Page 85 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

ISTRIA AND THE K V ARNER AREA  83

The Uskoks
In 1526, shortly before the Battle of Mohács, numbers of Christians from the
hinterland fled to the safer coastal cities to escape the Turks. The refugees were
called “Uskoks” (“the ones who jumped in”) and their main desire was to fight
those who had taken their land; and they carried out a highly successful guerrilla
war. Initially they were organized by Venice around the fortress of Klis, from which
they attacked the Turk-occupied land. In 1537 the Turks conquered Klis. Some
Uskoks went to Primošten, but the main nucleus settled in Senj, under the rule of
the Habsburgs, who encouraged them to procure fast boats in order to plunder
the heavy Venetian ships. When Austria also slowed down operations against the
Turks, the Uskoks took up piracy and started sacking coastal towns. At the end of
the war between Venice and the Ottoman empire in 1617, the emperor was
forced to remove the Uskoks from the coast and they and their families were Relief in the Museum of
transported to the west of Zagreb, to the Žumberak mountains. the Uskoks, Senj

(Leonova kula), dedicated to
Pope Leo X, and the small,
pretty church of St Mary.
Environs
The small village of Jablanac
lies 37 km (23 miles) south of
Senj. This bustling place is a
good starting point for visiting
the Velebit massif.
Jablanac is a well-preserved
Nehaj Castle, dominating the town of Senj town and worth an unhurried
visit. It was a county seat and its
King of Hungary. As defence the Baroque period. It has representatives met in the med-
against the Turks, the tombstones with Renaissance ieval castle. The castle was built
Habsburgs established the reliefs and Baroque works, by the Ban (governor) Stjepan
first station of the Military including an altar decorated Šubić, as was the church and
Frontier (Vojna krajina) here. with four marble statues. its cemetery, both known from
This stronghold had a powerful A short distance from the documents from 1251. The castle
outer wall which is now only square is the Vukasović Palace is now in ruins. Nearby, the port
partly preserved. which houses the Civic of Stinica is a departure point
After the Battle of Mohács in Museum (Gradski muzej Senj), for ferries to the island of Rab.
1526, many Uskoks from Sinj and a museum of local history. The To the east of Jablanac is
Klis came to Senj, and were palace was once the residence the Sjeverni Velebit National
co-opted by the local Austrian of an Uskok captain. Flanking Park (Nacionalni park Sjeverni
governor in the fight against the the roads of the town and in Velebit) where there is an
Turks. Their presence is recorded the Small Square (Mala placa), interesting Botanical Garden
in Nehaj Castle, a fortress built also known as Campuzia, are (Botanički vrt) founded in
on a square plan, constructed in Renaissance buildings such as 1966 on the slopes of Mount
1553–8 by the Uskok captain the Town Hall with its splendid Zavižan at an altitude of
Ivan Lenković on a hill a short loggia. Nearby is the Leon tower 1,576 m (5,169 ft).
distance from the town. It was
positioned so as to sight
approaching ships. The well-laid-
out Museum of the Uskoks is on
the first floor of the fort, and has
an excellent view over the bay.
In the southern part of the
wide bay is the main square,
called Cilnica. Facing the
square is the Frankopan palace,
built in 1340 and altered in the
19th century. There are also
large salt warehouses, and,
further in, the Cathedral of
St Mary (Sv. Marija), built in the
13th century and altered in The picturesque harbour of Jablanac, south of Senj

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