Klek - the mountain with the most legends

Klek is a mountain located in the south of Gorski kotar, on the edge of Velika Kapela near the town of Ogulin. It stretches in the northwest-southeast direction, and its slopes descend towards the valley of the river Dobra and the Ogulin field. The most important peak is Veliki Klek, 1182 m high, and slightly lower is Mali Klek, which is 1085 m high. Due to its natural and geomorphological richness, part of the mountain is protected as a biological and geomorphological park.

Klek is of special importance in the history of Croatian mountaineering. It was the ascent to Klek in 1874 that encouraged the university professor Dr. Johannes Frischauf from Graz to found the Croatian Mountaineering Society. Also, the rock below Veliki Klek served as the first school of Croatian alpinists.

But what makes Klek by far the most famous is its appearance and the many legends associated with it. Namely, observed from the east and south, it resembles a sleeping giant. According to legend, Klek originated at a time when giants and gods lived on earth. Quarrels broke out between them because the gods kept all the food and drink for themselves. Thus the giant Klek went to war with the god Volos. Volos possessed a magic sword that gave him the power to petrify whatever his heart desired. That is how the giant Klek was petrified and the mountain Klek was created. But before he was petrified, Klek swore that one day he would wake up and take revenge on the gods. It is believed that during stormy nights on top of the mountain, witches gather in the hope of waking Klek from his century-old dream. Their screams and songs can be heard all the way to Ogulin. Today, witches have become a symbol of Klek and the town of Ogulin.

Another legend tied to the mountain is that in the interior of Veliki Klek there is a snake on a large pile of ducats. Every hundred years the rock opens and if a brave young man comes to the snake and kisses it, it will turn into a beautiful girl, and the ducats will be a dowry for their wedding.


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