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Novi Marof · between Ivanščica and Kalnik

Marof is closer than you think.

Just half an hour’s drive from Zagreb lies Novi Marof, a town surrounded by fairy-tale hills and the green valley of the River Bednja – the perfect destination for a weekend escape into nature. Explore it on foot, at a run or by bike.

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Let’s go

01 · The area

On one side, dense forests hiding the remains of medieval forts; on the other, the wilder trails of the Kalnik hills. Between them lie a valley, drinking-water springs and a landscape that Ivan Rabuzin painted so many times that we recognise it by his colours.

Novi Marof lies in the Bednja valley, between the last foothills of Ivanščica and the northern slopes of Kalnik. Eight marked routes for walking, running and cycling, a climbing crag and six bunkers still waiting to be found.

  • 8routes
  • 3forts
  • 1climbing crag
  • 6bunkers

02 · Routes

Choose a route.

All routes →
Climb to GrebengradModerateHiking · 7.5 km · 2:30 hClimb to ČevoChallengingHiking · 4.5 km · 2:00 hPaka – Paka Fort – ČanjevoEasyHiking · 9.1 km there and back · 3:00 hBella avanturaModerateCycling · 43.2 km · 2:30 hAll 6 routeshiking, running and cycling
Hikers on a wooden viewing platform beside the stone walls of the fortModerate
Hiking

Climb to Grebengrad

7.5 km2:30 h
Čevo summit from the air: a gazebo and a cross at the edge of the forest, the valley belowChallenging
Hiking

Climb to Čevo

4.5 km2:00 h
Hiker with poles in front of the round stone walls of the fortEasy
Hiking

Paka – Paka Fort – Čanjevo

9.1 km there and back3:00 h
Two cyclists on an asphalt road, with rocks on a wooded hill behind themModerate
Cycling

Bella avantura

43.2 km2:30 h
6routes for walking, running and cyclingAll routes →

03 · App

Create your own route.

None of the ready-made routes quite right for you? Create your own with the app! The Grebengrad and Čevo area is criss-crossed by seventeen real, passable and maintained sections linking its junctions, all digitised and available in our app. All you need to do is choose which junction you are starting from, how far you want to go and where you want to end up, and the app will link the sections into a personalised route and give you everything you need to know: the distance, the ascent and the time it will take.

  • Offline map and route
  • Build an outing from sections
  • Your location on the map
  • SOS and emergency contacts
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Ivan Rabuzin, “Svečanost cvijeća” (Festival of Flowers): large pink flowers above hills, clouds and village housesPhoto: Ivan Rabuzin, „Svečanost cvijeća” · Arhiva TZG Novi Marof

04 · Rabuzin

Pretty as a picture

Gentle green hills, the winding green valley of the River Bednja and fairy-tale pastel sunsets were a lifelong inspiration for the painter and sculptor Ivan Rabuzin, one of the greatest masters of Croatian naïve art.

He was born and lived in Ključ, just outside town, and immortalised the Novi Marof countryside in works exhibited around the world.

05 · Discover

Forts, springs, viewpoints.

All attractions →
Stone arch in the walls of the fort, with the viewing platform and hikers seen through itForts and castlesGrebengradČevo summit from the air: a gazebo and a cross at the edge of the forest, the valley belowNatureČevoNatureŠokot WaterfallWhite church with a tall bell tower in the middle of a village, seen from the airSport and heritageChurch of Our Lady of the Rosary, RemetinecBela Castle with its round tower behind the trees, wooded hills in the backgroundForts and castlesPusta Bela, Bela I and Bela IICyclist filling a bottle at a drinking-water spring at the foot of stone stepsNatureBelski DolPale limestone climbing crag in the middle of the forest, seen from the airSport and heritagePokojec climbing crag

06 · Experience

Wooden steps through the forest Scan · Bunker 0Six BunkersEach one has a QR code with a question — the right answer reveals where the next one is. You don’t have to find them in order; the game remembers how far you’ve got.Start the game →Column of cyclists setting off down a street in Novi Marof (Šic na bic 2019)17yearsŠic na bicA bike ride that takes a different route every year and always ends with a get-together.Archive and photos →

07 · Seasonal note

December to February · shorter days.

Shorter days and slippery trails. Check when the sun sets and bring a head torch.

Apr – JunTick season. The Novi Marof area is a known risk area for tick-borne encephalitis — long clothing, repellent and a body check when you get back.
Sep – OctMushroom season. Forestry permit and no more than 3 kg a day.
Dec – FebShorter days and slippery trails. Check when the sun sets and bring a head torch.
Before you go →