Through the Kupa River Valley to Ozalj and the wine-growing hills
Zagreb County

This route is a part of Zagreb County Cycling Network project run by Tourist Board of Zagreb County. We are recommending that together with this description you are using published/paper map (scale 1:40000) which can be obtain from office of Tourist Board of Zagreb County, Preradovićeva 42, Zagreb, Croatia, www.tzzz.hr. Please contact office for map delivery.

Route description

The route begins in the centre of the town of Krašić at the parking lot near the Church of the Most Holy Trinity (a suitable place to leave your vehicle)  1 . Take the road in the direction of Jastrebarsko and turn right at the intersection near the Chapel of the Holy Family at Brezarić and follow the signs for the Golf & Country Club in Mirkopolje and the signs for Ozalj. Continue straight along the paved road which first heads slightly uphill, and then downhill. At the 3.5 km from the starting point, to your right you will approach the main road from the direction of Slovenia and Ozalj. Here continue on straight for another 100 m and turn right at the sign for the Golf & Country Club "Dolina kardinala" (Valley of the Cardinals)  2 . Drive alongside the golf course fence. At the first intersection following the main entrance and building of the golf club, turn left alongside the golf course fence. At the next intersection, turn left again onto the gravel road. If you take a break and look behind you, you will see the Old Town of Ozalj beyond the meadow in the distance to the right. After 1 km of riding, you will come back onto a paved road, and turn right along the Kupa River towards Zorkovac. Here you will pass through some beautiful country.

The nearby banks of the Kupa River and the shade of the forests are attractive to many weekenders. The entrance sign for the settlement of Zorkovac na Kupi marks your departure from Zagreb County and entrance into Karlovac County. To the left of the windy road which takes you through the Kupa River valley, you will see the old Zorkovac manor. Its lovely position only adds to the beauty of this landscape. In the settlement of Zorkovac, pass by the Chapel of St. Helena, and at the next intersection, turn right off the main road towards the old railroad bridge over the Kupa River.  3  Immediately after passing over the railroad tracks, take the small path to the right of the tracks towards the bridge. On the left hand side of the bridge is the area for passage by pedestrians and bicyclists, divided from the tracks by a fence. In the summer, the grassy banks of the Kupa River are an ideal place of entertainment and a beach for the local population.  4  After crossing the bridge, continue along the paved road to the right in the direction of Trg and Ozalj. You will pass through the settlement of Ozaljsko Polje. At the intersection, turn right along the bank of the Kupa River to the settlement of Trg.  5  At the next intersection in Trg, follow the signs 2 km to Ozalj and turn left. We recommend you take turn off  A  from the route, to visit the valuable Church of All Saints in Trg, an old, medieval settlement with an interesting cultural and ethnological heritage – the white folk costumes, with the women's characteristic headgear called jalba, woven in the old Slavic method.

On the road Trg – Ozalj, on the left hand side you will see the Ethno-park, a collection of wooden homes covered by škop (a hay roof), which is under the auspices of the museum at Ozalj. We recommend you stay in Ozalj for a while to see the old power plant of the city Karlovac, better known as Munjara. Take turn off  B  from the route to visit the Old Town of Ozalj with its museum, parish Church of St. Vitus or to hike up the marked hiking trails to the highest peak of the Ozalj area, Vodenica (537 m). In the centre of Ozalj, on Braće Radić Square near the bus station, you can take a break and find refreshment in one of the bistros.  6  From the centre of Ozalj, alongside the old hydro power plant, continue to ride straight along the bridge over the Kupa River towards Krašić, 10 km away.  7  At Zajačko Selo, turn left uphill off the main road for Krašić in the direction of Vrhovac and Škaljevica. Here you will come across two more demanding uphill climbs to the parish Church of St. Cosmas and Damian. Continue to climb slightly, and the position from the ridge will provide you with a fantastic view on both sides.  8  At the first intersection with the crucifix, turn right towards Škaljevica. Here you will see truly stunning views of the entire Ozalj-Vivodin region, with the vineyards and winemakers’ huts.

Continue to drive straight along the paved road.  9  At the next intersection with the crucifix, turn right for Hrženik, while to the left is the sign for Ferenci and the crossing point with the blue bicycle route. The turnoff road to the left of the main road leads through a small pine wood to the Chapel of St. John the Baptist at an elevated position above Krašić, which offers a lovely view of the entire Krašić-Slavetić region. From the chapel, return back to the main road and continue on towards Krašić, 10 and at the first intersection, continue to the right and head uphill towards Krašić. At the very end is a slight downhill section 11 to the intersection with the main road Jastrebarsko-Krašić. Here turn left for Krašić, take a break and then visit the Memorial Room of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac and the Mrzljak Ethno House, or take a pleasant daytrip to the Slapnica Canyon and the Žumberak-Samobor Mountains Nature Park.

Technical description of the route

Cultural-historical values along the route

Accommodation and hospitality facilities

Service information

Authors: Lidija Mišćin
Published: May 2005.

If you notice any changes on route, which are not introduce in route description, please inform us about changes on email: rigo@pedala.hr