Dear Peacewalkers,

We are happy that you have decided to walk with us through our beautiful country. Welcome to Croatia, and to the crossing to Bosnia! 🌿
💧 Bring enough water and refill whenever you have the opportunity.
🥪 Pack a snack or light meal to keep your energy up.
☀️ Use sunscreen, wear a hat, and rest in the shade when needed.
🛏️ Bring a sleeping mat and indoor footwear.
📱 Keep your phone charged and stay connected through the WhatsApp group.
☎️ If anything goes wrong, contact Anna directly at 3284924857 
🆘 For emergency, call 112.
Take care of yourself and your fellow walkers. We wish you a safe and peaceful journey. 👣

OUR TRAIL: from Croatia to Bosnia (from 5 to 19 September)

Day 1 and 2. ( 5th-7th September) Veprinac is an Istrian medieval town within the city of Opatija , Primorje-Gorski Kotar County . Paolo, Irena and I will wait for you to come on the 5th afternoon, at our center called “Home”, where you can rest and have dinner together at 7 pm. You will have a room with bathroom and shower and be able to recuperate. If you can, bring a sleeping bag. After dinner we will briefly meet to get introduced to each other and to the place. So, we will be happy to offer you all 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts, and a place to sleep for 2 nights .

The following day, September the 6th, is a rest day. Breakfast will be served. The sea is not far and we can organise some trips down, or there are buses that can take you there and back. Again, dinner will be served at 7pm. At 8.00pm we are going to have an orientation meeting about the history of Home, the present projects, and the Peace movement in this area.

The following day, on the 7th, we will be leaving after breakfast, at 8.30am. We will be joined by a group of local friends who will walk with us till Rijeka. Altogether we will have a few minutes of “circle”, to connect with each other and with above. The distance is 18 km. We will often walk by the sea and maybe we can take a quick dip. Paolo will be our guide for the next 4 following days, which will take us by the sea and up some hills. On the 7th evening Andrea found for 11 of us some free accommodations in two convents in Rijeka, others will stay with friends.

Day 3. (7th-8th September) Rijeka: is a port city in Croatia , the geographical and historical center of Kvarner and Gorski Kotar , and the administrative center of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County , located on the northern Adriatic . On the 8.30 morning we will start walking from Rijeka towards Hrelijn and arrive there in the evening. Some friends offered their house by the sea, a bit far, but we will see.

Day 4. (8th-9th September) : Hreljin is a village in western Croatia, just southeast of Bakar and northeast of Kraljevica, above the Bay of Bakar . On the 8th morning we will start walking towards Mrkopalj, and since the distance is quite long and we shouldn’t arrive in Mrkopalj completely wiped out (we have an important event that night!) we suggest to take a bus till Zlobin (which was the original starting point for the day) and continue walking from there.

Day 5.(9th-10th September) : Mrkopalj is a village and a municipality in the mountainous part of Croatia in the region of Gorski Kotar, located south-east of Delnice and some 50 km east of Rijeka and 831 meters above sea level. This is a special moment for everyone taking part in the pilgrimage, as Gorski Kotar is renowned for preserving peace during the wars of the 1990s. The European pilgrims will therefore be welcomed by the “On the Pathways of the Gorski Kotar Peacebuilders” initiative team members, who will introduce them to the life and legacy of Franjo Starčević and other peacemakers from Gorski Kotar.
We invite you to join the pilgrims as they arrive from Rijeka to Mrkopalj on 9 September. At 6:00 p.m., they will gather at the “Bijele stijene” Mountain Lodge in Tuk, where they will spend the night. We will have two actors who were directly involved in the peacebuilding during 1990s – Nada and Renata – who are open to answer our questions.
We will also have with us Dzera, a dear friend who survived the 2004 Beslan school siege, and who will share with us all she has learned during these years.
Through a grant our association will be able to offer you dinner and accomodation for the night, if you registered in time (when I sent out the poll a few weeks ago.) Unfortunately , if you registered too late, you will have to pay.

