Lubenice on the rock outcrop, © Sl-Ziga
Lubenice is the oldest settlement on Cres, situated in a very prominent location on a rocky outcrop 375 meters high that rises steeply above the sea.
The earliest evidence of human settlement here dates back 4,000 years. However, this is relatively recent when you consider that people settled in Kvarner Bay - which at that time was not yet a bay but a continuous stretch of land - as early as 12,000 years ago.
Foundation myths
The older a place in the Adriatic region is, the more names it has. In Roman times, Lubenice was known as Hibernicija (translated as "Winter Nest"), in the Middle Ages as Ljubljenice, and today as Lubenice.
There are several founding myths, but the most beautiful is that of the king’s daughter Ljubica in Osor, who fell in love with a simple peasant boy from the mountains. This enraged her father, the king, so much that he cast her out.
So Ljubica wandered through the mountains of the island of Cres until she finally settled on the rocky outcrop, which thus became Ljubenice. But because "Lj" is rather unpronounceable for Italian tongues (Cres was under Venetian rule for nearly three hundred years), they simply dropped the "j" - and so it became Lubenice.
Lubenice is situated at an interesting strategic point in Kvarner Bay, as it overlooks the entrance to the bay - the Great Gate - which is why a Venetian fortress once stood here.
In terms of climate, Lubenice differs from the rest of the island due to its elevation, as it is significantly cooler here (which makes a trip here quite appealing, especially on hot days). Still, don’t forget your sweater - it can get surprisingly chilly here.