April 18, 2020 – From April 21-26, experience the Camino Krk route through your computers, mobile phones, or tablets thanks to a virtual tour provided by the Krk Tourist Board.
HRTurizam writes that Camino Krk is a great new tourist product as well as a motive for arrivals in the pre and post-season. It is an event commemorating the Croatian Camino Route following the medieval pilgrimage routes on the island of Krk. The Camino Krk themed route also joined the European network of St. James pilgrimage routes, and created the preconditions for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism on the island.
However, since we are all in isolation at the moment and as tourism has literally stopped, the Tourist Board decided to organize a virtual Camino Krk that brings the experience of the Way of St. James directly to everyone’s homes.
Although it is difficult to connect the island of Krk with the famous ‘Camino’ pilgrimage at first, it is further proof that there are hundreds of phenomenal and authentic stories in Croatia that we need to put together, brand and tell. It is this content that we are chronically missing.
So, how does the island connect with the Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James?
The Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James is a network of pilgrimage routes leading to the Spanish Sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela – the last resting place of St. James the Apostle, patron saint of pilgrims and travelers. From northern Norway and the Baltic countries, signposts lead to Santiago de Compostela, with over 320,000 people traversing the Franco-Spanish section of the route as long as 800 kilometers each year. In 1987, the Council of Europe awarded Camino the longest street in Europe, while in 1993, UNESCO declared its Spanish and French parts a World Heritage Site. Although the network of Camino routes stretches across Europe, Croatia was almost the only European country that, despite its rich pilgrimage tradition, until recently had no route to Santiago.
In Croatia since 1203, the Fraternity of St. James organized pilgrims who then walked from Croatia to Santiago de Compostela and back. The present-day Brotherhood of St. James, based in Samobor, inherits this tradition. They are a member of the St. James in Santiago de Compostela, the central institution that brings together the associations and fraternities of St. James from all over the world. They publish the Croatian pilgrimage passport – Credentil, officially accepted as a pilgrimage certificate with which in Santiago de Compostela, a diploma of completed pilgrimage is obtained.
Last October, at the initiative of the Krk Tourist Board and the Brotherhood of St. James, medieval Krk pilgrim routes were marked as a Croatian contribution to the European network of pilgrim routes of St. James.
Camino Week on Krk is a project that lays the foundations for the development of pilgrimage and religious tourism in order to extend the season and develop tourism following the principles of sustainability and preservation of tradition.
As the first in a series of Croatian Camino routes, Krk proved to be an ideal choice. The island, which, due to its natural and material treasure, rightly prides itself on the epitome of Croatian history and culture, is an ideal backdrop for a spiritual journey, thanks to its old castles and churches, abandoned villages, small medieval towns and beautiful beaches. It is not disingenuous to say that the interior of the island gives the impression of an outdoor cathedral.
“The situation that has spread around the entire world has made it impossible for much of the planned activities, including the holding of the second Camino Week. We have therefore decided to provide the interested audience with a part of the experience with the help of digital tools and hold a Virtual Camino Krk Week, which will be available on our Facebook pages. At the moment, most everyone is spending time in isolation and quarantine, and digital media in the true sense has become their only window into the world. Perhaps this particular story from the island of Krk will embellish our days,” said Natasa Jurina, director of the Krk Tourist Board.
Camino Krk is a circular route Krk – Porat – Omisalj – Dobrinj – Vrbnik – Baska – Kornic which covers the whole island. It is about 107 kilometers long and is advised to walk through using the six-day program. Trails are marked between the cities listed, and one is passed each day. Camino Krk also has its own special sign, which with the recognizable symbol Camino bears the Glagolitic script – the oldest Slavic script specific to Croatia and Krk.
The first Camino Week in Krk was held in October 2019, and at the end of April, the second guided tour of the Camino Krk route was to take place.
As this is not possible now, the Krk Tourist Board decided to approach part of this experience virtually. Over the course of six days, you can experience part of the Camino experience virtually through:
– multimedia story for every single day through pictures, video, voice-over, music
– an online photo exhibition with Camino de Santiago with different subjects
– interactive description of daily routes
– attractions and descriptions of individual places, natural and cultural sights along the route
– testimonies of pilgrims who passed Camino Krk
– the messages and thoughts of the day about what can be learned on the Camino
The tour will also include e-stamps, or an e-passport for pilgrims, and at the end of the six-day virtual tour, all “travelers” will receive an e-Composel, while the original Compostela will be able to be picked up at the Krk Tourist Board live when possible.
“This is a new experience for all of us, we are doing it for the first time, and we apologize in advance if the production is not flawless due to the short preparation time. However, we have a strong desire to provide you with some of the experience you have been deprived of because of the current situation and we want to do the best we can. Join us and be part of the first virtual Camino Krk adventure. Thank you to everyone who will join and contribute,” concludes Natasa Jurina.
The project was designed by the Krk Tourist Board and the digital marketing agency Smartingo.com, and the great news is that all tourist boards on the island of Krk have joined the project: Tourist Board of Omišalj and Njivice, Tourist Board of Malinska, Tourist Board of Baška, Tourist Board of Dobrinj, Tourist Board of Punat, and the Krk Island Tourist Board.
From April 21-26, experience Camino Krk through your computers, mobile phones or tablets on the City of History and Culture’s Facebook page.
Find out more about the whole project HERE
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