Baška Glagolitic Trail (Bašćanska glagoljska staza)

The Baška Glagolitic Trail, Bašćanska glagoljska staza in Croatian, is a walking route in the valley of Baška, at the southern end of the island of Krk, in Croatia, that is marked by stone sculptures shaped like the letters of the Glagolitic alphabet. It combines a walk through a lovely landscape with a lesson in one of the most distinctive chapters of Croatian cultural history.

Glagolitic is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It was devised in the ninth century by the brothers Cyril and Methodius, Byzantine missionaries who were sent to bring Christianity to the Slavic peoples and who needed a script that suited their language. The letters are rounded and decorated, quite unlike Latin or Cyrillic, and they have an almost ornamental look. The script spread along the Adriatic coast, where Croatian priests used it for liturgy and writing for centuries, and it remained in use in parts of Istria, Kvarner and the islands long after other regions had moved to the Latin alphabet. Krk was one of its strongholds, and the island is sometimes called a cradle of Croatian literacy.

Baška’s trail brings this heritage into the open air. Along its route stand thirty-four stone monuments, each of them a sculpture of a different Glagolitic letter, set in the landscape so that walkers meet them one after another. The sculptures are large and individual, and each letter is carved and shaped, so that you can compare forms and begin to recognise them. The walk descends through the valley toward the sea, passing meadows, dry-stone walls and old hamlets, and it gives wide views over the valley and the Adriatic Sea, with the town of Baška and its long pebble beach in the distance.

A highlight of the route is Jurandvor, a small village where the most famous Glagolitic inscription in Croatia was found, the Baška Tablet. This stone slab, dating from about the year 1100, was set up in the church of St. Lucy, and its text records a donation of land to a monastery by a Croatian king, written in Glagolitic. It is one of the oldest surviving documents in the Croatian language and the first to name a Croatian ruler. The original is now kept in Zagreb, but a replica can be seen in the church at Jurandvor, which can be visited, and the story of the tablet is told in the village.

The trail is suitable for most ages and fitness levels, and it can be walked in a couple of hours at an easy pace. There are no set opening hours or fees, and signs mark the way. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water and sun protection, since there is little shade on exposed sections. It suits families, history lovers and walkers. In Baška itself, the beach, the old streets and the aquarium offer ways to finish the day.