Romantic tour

The story celebrating love between the poet Stanko Vraz and a local girl Julijana Cantilly, gives a new dimension of the city walk.

The story says that the young Slovenian and Croatian poet Stanko Vraz came to Samobor to one of numerous events of the supporters of the Croatian Illyrian movement which were organized in the castle of Ferdo Livadić, which today is the Samobor museum. Vraz saw Julijana at the balcony of her father’s house on the King Tomislav’ square number 13 and he immediately turned her into his Ljubica, the inspiration for his love poetry collection, Đulabije.

Even though their love story did not end happily ever after because Julijana was married to a rich tradesman in Ljubljana and died when she was only 30, the spirit of gentle feelings Vraz had towards Ljubica has kept alive by the poet’s colleagues who renovated Julijana’s grave by the parish church of Saint Anastasia and initiated the annual poetry event “The Night of Love Poetry – Vraz’s Ljubica” which is held at the beginning of June.

Besides the birth house of Julijana Cantilly and her grave there are about 30 panels with love verses in the Passage of Croatian Poets and in the nearby museum you can learn more about our Romeo and Juliette.

Samobor romantic story is ideally enjoyed over a glass of local, refined aromatic wine, bermet, in a nearby cellar of the Filipec family, and after that find an ideal place for a couple photo in the Venice of Samobor. Head slowly along the Gradna stream to the Old Town and lock your love on the fence adorned with love locks, before starting the climb. Upon returning to the town centre you can confirm the saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and visit numerous restaurants, while your kiss must be sealed with the sweetness of the Samobor cream cake, kremšnita.

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