Two days, two stories of Lika: Croatian Walking Festival follows the Paths of Tesla and Starčević
Gospić will once again become the centre of the Croatian Walking Festival on 5 and 6 September 2026, a two-day sports and recreational event that combines physical activity, time outdoors and discovering Lika's cultural heritage. According to the organizer's official announcement, participants will be able to choose between routes marked 10+, 20+ and 30+ kilometres, adapted to different levels of fitness and experience. On Saturday, the festival story is dedicated to Nikola Tesla, and on Sunday to Dr Ante Starčević, two historical figures strongly connected with the Gospić area. The concept is not designed as a race in which seconds and rankings decide the outcome, but as a shared walk in which every participant chooses the distance and pace that suit them. It is precisely this combination of personal challenge, nature and local history that makes the festival an event aimed both at more experienced walkers and at people who want an active weekend without competitive pressure.
This year's edition takes place on both days in Gospić, and the official registration system states that the start each morning is in front of the sports hall on Stjepan Radić Square. The organizer, the Croatian Walking Association, runs the festival together with the Lika-Senj County Tourist Board as co-organizer and main partner, and Lika travel as co-organizer. The festival's official website states that the routes are adapted to different age groups and levels of fitness, while detailed maps will be available at the start. Participants are therefore advised to check the final route information immediately before departure, especially because the organizer may adjust the routes due to objective circumstances. For visitors who want to spend the entire festival weekend in the city, it is useful to check accommodation in Gospić and the surrounding area in advance, especially if they are coming from more distant parts of Croatia or from abroad.
Three distances, but without a single mandatory measure of success
The Croatian Walking Festival is designed so that participants do not need to have the same level of fitness or the same motivation. The 10+, 20+ and 30+ kilometre routes leave enough room for different goals: for some, around ten kilometres will be their first more serious walking challenge, for others around twenty kilometres will represent an all-day recreational undertaking, while the longest category is intended for those who already have experience with walking for several hours. The organizers emphasize that it is important to choose a section in accordance with one's own abilities rather than according to the pace of other participants. Such an approach is particularly important at an event that aims to bring together a broad range of participants, from families and recreational walkers to people for whom walking is a regular part of physical activity. The "plus" sign in the route names also serves as a reminder that the actual length of an individual route may differ from the basic figure, which is why participants should rely on the final maps and instructions provided by the organizer.
The festival thus retains the character of a shared event, but without the classic logic of a race. There is no need to chase a personal record, and the purpose of participating is not to compare oneself with others, but to complete the selected section at a safe and sustainable pace. This model is particularly close to the international tradition of multi-day walking events. The IML Walking Association, an international non-profit organization that promotes walking and non-competitive multi-day events, includes the Croatian Walking Festival among its events. This gives the festival an international framework in which walking is viewed simultaneously as recreation, a social gathering and a way of discovering the area through which participants pass. For Gospić and Lika, this represents an opportunity to present the natural landscape and local heritage to an audience for whom the very act of moving through a destination is an important part of the travel experience.
Saturday on the Paths of Tesla: walking through the landscape of his childhood
The first day of the festival, Saturday 5 September, tells the story of Nikola Tesla. Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan near Gospić, and today the official "Nikola Tesla" Memorial Centre brings together his birthplace, historical buildings and contemporary interpretative facilities. According to information from the Memorial Centre, the complex includes the birthplace, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, an agricultural building, stone monuments and newer facilities such as a testing station and multimedia centre. The area around Smiljan is therefore not merely a biographical point on the map of Tesla's life, but a place where his work is connected with the landscape and environment from which he originated. The festival uses this connection as a thematic framework for walking, so the Paths of Tesla offer participants a different way of encountering the Gospić area from a conventional tourist visit.
In earlier editions, festival routes connected with Tesla passed through the area between Gospić and Smiljan and by several points associated with his life and local heritage. For 2026, the official registration system confirms the 10+, 20+ and 30+ kilometre categories, while the organizer states that detailed maps of this year's routes will be available at the start. It is therefore not justified to assume in advance that every section will be completely identical to last year's route. What remains clear is the thematic axis: Saturday is dedicated to Tesla and to the area that preserves the memory of his childhood and beginnings. Participants therefore do not simply cover kilometres, but move through a landscape that forms part of the biography of one of the best-known inventors and electrical engineers of the modern era.