Day 6. (10th-11th September) Jasenak is a village in Karlovac County, Croatia.[4] It is located in the municipality of Ogulin, on the Jasenačko polje, a karst polje. In 2021, its population was 175.[2] It is the site of the former Bjelolasica Olympic Centre. The village is known for its proximity to Bjelolasica mountain.
On the 10 of September, at 8:30 am, the pilgrims will depart from the “Bijele stijene” Mountain Lodge and follow the historic Tuk–Jasenak Peace Route. During the 1990s, this route was used by Franjo Starčević and other peacemakers from Jasenak, Drežnica, and the surrounding communities as they met and coordinated strategies to preserve peace throughout the Gorski Kotar region.

Day 7. (11th-12th September) Jezerane is a village in central Croatia, in the municipality of Brinje, in the northwestern part of Lika-Senj County.

Day 8. (12th-13th September) Lipice is a village in the Lika-Senj County of Croatia, approximately 35 miles from the county’s administrative center of Gospić. According to the 2021 census, Lipice had 98 inhabitants, all Croats.

§ We might substitute Jezerane and Lipice with other towns nearby, because of the difficulty in finding places to stay for the night.

Day 9 and 10. (13th-15th September) Saborsko is a village and municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. The municipality is part of the Lika region.

In the Croatian War of Independence, Croatian troops defended Saborsko for several months until falling in November 1991, after the JNA and nearly 1000 members of paramilitary groups broke the defences, armed with nine military aircraft, 43 tanks, howitzers and a dozen MRL’s. The assault destroyed several homes and the Parish Church. The Yugoslav forces executed the Saborsko massacre, in which 29 civilians were killed. A total of 48 citizens of Saborsko were killed in 1991.
The rate at which refugees returned after the war was slow, due to the lack of housing, jobs, and the danger of mines. At first, only the elderly people returned. The Croatian Government began the rebuilding of family homes and common buildings, including the Parish Church. Even so, few families have returned, especially those with children.
We will stay in Camping Primavera for two evenings and have a rest day there. For whoever has strength, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is an amazing place, with 16 falls.

Day 11. (15th-16th September). Selište Drežničko is a village in Croatia. It is located near Plitvice Lakes National Park, in the Karlovac County, located in the Kordun region, by the Korana River. Due to its proximity to Plitvice Lakes, it is a popular tourist destination with numerous private accommodations available. Throughout its history, the settlement belonged to the Republic of Serbian Krajina and was recaptured by the Croatian Army in 1995. It currently has a population of 284.

§ The border crossing is called Izačić, near Ličko Petrovo Selo. It’s a very significant border crossing, as we are leaving the European Community and entering Bosnia. It’s a large and at times complicated border crossing. The last few days, before entering Bosnia, we are going to walk in an area steeped in violence and blood, both from this last war and later on by the push back of thousands of people on the move. So many houses still bear the tragic signs of grenades, which in turn have often become squats: wounds upon wounds.

Day 12 (16th-17th September) . Izačić  is a small village in Bosnia and Herzegovina with an estimated population of 4,089 
The village is most famous for being the site of Operation Tiger in 1994.
Day 13 and 14 (17th-19th September). Bihać is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region close to the border with Croatia. In 2013 its population was 56,261
Bihać was besieged for three years from 1992 to 1995 during the Bosnian War.

Since 2015 it has become a main passage of the Balkan Route, with thousands of migrants staying in various camps, and trying “the Game”. There are also various NGOs and volunteers still operating in the area, and we will get to meet them and hear their stories first hand. There is still a camp for people on the move, called Lipa camp, around 30 km outside of Bihac, a safe house for minors and very cute children, and a day center for people on the move.

From Izacic to Bihac: 12 KM. Since many years of coming and helping with projects, we usually stay at Veljko and Dragica’s B&B, very dear friends, who can host around 15 people for 10 euro per person per night. We will also work on finding more accomodations, if the numbers of the walkers grow.
Our dear friend Silvia Maraone, Project Coordinator for IPSIA Acli and who lives in Bihac since years, is organising an event and will guide us through the most significant places in the city.

P.S. I will also add a brochure with the life of Franjo Starcevic and for the ones interested a short story of the War in former Yugoslavia.

Looking forward to meeting you and walking with you!