Ancient Croatian cliff-top city, now home to just two people
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Lubenice (Photo credit: Ruk/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Lubenice, an ancient fort settlement nestled on the Croatian island of Cres, boasts a rich history dating back some 4,000 years, perched atop a 380-meter-high ridge commanding stunning views of the Adriatic Sea.
Lubenice predominantly features buildings made from the same stone as the surrounding cliffs, with some remnants tracing back to the era of ancient Romans.
Noteworthy are the two well-maintained city gates flanking its northern and southern ends, along with an eastern wall. The city’s fortified church, dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, adds to its cultural significance. In 2005, Lubenice was proposed for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Today only two people live there, including 90-year-old Marija Lovrečić.
“Thinking back to the old days, even if half as they were when I was born, it was beautiful in 1934. There were many people, about 240 lived here,” Marija told HRT.
Lubenice (Photo credit: Sl-Ziga/Public domain)
She reminisces about a time when sheep farming, agriculture, and fishing were livelihoods, now barely visible traces of the past.
“In winter, it’s just the two of us, but in summer, when the tourist season starts, people who own property here engage in tourism, so there are more of us,” Dinko Mlacović, Lubenice’s only other resident, told HRT.
Shrouded in winter silence, Lubenice resemble an open-air museum.
(Photo credit: dnik/CC BY-SA 4.0)
“The road is a bit tricky, but here we are, it’s beautiful, we really like it. The beach is gorgeous, like we’re in the Maldives,” say tourists.
Lubenice beach (Photo credit: Pinky sl /CC BY-SA 3.0)
This beach, carved into the rocks and surrounded by untouched nature, bears the title of one of the most beautiful in the world. And although tourists from all over the world enjoy it in the summer, Marija has descended to it many times, repairing fishing nets on foot – but she has never swum there.
Check out the video here.
