Epario trail

FOR RECREATIONISTS AND FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN

ALONG THE COAST OF LOPAR

Epario trail spreads along the coast of Lopar and is suitable for recreationists and families with children. Alongside numerous archaeological sites that indicate this area having been intensely used in the past, especially in prehistoric times and the Antiquity, the trail reveals breath-taking geologic structures. It is because of its geologic importance and immense diversity that the north-east part of Lopar is now protected in Croatia as a landscape of particular significance. We suggest you take your time along this trail, visit some of the picturesque coves and pause for refreshment during warmer months in pristine seas.

ABOUT LOPAR

Material remains, such as stone artefacts, hillforts (settlements on hills enclosed by ramparts), necropolises (graveyards), rural villas and small finds of ceramics, mosaics and coins provide information about life in the area of Lopar in prehistoric times and Antiquity. Although there is few information about Lopar in the Middle Ages and some researchers believe that it did not exist as a settlement until the 16th century, in 1334, the municipality documents mention the church of St Maria de Epario (St Mary of Lopar), with which one of the largest religious festivals on the island is related – the Celebration of the Nativity of Mary. Both in the past and today, the settlement is organized into villages named after the families inhabiting them, with natural and geographic conditions determining their arrangement. In cultural terms, the people of Lopar are divided into the so-called Sajužani and Samorčani, with the division reflecting in a series of folk customs, which are still cherished despite the fast development resulting from the growth of tourism in the 20th century (which may be seen in the church seating arrangement, the liturgy itself, carnival customs). The mentioned division is connected with the position of the church of St John the Baptist, which became the parish church in 1715, after proclaiming Lopar the second independent parish on the island. Around it, the centre of the village started forming gradually.