Jagodina stijena – the site of a tragic love

A polished schoolmaster from Zagreb arrives in Delnice. Jagoda, young and inexperienced as she was, fell at once for his charm and his big-city manners. Petehovac seemed to them just the place for walks and courting, far from the eyes of a small provincial town. They had “their” spot on a rock with a beautiful view over the wooded hills and valleys all around. The schoolmaster promised all sorts of things, but once his posting in Delnice came to an end he went back to Zagreb and forgot every one of them. Heartbroken, poor Jagoda walked the paths that held her memories of the happy days. As happens in tragic stories and novels, whether written by a person or by life itself, Jagoda decided to seek deliverance from her boundless sorrow in the depths of the abyss. People named the rock above that drop after her – Jagodina stijena, Jagoda’s rock.

Today it is a place for melancholy and reflection. We sometimes forget that every day should be celebrated as a gift of good fortune. However hard things get, we have to know that we are not the only ones having a hard time, and that deliverance is not waiting at the bottom of a precipice but in the courage with which we face the troubles life brings. The joy of life is always within reach; many simply forget to look for it, and even when it is right under their nose, they fail to recognise it.

The path to Jagodina stijena starts right at the Petehovac Mountain Centre. Petehovac is the cradle of Croatian mountaineering and skiing. It sits on top of the mountain of the same name, at 1,035 metres above sea level just outside Delnice, in the central part of Gorski kotar. “Snow” trains once ran here, and over 6,000 m of ski runs offered fun for all ages. The runs are no longer in use, but Petehovac is still a beautiful place that can be enjoyed all year round.

There is a spacious car park in front of the mountain centre. The path towards Jagodina stijena leads off to the left of the car park. It is easy, through the forest, and not even 400 m long. The cliff edge is protected by a railing, and the view is as beautiful as it was back when Jagoda and her schoolmaster from Zagreb were courting here.