Sunday on the Paths of Starčević: Veliki Žitnik in the festival's second story
The second day of the festival, Sunday 6 September, focuses on the heritage of Dr Ante Starčević. The Gospić Tourist Board states that his birthplace, Veliki Žitnik, is located around four kilometres from Gospić and that the Dr Ante Starčević Memorial Home has been established there. Today, the building functions as a multimedia and interpretative space dedicated to his life and work, with exhibition and educational facilities. Starčević, born in 1823, was a lawyer, politician and member of parliament, and his name has remained deeply connected with Croatian political history of the 19th century. Within the festival programme, his legacy does not serve as an isolated history lesson, but as a second thematic thread through which participants discover the surroundings of Gospić.
The combination of Tesla's Smiljan and Starčević's Veliki Žitnik gives the two-day programme a recognizable structure. The first day emphasizes scientific and inventive heritage, while the second leads towards political and cultural history. For a participant who walks on both days, this means that the experience is not repeated, even though it starts from the same city and relies on the same basic principle: discovering an area through one's own steps. Such a concept increases the value of a two-day stay because Gospić does not function only as the place of departure and finish, but as the central point of a broader story about Lika. This is precisely why the festival can also be interesting to visitors for whom a sporting result is not the main motivation, but who want to combine recreation with local history and landscape.
Mario Valentić joins the walkers
Additional attention for this year's edition comes from the participation of Mario Valentić, a promoter of a healthy and active lifestyle. According to an announcement published at the beginning of August, Valentić will spend the festival weekend with the participants, and on Sunday he will join them on one of the routes. His participation fits into the fundamental idea of the event: physical activity does not necessarily have to be linked to competition, complex equipment or a specialized sports venue. Walking is accessible to a broad range of people and can be adapted to age, experience, pace and personal goals. In this context, his role is not intended merely as a ceremonial appearance, but as actual participation on the route together with registered walkers.
"I am looking forward to coming to Gospić and having the opportunity to walk together with the participants of the Croatian Walking Festival. Walking is one of the simplest, but also one of the most valuable activities we can do for our health. When the beautiful nature of Lika, good company and the stories of Nikola Tesla and Ante Starčević are added to that, we get an experience worth having," Valentić said in the announcement of his arrival. The message is consistent with the festival's non-competitive character, where the emphasis is on continuity of movement and the personal experience of the route. For part of the audience, his participation may provide an additional incentive to register, but the centre of the programme remains the routes themselves, the people on them and the landscape through which they pass.
Active tourism as an important part of Lika's story
The Lika-Senj County Tourist Board sees the festival as part of the broader development of active tourism in Lika. Tourist Board director Ivan Radošević emphasized in the event announcement precisely the connection between physical activity, nature and heritage as the reason why the event can attract visitors with different interests. "Year after year, the Croatian Walking Festival confirms how much potential Lika has for the development of active tourism. By combining walking, nature and our heritage, we want to offer visitors an authentic experience of the destination and an additional reason to come to Lika-Senj County. We invite everyone to join us in Gospić on 5 and 6 September and choose their route," Radošević said.
For a destination such as Lika, this concept also makes sense beyond the festival weekend itself. Walking allows slower movement through an area, longer stays at individual locations and more immediate contact with the landscape than a quick transit visit. At the same time, thematic routes create a reason to view historical locations, museum facilities and lesser-known places as part of a single experience. In this picture, Gospić is not only the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County, but also a starting point for discovering the continental part of Lika and places connected with Tesla and Starčević. Visitors arriving for the festival can therefore organize their stay as a shorter weekend trip as well, in which accommodation for visitors to the Croatian Walking Festival has practical importance for those planning to participate on both days.
