Inheritance

 Welcome to Matulji - the green and blue hinterland of the Opatija Riviera, a historic crossroad and a place of relaxation in modern tourism. In the past, milkmaids walked along centuries-old paths, bellringers drove away winter and heralded the arrival of spring, while distinguished travelers arrived by train to the Opatija Riviera. Today, the bell ringers continue their traditional rituals, as the past intertwines with the present, making Matulji an increasingly sought-after destination for those seeking an escape from everyday life and a retreat from a fast-paced lifestyle, in excellently appointed holiday accommodations. At the Matulji railway station – one of the most picturesque buildings of its kind in the region – experience what it was like to travel to the Opatija Riviera in the early days of tourism, and then treat yourself to an excellent local brunch at one of the nearby restaurants. Visit all the settlements within the municipality, enjoy the scenic views, feel the spirit of times gone by, taste the specialties of local cuisine, follow the paths once taken by milkmaids, and discover the routes of the traditional bell ringers’ procession. During carnival season, be sure not to miss the bell ringers’ parade in the town center. Join us on themed walking and cycling tours which will reveal the rich history of this region, attend concerts and theater performances at the Matulji Amphitheatre. During the winter season, experience the magic of Advent and Christmas with a vibrant seasonal program.

The area of ​​Matulji Municipality has belonged to not only different municipalities but also different countries over a shorter historical period. Spatial development has followed the course of social events. Due to this fact, part of the spatial documentation is now in the archives of Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Croatia. Between the two world wars, the territory of the Kastav municipality was divided between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the Rijeka State and the Kingdom of Italy in the Rapallo Treaty in 1920. The town of Matulji and the surrounding villages belonged to the Kingdom of Italy and from 1921 the municipality of Matulji was created. The municipalities of Podgrad (Vele and Mala Mune and Žejane) and Jelsana (Rupa, Lipa, Šapjane, Pasjak and Brdce) were formed in the rest of the area. The first marked file of the municipality of Matulji dates from July 27, 1921. The population in Matulji has been increasing since 1880 to the present, with the exception of 1921 when the population decreased. We can associate this increase with the construction of the railway line. The Austrian Southern Railway Company built the Vienna - Trieste railway in 1857, and in 1873 built the Pivka - Rijeka interchange at which the Matulji railway station becomes the Opatija railway station. The stations are also Šapjane, Jurdani and Rukavac. With the development of Opatija as a health resort, Matulji became the starting point of the tram line Matulji - Opatija - Lovran in 1908. The First World War interrupted the rise of Opatija, so it, like Matulji, is stagnant. By falling under the Kingdom of Italy, it becomes its peripheral area, and in tourism rivals the Italian tourist sites, which is why the population of Matulji falls in 1921.

 

In the Municipality of Matulji people speak with the Chakavian dialect. The syntax of the local speech of Matulji and its surrounding areas differs from that of standard Croatian. The most notable syntactic feature of the local idiom is the placement of enclitics (word order), which represents a particularly distinctive characteristic of the Chakavian dialect in comparison to the standard language.The core structural element of any sentence is the predicate, which serves as its fundamental syntactic component. It is most commonly expressed by a verb, for example: "Pazite se mladega vina";  "Beware of young wine!” In addition to verbal predicates, the Matulji dialect also uses nominal predicates, composed of the verb to be and a nominal element in the nominative case, and more rarely in other cases, for example:"Naša općina je jedan od organizatori" ; "Our municipality is one of the organizers.”

Selected local expressions :

travinjat – to suddenly fall ill

škanj – a wooden bench

zmantrat se – to become tired

žulit – to scrub under a cloth

snažit – to tidy up

savrat – to rush 

tapast – clumsy, awkward

 

The ethnographic architectural heritage of the Matulji area is exceptionally rich. In addition to individual buildings and structures, it also includes entire villages that have preserved their traditional spatial organization, such as Kućeli, Zaluki, and Vele Mune.

