This is the shortest of the three themed trails, spanning 3.7 kilometers, or an easy 1.5-hour walk one way.
This is a one-way route. Distance, ascent, descent and time are for the direction shown; plan the way back too.
The trail partly follows the historical Mlikaričin put (Milkwomen’s Path) towards Rijeka, offering several viewpoints and open views of the sea.
Along the path, there are several good spots for a break or a picnic, and the area is known for its wild medicinal herbs, apiaries, and grazing horses.
The trail encompasses four key water heritage sites: Šterna (a historic cistern), the restored Kalina, and the Kosorci and Brest kalići (ponds).
Šterna (the cistern) was renovated in 2012. It had been in daily use until the beginning of the 19th century.
According to local people, Šterna (the cistern) has been here since ancient times. There is a constant natural flow of water into and out of the cistern, which makes the water exceptionally pure. When this source of drinking water was discovered, people fenced it off to preserve the water for daily use, which is how the cistern was created.
Today, the Šterna serves as a reminder of past times, and the water from it flows directly into Kalina . A resident of Hrastenica recently took a sample of water from the cistern and had it analysed at the Institute of Public Health. The result surprised everyone: the water was of excellent quality and certainly drinkable!
Kalina is the name for a larger pond that occurs naturally but which has been maintained by people.
Before you is Kalina – one of the kalići (traditional ponds) that was restored in 2012, and further deepened and cleaned in 2023.
There is no precise record, but it is assumed that the villages in today’s Municipality of Čavle emerged partly because of the presence of kalići ponds – natural sources of clean drinking water.
During the great plague in the town of Grobnik, serfs fled from their masters and settled in places that had a source of drinking water.
At the Kosorci pond, water flows underground from Kalina at a higher elevation.
This kalić was mostly used by the inhabitants of the village of Kosorci, who in the past had their own path that led to the pond along the route of today’s highway. The kalić was renovated in 2023.
From ancient times until about fifty years ago, kalići ponds were an important part of the lives of the local people, who maintained and used them. It is said that every village had a person in charge of looking after the pond.
Kalići and kaline are part of the identity and cultural landscape of the Grobnik area.
Kalići were a source water for many plants and animals, and they were used to irrigate fields, water livestock, or put out fires. In addition, kalići were also places where the locals could get together, go fishing, and even learn to swim if the pond was deep enough.
Although there is no written evidence, it is said that young men once used to jump headfirst from a large rock (which is still visible today) into the Brest kalić. Once in the water, they would raise their hand to show the depth of the pond, which exceeded their height.
The time follows the DIN 33466 standard used for hiking signs: we assume 4 km on the flat per hour, 300 metres of ascent per hour and 500 metres of descent per hour. The longer of the horizontal and the vertical time counts in full and half of the shorter one is added. Stops, photos and a slower pace are not included, so allow extra time.
time = longer of (distance ÷ 4 km/h) and (ascent ÷ 300 m/h + descent ÷ 500 m/h) + half of the shorter