What participants receive and how to prepare for the route
According to the official registration system, the entry fee includes festival organization, online registration and on-site registration, a registration number, water during the walk, fresh fruit for refreshments, toilets at refreshment stations and recognition for participation. The official pricing page additionally lists start numbers. This, however, does not eliminate the need for personal preparation, particularly on the 20+ and 30+ kilometre routes. Walking for several hours requires comfortable and already tested footwear, clothing adapted to the weather and a realistic assessment of one's own fitness. Since the beginning of September is still several weeks away, a reliable weather forecast for the festival weekend will not be possible until shortly before the event.
The simplest rule for choosing a route is to select a distance that the participant can complete without forcing the pace. A shorter route is not an insignificant challenge for someone who is not accustomed to longer walks, while 20 or more kilometres already requires greater endurance and several hours on one's feet. Participants who want a longer section can use the weeks before the festival for several gradually longer walks and to test the footwear they intend to wear. It is also important to follow the organizer's final instructions, because route details, refreshment points and organizational information may change. The festival is non-competitive, but that does not mean physical preparation and safety should be taken any less seriously.
Registration: official websites currently list different deadlines
The promotional announcement for this year's festival states that registrations are open until 31 August 2026. However, the official Croatian Walking Festival registration system, checked on 12 August, currently states that online registrations are open until 30 August 2026. At the same time, the official pricing page advises registering even earlier, by 28 August, explaining that the number of participants who can register on the day of the festival is limited and that a place cannot then be guaranteed. Because of this discrepancy, the most sensible approach is to complete registration before the earliest recommended deadline and check the current information in the official system immediately before making payment. This avoids relying on a final date that differs between individual announcements.
The official 2026 price list for adults gives regular prices ranging from 7 euros for one-day participation on the 10+ route to 20 euros for two-day participation on the 20+ or 30+ routes, with special prices for children. Registration on the day of the festival is more expensive and depends on remaining capacity. For participants making payments from abroad, the registration system states that a mandatory surcharge of 10 euros per transaction applies; if one payment covers several participants, the surcharge is added only once. The organizer also states that registration is complete after the entry fee has been paid. Since these details may be updated, the final conditions should be checked in the official registration system at the time of registration.
Two days in the same city, two different stories
The Croatian Walking Festival 2026 is based on a simple idea: one weekend, one city and several ways to experience the same area differently. Saturday's Paths of Tesla and Sunday's Paths of Starčević are connected by walking, but their content is distinguished by the biographies and places associated with two historical figures born in the Lika region. A participant can therefore choose only one day and one distance or experience the festival as a two-day programme. For those coming primarily for nature, the historical context adds another layer to the experience, while for those interested in Tesla and Starčević, walking provides a different way of discovering their birthplaces.
The start on both days at Stjepan Radić Square makes arrival easier to organize, while the three distance categories allow the plan to be adapted to the available time and physical fitness. The most important decision, therefore, is not who will be the fastest, but which route is reasonable for each walker. This is also the main difference between the festival and a classic road race: the value of participation is not measured by ranking, but by completing a personally selected route. When the Lika landscape, the heritage of Smiljan and Veliki Žitnik and the international context of walking events are added to this, Gospić gains a programme on the first weekend of September that turns an active holiday into a way of reading the landscape - step by step.
Sources:
- Croatian Walking Festival - official announcement on the location and dates of the 2026 edition and the choice of routes of different levels of difficulty (link)
- Croatian Walking Festival - official registration system for 2026, starting location, routes, current registration deadline, contents of the entry fee and instructions for payments from abroad (link)
- Croatian Walking Festival - official price list for 2026 and note on the limited number of registrations on the day of the event (link)
- IML Walking Association - international context of the Croatian Walking Festival and non-competitive multi-day walking events (link)
- "Nikola Tesla" Memorial Centre Smiljan - official information about Tesla's birthplace and the facilities of the Memorial Centre (link)
- Gospić Tourist Board - information about the birthplace and Dr Ante Starčević Memorial Home in Veliki Žitnik (link)
- Karlobag.eu - announcement of Mario Valentić's participation and his statement regarding the Croatian Walking Festival 2026 (link)