Črni Kal Fortress

Route Description

Have you decided to head down to the coastline, but the kids are getting bored and impatient? A great idea for a short stop is the village of Črni Kal and its fortress, which has a crazy view of the whole of Trieste, the sea, the viaduct and the surrounding villages.

The remains of the old castle are located above the village at the rocky edge. Situated on the road through the Rižana Valley towards Klanec, between the Adriatic Coast and the interior, on the border between the Venetian and Habsburg interests, Črni Kal was mentioned as early as the 11th century. The ruins of a castle overlooking Črni Kal, called Town or Old Town by domicile inhabitants, stand on a 30-metre (98 feet) high cliff that was once reached only by a four-meter-long drawbridge. As the period from the early 15th until the first half of the 17th century was noted for its frequent pillagings, the unapproachable camp was established beneath the fort for the locals to store their possessions.

You can leave your car in the smaller parking lot near the church whereas climbers can leave their vehicles in a parking lot that is a bit higher. A local attraction is the "leaning tower", a belfry of St. Valentine's Church from the 17th century which inclines as a result of the caving in of the ground. A landslide destroyed the former St. Valentine's Church built in 1680. Benko House, which is the oldest rural house in the municipality of Koper, also has important architectural value, as the inscription on the semicircular portal reveals that Andreas and Benco built it in 1489.

The half-hour walk has an amazing view that will leave you speechless.