Take the Mastery Road Across Velebit

16.11.2020
Velebit-Lika-Gorski kotar

Mastery road across Velebit is our recommendation for this holiday. Why? Anyone can take a highway… or a fast road…

…but why not be the one of the few, to take the unpaved road and discover the beauty, the mystery, and the stories unheard?

You wake up in the morning alarmed by the sound of the alarm clock. You panic already. Will you be late? To drop kids off to school, to check e-mails before the first meeting, then the second one, then the third.

Will you manage all your tasks today? Visit your dentist, take the cat to a vet, pick up kids from school, drop them off to sports, pick them up from sports, fix the roof, kiss your partner…

So much to do and so little time.

Today, the world is in a hurry. Everyone you know is in a hurry. Everyone else is in a hurry. It’s just a way of living. Nothing to do about it. Just a way it is.

But, guess what… you’re on holidays now, and the greatest advice you’ll ever get is right here:

Don’t take your hurry to your holidays. Leave it at home.

Really. There is no need to hurry in your holidays. Replace the quantity with quality and you’ll feel better, relax better, you’ll remember the wonderful time you actually had on your holidays… better.

Yeah right. But, how should I do it – you mumble with disapproval.

Well, here is a suggestion: Instead of rushing from one destination to another, chasing the schedule constantly to visit all museums, galleries, parks and who knows what else…

…why don’t you try a slower, but the deeper discovery of a place you chose for your annual retreat.

On the day you travel from the continent part of Croatia to finally visit its coast, you’ll have options to consider:

That’s right. Once upon a time, the continent part of Croatia and its coastal parts were disconnected. The mountains spreading along the Adriatic coast made it possible for only one route to connect the two parts together. It was a detour and it was definitely too long for the needs of trafficking and postal transport of the Austrian Empire. They needed a faster way.

Mastery road across Velebit So, they’ve built a road across the mountain.

Velebit Mountain it is. Velebit is made of limestone karst. It’s a hard material to build roads in. Also, the slopes of Velebit are steep on both sides. There was a lot of mining for future tunnels, drilling through karst gorges, building support walls made of huge stone blocks, calculating of inclination, designing serpentines. It took 7 years to build the 41 kilometres long road – one centimeter per hour, 488 meters per month, 5,8 kilometers per year – until it was finally open on October 4th, 1832. And while no one knows exactly how they did it, the numbers still meet the contemporary construction standards and regulations.

Mastery road across Velebit - The road represented a masterful achievement in road construction. So, they’ve called it:

For the next hundred years, the Mastery Road was the main trafficking road between north and south. It was crowded with waggoners and stagecoaches. It had numerous watchtowers, inns, and lodges.

But, then in the following hundred years, modern roads were built, and men came off the mountain in search of a better life.

Mastery road across Velebit – Majstorska cesta

Only the road survived.

Today, The Mastery Road is mostly used for a photo safari, because of the beauties extraordinaire that it reveals. And not only the beauties. It also tells stories of mystery, love, and jealousy. Some are frightening, others are charming. But, we will not spoil the occasion. The Mastery Road invites you to discover it yourself.