Krasno, the most beautiful view in the world

We discovered Krasno (Krasno Polje) not that long ago, some 15 years back. Given that Krasno was once the most important Marian shrine in Croatia, that is very strange, not to say damning. The shrine at Krasno drew more visitors than Marija Bistrica and Trsat, and people came to it on foot even from distant parts, from Dalmatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Today as many as 100,000 people a year visit it, and yet it was relatively unknown to us. Perhaps that is because this region is not near any of the usual routes. You do not arrive here by chance but on purpose, because the road ends here, at Northern Velebit.

Although one could write about Krasno at great length, this time we are mentioning it for one exceptional spot – the viewpoint on the shrine hill.

From the foot of the hill, alongside the road, all the way up to the church of Our Lady of Krasno, run the stations of the Way of the Cross

I remember arriving for the first time some 15 years ago. We pulled up in front of the hotel in the evening. It was already quite dark and there was not much to see, but you could sense that we were somewhere special.

I will never forget the next morning. Our window faced east and I was woken by the intense light of daybreak. The sight through that window was like nothing I had seen before! I went down in front of the hotel and stood there stunned – ribbons of mist were drifting lazily across the valley and the hills were emerging from them like islands. It was as if I were on the Kornati islands rather than on the far side of Velebit. An endless multitude of peaks stretched away in every direction. Later someone mentioned that you can see all the way to Bosnia from here.

The years went by and I remembered that view as the most beautiful inland view I had ever seen. Every few years, whenever our travels took us that way, usually on the way down from Northern Velebit, we would stop at this viewpoint in Krasno. After all the beautiful things we had seen in the meantime, we thought the effect of this place would wear off, but it never did. Every time it delighted us all over again! When you stand before that sea of peaks peering out one behind another into the distance, especially when the air has been scrubbed clear by the Bura, you are left enchanted and hypnotised by its singular beauty.

Wooden benches are set in a semicircle along the edge of the plateau in front of the hotel. For everyone who wants to enjoy it without stress or hurry. Time is irrelevant here, and spending it in a hurry is sacrilege in the face of such a perfect scene. To sit on one of these benches and be present at the beauty laid out before you is a privilege everyone ought to grant themselves at least once in a lifetime.

They say the best things in life are free. Along with love and pretty much everything else that matters, this is certainly one of them!