For a long time we plan to visit the famous Drunken Railway, the former lifeblood of the northeastern part of Istria. This is a great attraction on Instagram and similar services, it seems interesting, so here we turn on the saw and set off on our way to Kožljak.

Kožljak

We start our walk in Kožljak, a small dormant village under the steep slopes of Učka. The road to there is simple, located only a few km from the large roundabout in Plomin. Immediately at the beginning, we are welcomed by a cheerful society of hunting dogs – this area is a real paradise for hunters. The route is simple, we turn on the navigation and go for a walk...

Kožljak Castle

On the southern slopes of the Učka massif, a steep cliff rises on which it lies the Kožlja Castlek, along the old road that connected ancient Histria and Liburnia, is the last in a series of feudal fortifications that stretch from Kras along the slopes of Učka to eastern Istria. It was erected on the site of a prehistoric Histrian hillfort, and it was first mentioned in written sources in 1102 among the castles that the Count Ulrich II Weimar-Orlamunde He gave it to the Patriarchate of Aquileia. 

Kožljak is a natural shield, but also an impressive background of the massive Učka and Ćićarija, and the castle itself is approached by a staircase carved into a living rock. At the top is a residential part surrounded by walls with two semicircular towers, and at the foot of the castle is the Romanesque church of St. John the Baptist. Hadrian. An interesting fact is that along with the castle, the prison was also preserved. The residential part was reached by a staircase carved into a living rock, surrounded by walls.

The fate of Kožljak is similar to that of many Istrian castles, frequent conflicts and various debts of its owners have made it constantly change its owners, from the Counts of Gorizia, the Venetians to the Patriarch of Aquileia and of course Austria. The Barbo family, who also lived in the castle, partly became Protestants in the 16th century, and one of the most prominent patrons of the Reformation in Istria was Franjo Barbo-Waxenstein. He receives prominent preachers and writers helping Protestants, but the Church soon expelled all preachers and writers, leaving them at the mercy of the Inquisition.

Drunk stripe

Drunk stripe is a railway that began to be built in 1948 for the transport of charcoal and is 52.7 kilometers long from Raša to Lupoglav. It was completed in 1951 and was in use until 2009 when it collapsed. Precisely because of the landslides that occurred on the track, it distorted and has since been called the ‘drunk track’. This section of the ‘drunken railway’ is located at the foot of Učka, near the village of Kožljak. Prugu was built by young people and "volunteers" who were not very willing to work, so many Istrians emigrated to Italy to avoid the painstaking work on the railway or in the mines. There was a plan to connect the railway with Rijeka by making the Učka tunnel, however, this never happened, and the railway has since collapsed and today is the destination of excursionists because it is easily accessible from the direction of Plomin.

Back to Plomin

From the Drunken Stripes We will take a good road back to Plomin. Along the road there is a large number of abandoned buildings, a good part has completely collapsed. This is an opportunity for many investors, so you can see a lot of renovations and new constructions. There are even luxury facilities with swimming pools, but the big question is whether such facilities are appropriate with their "cube" architecture in such traditional Istrian villages. A good example is The One, which is the right finger in the eye ⁇

We certainly welcome the initiative of some Istrian municipalities not to allow the construction of such “urban villas” in the future, which only devastate the Istrian landscape.

Lunch

Such a good walk had to end in a good restaurant too – the three mulberries were the optimal choice, a few kilometres from our route. Already the entrance to the space was promising:

Barbecue for real players!

This time, however, we opted for lighter variants, but it was recorded for some next arrival. We started with fish and beef soup, continued with fish-meat combination, watered with Cabernet Sauvignon and local kraft beer the Blonde Labon and finally finished with dessert and coffee – total 132€ for 4 people – very correct!