Hear the screams of witches during stormy nights in Ogulin

01.11.2021
Velebit-Lika-Gorski kotar

At midnight, during the stormy nights, witches, goblins, and fairies from all around the world congregate on the Mt. Klek. It stands above Ogulin. Their screams can be heard all the way down to the town.

At least, that’s how Valvasor, a historian from the 17th century AD who was obsessed with devil and witches, describes unusual sounds coming from the mountain each time the sky would go dark and the rumbling sounds of hundreds of thunders would rip through it. There’s something strange with those sounds because they are awfully close to the sound of a human scream. You don’t get to hear something like that no matter how stormy night it might be.

According to the legend, the screams are coming from the witches and fairies who are gathering around, trying to wake up Klek, the giant who defied god Volos.

Now Volos was, well, a cheater. You see, Volos could turn anything into stone with his sword so when Klek tried to attack him, Volos simply petrified the giant. And that’s how this magic mountain came to be.

Many still believe that river Dobra that runs out the mountain and through Ogulin is, in fact, running from Klek’s petrified veins.

According to the legend, if you drink from a certain well, magic will happen. Wherever there are fairies, there’s fairy water. So if a woman drinks from Cesarovac well, she’ll turn good, beautiful, and stay forever young. If, on the other hand, a man drinks it, he’ll fall in love with a local woman.

What else can you do in Ogulin besides enjoying fairy tales?

If there’s that one place in Croatia that looks and feels like something from fairy tales, that’s the area around the town and the town itself. And it’s so powerful that even the most recognized and renowned author of such titles, Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, was born and lived in Ogulin. Every single kid in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia went to sleep listening to her stories.

To really understand the source of that inspiration, we went for a Jeep safari. It’s the best way to explore this area that’s mostly covered with forests. Our journey took us all the way to the Bjelolasica, the Croatian Olympic center, just 22 km from Ogulin.

But to truly appreciate the surreal surroundings, you should follow in the footsteps of hikers and climb the top of the Klek mountain. Once up there, it will be easy to understand why witches and goblins choose to gather here. It will feel like some weird creature from tales will pop up right behind the tree.

In total, we’ve spent a week exploring Ogulin and the landmarks that surround it and we all agree that the sound during that one stormy night was, in fact, closely similar to the human scream. It makes you wonder if there’s something about all those tales and legends…
Hook up with us and we’ll organize everything for you.

You’re in for one of the most overwhelming holidays ever if you choose Ogulin as your destination.

Your CTC Team, I.K.