July and August. Also its canyon and estuary was used as a set for many movies, with Karl May’s “Apache Gold” about Native American hero Winnetou being the most famous. If you fancy these films you should definitely come here and book a visit to places where most of the scenes in it were taken.
Kayaking on Zrmanja river is fun and exciting.
So, here you go. As we promised, there’s something for everyone. If you need any more information please send us an e-mail (argyruntum@yahoo.com) or leave a comment below this post. We would be most happy to respond. Also, if you liked this post, please share it on social networks – let the world know about Croatia and its beauties. Thank you in advance.
Argyruntum and Starigrad – Tale of a Town and a Half
Starigrad-Paklenica is a small town of just over one thousand inhabitants in northern Dalmatia. Sharing the common fate of small agricultural settlements in the twentieth century, it was faced with emigration as its people sought their fortune in large urban centers home and abroad. However, the road networks constructed in recent decades have reversed this trend. As the benefits of remoteness are no longer incompatible with easy access to modern comforts, the Starigrad community is now a prosperous center for rural tourism, sporting and recreational activities – such as climbing, hiking or mountain biking. But the name Starigrad (literally ‘old town’) hints at the existence of an earlier settlement at the location of the modern one – in this case, ancient Roman. It is fitting that ancient Romans whose patrician class ‘invented’ tourism also founded the original Starigrad, graced by its modern practitioners.
The predecessor to Starigrad was dubbed Argyruntum and it rose to municipal status in the 1st century AD in the reign of Emperor Tiberius. This occured shortly after the founding of the Roman province of Dalmatia, a portion of the rebellious Illyricum. The town dominated local life, initially by serving as a market for locally grown agricultural products and cattle. Even though the coastal rivers run dry in the summer months, the karst landscape and man-made wells retained enough water for livestock and their keepers. The land was arable and made for good pasture. A multitude of coves provided safe anchorage and facilitated the transportation of goods in a period when heavy loads were impossible to transport overland. The central settlement, placed on a peninsula which is joined with the mainland today, also served a strategic purpose overlooking the Velebit channel waterway.
All semblance of town life appears to have ceased in the fourth century, as the Roman Empire faltered under threat from external pressures and institutional decay. Control of distant provinces was relinquished first, but even in nearby Dalmatia Rome lost control in this late period. The local inhabitants reverted to the pre-Roman agricultural way of life on the slopes of Velebit which offered greater security to a civilian population. The natural wealth of the region had drawn the first settlers and remains a constant today, harboring a potential for olive groves, orchards, vegetable gardens, fisheries, beekeeping and cattle rearing. Hopefully these traditional industries will continue to yield high-quality local food products, forging another link with the past.
Argyruntum ghost stories
In an interesting turn of events, scientific interest in the Starigrad area revolves around the funeral customs of both its modern and ancient residents.
The people in the Velebit mountain area have always been scattered, with few major population centers. This led to a situation where several remote villages would gravitate to a single parish church, and considerable distances between a person’s home and their burial site, such that could not be traversed without stopping to rest. So the pallbearers were allowed a break halfway to the cemetery, where they would lay the remains on the ground and place stones near the head and feet of the deceased. Since this resembled a crude form of measuring height, these sites are known as ‘mirila’ (measures). Carved headstones and stone slabs would later be added by relatives and the sites, judged to be the true resting places of the souls, were revered more than the consecrated cemeteries. This practice continued from the 17th to the 20th century, and these folk monuments and customs relating to them are a protected cultural property and an iconic feature of the Paklenica landscape.
Most of what is known about life in Argyruntum is likewise derived from objects left to honor the town’s dead. The richest site of archaeological study is the necropolis situated along the ancient road entrance to the town. Since 1908, when Mihovil Abramić and Anton Colnago conducted the first excavation, ritual objects and offerings have been retrieved from four hundred vaults. These include jewelry made of bronze, silver, bone and amber, metalware, weapons, tools and ceramic and glass vessels of varying shape. The bulk of these treasures is kept in the Archaeological museum in Zadar. Objects such as numerous oil containers with as many as 25 different manufacturer’s seals point to the town being an important trading center. The most valuable ornamental objects were not products of local artisans. They originate from Cyprus, Egypt, Syria, Rome, Capua and Aquileia.
The continuity between the ancient and modern settlements does not stop there. The chapel of Saint George rests on the spot where a Roman temple used to stand. It’s not excluded that other parts of town retain their functionality. It is also likely that existing northern county limits reflect ancient Roman and even pre-Roman territorial divisions, as the mountain passes form natural obstacles to travel. Unlike the necropolis, not much of the ancient residential areas was preserved; only a short stretch of the ruined defensive wall. Despite the loss, we can reconstruct much of the life in Argyruntum through analogy and imagination, since we still share a lot of the same living conditions. Looking around Starigrad, we can remain neighbors with the ancients – living next door, but millenia apart.