Nehaj Fortress

Nehaj was built in 1558 on the hill above Senj by Ivan Lenkovic as the base of the Uskoks, the irregular force of refugees from Ottoman-held territory who raided by land and sea from this coast and became a serious enough problem for Venice that a war was fought partly over them. It is a plain square block with three floors and thick walls, and the material came from the suburbs outside the walls, including churches and a monastery, demolished so that an attacker would have no cover. The bura wind that funnels down here is among the strongest on the Adriatic, and the fortress is placed in the full force of it.

History

Nehaj was built by Ivan Lenković, a general and captain of the Uskoks, on the hill above Senj and finished in 1558. Its stone came from the churches, monasteries and houses outside the town walls, which were pulled down on the reasoning that they could not be held anyway and that the Ottomans would otherwise loot them or shelter in them during a siege. The fortress was built to face the Ottoman Empire and to serve as the base of the Uskoks (Wikipedia, Nehaj Fortress).

What to look for

• A square fortress of 1558 - built as the Uskok base.
• Built from demolished churches - the suburbs cleared for a field of fire.
• Three floors of exhibition - on the Uskoks and the frontier.
• The bura in full force - among the strongest winds on the coast.

When to go

April to October; the hill is brutal in winter bura. Two hours.

Practical notes

The wind here can make the walk up genuinely unpleasant and the roof terrace unusable. The exhibition is dated in places. Senj itself is a working town rather than a resort. Parking is limited on the hill.

Nearby

Senj is below; the Velebit coast runs south towards Karlobag.

Key facts