Hamlets and villages entered into the Register of Cultural Heritage as rural ensembles include:

– Andrejići, a hamlet of Rukavac – registered as a rural ensemble in the cultural heritage register. The hamlet features houses with a variety of stylistic characteristics, alongside simpler rustic constructions. The stone architecture reveals visible traces of skilled masonry craftsmanship. The hamlet also includes a traditional "tornica” (a small tower-like structure).

– Veli Brgud – the entire village is protected and officially registered. In terms of its location, name, and internal spatial organization, Veli Brgud reflects a medieval pastoral settlement closely tied to pastures and forests, only later turning toward agriculture and viticulture. Architecturally, the relatively numerous farm buildings have preserved older forms of stone construction, with roofs made of plant materials and distinctive raised gables.

– Lipa – the village is registered as a whole, not primarily due to ethnological evaluation, but as a site marked by a fascist act of terror, which has left a lasting historical imprint on the area.

 

The Mune dialects represent the westernmost group of Ikavian–Ekavian dialects within the Chakavian linguistic area. In the Municipality of Matulji, this group includes not only the speech of Vele and Male Mune, but also that of Veli and Mali Brgud, Pasjak, and Šapjane.

Some common features of the Mune dialects include the Ikavian–Ekavian reflex of jat (e.g. misit testo and belo mliko), as well as the appearance of v in place of the final syllabic l (e.g. biv, delav, kopav; kabav). In the speech of Vele and Male Mune, an archaic accent—known as the Chakavian acute—is preserved and can also occur in the final syllable (e.g. pũt, grĩh; ženẽ, sestrẽ; gorĩ, rečẽ).
 

The Žejane language (žejånska limba) is named after the village of Žejane, located in the northwestern part of the Municipality of Matulji. It is spoken by around thirty local residents, mostly of middle and older age. The Žejane language is one of the variants of what is known in linguistic literature as the Istro-Romanian language (ISO 639-3 code: RUO). The other variant, the Vlach language, is spoken in Šušnjevica and its surroundings. Both the Žejane and Vlach languages are included on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia. More information about these highly endangered languages is available at: http://www.vlaski-zejanski.com/

 

The traditional women’s costume of Vele and Male Mune and Žejane is the only type of traditional attire in the Municipality of Matulji that has been continuously preserved to the present day. From the early 20th century, it gradually fell out of everyday use; however, until the Second World War, most women from Mune and Žejane continued to wear it when attending church, especially on religious holidays. In its characteristics, the Muna and Žejane women’s costume is similar to that of the Ćićarija region, but stands out due to its distinctive red headscarf (facov/faco) and richly colored lace decorations on the apron (firtuh). Other elements include a two-part shirt (opleće and kotula), linen garments with inserted panels (vrhnja), black cotton garments (kamižot/počrnjenka), a woven wool belt (pas/kånica), a thinner belt (cota), and socks (hlače/bičvile). Today, this traditional costume can be seen during appearances of the Muna and Žejane bell ringers—particularly their accompanying groups in carnival parades—as well as during performances by the Žejane folklore ensemble.

 

The settlement of Matulji appears in written historical sources in the mid-17th century, preceded by the family name Matulja, originally recorded as Matuglia. The plural form of the family name gave rise to the name of a small hamlet beneath the Frlanija locality—Matulje—which was officially recorded in documents in its present form, Matulji, by the early 19th century.Similar to Matulji, historical records mention surnames (such as Brajan, Frlan, Pobar, Slavić, and others) that later became the names of many villages, hamlets, and localities in the Kastav region.

 

The Municipality of Matulji, as a unit of local self-government, was established on April 10, 1993. Prior to that, its territory was part of the Municipality of Opatija. The municipal coat of arms is triangular and divided into three blue fields, each containing a golden bell—symbolizing the area’s strong association with the bell ringers (zvončari), of which there are nine groups in the municipality.