History has spread its cape widely over this area, under which many treasures and values are hidden. The Deed of Gift of Dragoslav the Famous from 1100, the “birth certificate” of Dobrinj and the Dobrinjsko region stands out in particular.
Kapitul (parish) church of Saint Stephen in Dobrinj
This document is closely connected with two religious buildings: Kapitul (parish) church of Saint Stephen in Dobrinj, one of the oldest religious buildings in this part of the island of Krk. Several centuries later, a wooden porch called cergan was built in front of the church, but the exact year of its construction as well as who commissioned it remains unknown. This three-nave church boasts a relief altarpiece called “Coronation of the Virgin Mary” (Krunjenje Djevice Marije) from the beginning of the 16th century.
Chapel of Saint Vitus near Dobrinj
The chapel of Saint Vitus near Dobrinj, the construction of which was finished in 1100, also has a special story. The whole story about the “birth certificate” of the Dobrinjsko region originated here. The chapel began to deteriorate in the 18th century and it served as a shed, and even a stable up to the middle of the 19th century. At the end of the 1930s, a group of enthusiasts initiated the renovation of this relic of the past and at the beginning of the Second World War the chapel’s religious function was restored.
The Church of the Holy Trinity (the Church of Saint Anthony)
There used to be as many as seven churches in Dobrinj, and except the main church, the church of the Holy Trinity (the church of Saint Anthony) was also preserved together with an interesting altarpiece depicting hell, purgatory and heaven. This little church is rarely used for religious purposes, and during the summer months it is used as an exhibition area.
Dobrinj
This town-museum, as Dobrinj is also called, has been a real summer mecca for artists in the last twenty years thanks to the collector and patron Peter Infeld, who chose Dobrinj for making his dream come true. The dream, that is the idea of the late Peter Infeld to “turn Dobrinj into an artistic centre” eventually came to life.
Dobrinj has become the meeting point of fine art lovers, and Infeld Gallery, one of the biggest galleries in Croatia, every summer offers exhibitions by the most famous local and international artists of various styles, from naïve art to pop art.
The Religious Museum collection in Dobrinj, opened in 1981, is a true treasury of Glagolitic manuscripts which includes, among other documents, a certified transcript of the already-mentioned Deed of Gift (i.e. Listina) and the famous antependium or altar frontal by Veneziano dating from the 14th century. In the Religious Museum, you can also see a real curiosity: procession crosses from the 17th century depicting Mary on one side and Jesus on the other.
In addition to the private “Barbalić” Collection, in Dobrinj you can also find a large Ethnographic Collection of the Island of Krk, displayed on three floors. The exhibits are thematically divided and they were collected for decades from over the island of Krk. The Glagolitic Trail and the Glagolitic Alley in Gabonjin are the reminders of the Glagolitic tradition, one of the trademarks of this region. Step by step, stone by stone, and there is your opportunity to enjoy a pleasant yet useful educational walk along the forest trail and path of the ancestors, which will make studying this ancient Croatian script much easier and more interesting.
The Chapel of Saint Clement in Klimno
The Baroque altarpiece in the Chapel of Saint Clement in Klimno is among the cultural monuments whose significance outgrows the Dobrinjsko region. The altarpiece, which shows the lives of saints with their symbols, is another protected monument of culture. In the center of Klimno, opposite the chapel, you will notice a rather big anchor; it is there to remind you that one of the oldest shipyards on the island of Krk was founded precisely in Klimno.
