House Built by a Turkish Family

Bakar is a small, steep old town on the Bay of Bakar, a deep inlet on the Kvarner coast just south-east of Rijeka. For centuries it was a strategic port, held by the Frankopan and Zrinski nobles before it passed to the Habsburgs, and its old streets climb up the hillside beneath a castle that dominates the harbour. The house known locally as the House Built by a Turkish Family, or simply the Turkish House, is one of the curiosities hidden in those streets.

The name reflects local tradition. In the Adriatic and Balkan region, people used the word Turk loosely for anyone with roots in the lands under Ottoman rule, and ports like Bakar attracted merchants, craftsmen and refugees from many directions over the centuries. A house associated with such a family became a landmark simply because it was different, and its name has stuck. The exact story of who built it and when is a matter of local memory, so it is best seen as part of the town's folklore rather than as a monument with a recorded history.

What you actually see is a building that stands out among its neighbours in the old centre. Visitors usually view it from the street, and it is not set up as a museum, so the visit is about the detail of the façade and the setting. A walk through the narrow lanes brings you to it past small squares, steep steps and houses of local stone, and the mood is more that of a working town than a tourist set. The Bay of Bakar stretches below, with cranes and ships of the port on one side and small boats and fishermen's quays on the other.

Other sights close by help build a fuller picture of Bakar. The Church of St. Andrija the Apostle (St. Andrew) stands in the old town, the hill of Črni Vrh rises behind, and Bakar's dry-stone walls, built to hold terraces of vines and olives on the steep slopes, show how the land was farmed. The coast has long been known for a local wine, and the terraced hillsides tell that story.

The house suits slow walkers, photographers and people who enjoy small places with a story. A short stop of half an hour is enough, and it fits easily into a day that also includes the castle, the church and a coffee by the harbour.