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In Velebit's foothills, one finds the oldest city of the Croatian littoral - Senj. For three millennia it has withstood the buffeting of the region's famous north wind. The daring medieval warriors known as Uskoks once made their home here, on the forty-fifth parallel, halfway between the equator and the North pole. This location has brought many unwanted visitors to Senj over the years. Visible reminders from these periods are still visible around the streets of Senj. Especially revealing are the many events during which the local population brings the town's history back to life.
Senj is a kind of open-air gallery, with the centerpiece exhibit being the Nehaj, a sixteenth-century fortress of the Uskok warriors. Built to watch over the town, today it houses a collection of objects which attest the rich history of this region of heroes. Its battlements, where once the town guard had watch duty, are today an opportunity for you to enjoy the unforgettable views of islands and mountains which surround Senj.
The veiled secrets of Senj's past can be untangled in the former Vukasović family palace, now the Town museum, and also in the cathedral's treasury and library, where great troves of sacral heritage are held..
The front doors of many houses around Senj are decorated with sculptures of former family members. The central town square, known as the Cilnica, contains the old castle, rumored to be connected with the Nehaj fortress through an underground tunnel.
Senj is where the powers of sun and wind come together. The town gates are flanked by Sunčanik, a sundial placed on the very spot where the forty-fifth parallel passes through Senj. The celebrated north wind can be brutal in the winter but is nothing more than refreshing in the summer.
The Senj summer carniva is an international event which turns the town into a musical, fun-filled masquerade.
Uskok days bring the ambience of medieval Senj back to life for the three days of knights' tournaments and old craft fairs.
