A walk through history in Bakar brings open heritage spaces, tastings and a Marko Tolja concert
On Sunday, 21 June 2026, Bakar will once again turn its old town centre into a stage of heritage, local customs and evening cultural programmes. The event "A Walk Through History", announced as part of Margaretino leto, is held in the Upper Town and around the Castle, and ends with a Marko Tolja concert in front of the Castle at 22:00. According to the organisers' programme, visitors can expect open-door days, presentations of old customs, tastings of local specialities, a jewellery-making workshop, an expert guided tour, exhibitions and performances by local participants. The programme is conceived as an entire-evening encounter with Bakar through its streets, stone passages, sacred heritage, maritime tradition and gastronomy. For visitors planning to arrive from other places, it is useful to check accommodation offers in Bakar in advance, especially because the event takes place in the evening hours and at several locations in the old town centre.
Margaretino leto as the framework of Bakar's great summer story
"A Walk Through History" is part of Margaretino leto 2026, a summer event that the Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar describes as the largest cultural and tourist programme in the town. According to the official programme, this year's Margaretino leto lasts from 6 June to 31 July 2026 and includes concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, film screenings, sports activities, traditional gatherings and guided walks. Visit Bakar states that the event, with its 31st edition, is entering its fourth decade of existence, confirming its role in the long-term presentation of Bakar as a town of heritage and living local customs. The programme builds on the celebrations connected with the feast of Saint Margaret, the patron saint of the town, but is shaped as a multi-day summer calendar intended for different generations of visitors. In official announcements, the organisers note that individual events may be moved to the "Matija Mažić" Cultural Centre in case of bad weather, so it is advisable to check the latest schedule before arrival.
Bakar is a town on the northern Adriatic, in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, situated in Bakar Bay and marked by a long maritime, trading, fishing and cultural tradition. The Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar states that the Town of Bakar, in addition to the town settlement of the same name, also includes Hreljin, Krasica, Kukuljanovo, Plosna, Ponikve, Praputnjak, Škrljevo and Zlobin. "A Walk Through History" is therefore not only an evening programme in the historic centre, but also a presentation of the way in which the local space is represented through several layers: from the Castle and catacombs to fishing, gastronomy and family customs. In such a context, old Bakar becomes an open museum, but also a living space of encounter between the local community and visitors.
The evening begins with customs, flavours and open doors of the Upper Town
According to the announced schedule, the programme in the Upper Town begins at 19:00 with open-door days, presentations of old customs and tastings. Such a beginning gives the event a recognisable character because it does not introduce visitors to Bakar through classic sightseeing, but through a direct encounter with people, stories and flavours. Associations, individuals and local hosts have an important role in such programmes because they do not present heritage as an isolated exhibit, but as part of everyday life that shaped the identity of the town. Visitors will move through the old centre, enter spaces that are not always available to the wider public and discover details that often cannot be experienced during an independent tour. Since the programme is spread over several points, arrival before the first activities and comfortable footwear for moving through the stone streets of the Upper Town are recommended.
The gastronomic part of the programme is especially emphasised because Kvarner in 2026 holds the title of European Region of Gastronomy. The International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism awarded Kvarner this title because of, as the institute states, the connection between local gastronomy, cultural heritage, sustainable tourism and the joint work of regional stakeholders. In Bakar, this wider Kvarner framework can be recognised through specialities connected with seafaring, fishing and festive menus. The announced tastings include fish delicacies, Stara bakarska vodica, Bakar cake and Bakar baškoti. In this way, the programme relies not only on attractive locations, but also on flavours that help visitors understand why food is an important part of the story of a place.
Bakar baškot, cake and Stara bakarska vodica as edible heritage
The Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar describes Bakar baškot as a ring-shaped pastry that once accompanied Bakar sailors on long voyages. Its shape and durability were not only a gastronomic curiosity, but also a practical response to living conditions on a ship, where food had to be durable, easy to store and suitable for longer journeys. Today, baškot appears in Bakar as one of the most recognisable symbols of local food heritage. Bakar cake, according to data from the Tourist Board, was created almost two centuries ago as a local festive dessert made of light and dark sponge cake and walnut cream. Its inclusion in the programme shows how even a dessert can be viewed as a cultural document, especially when it is connected with travellers, town families and festive occasions.
Stara bakarska vodica, a sparkling wine connected with the Bakar dry-stone terraces, further strengthens the gastronomic identity of the event. The Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar states that the original version is obtained from grapes from the Bakar dry-stone terraces and that it is available in limited quantities. An article about Bakar gastronomic experiences also highlights the role of the "Dolčina" Agricultural Cooperative from Praputnjak in restoring part of the terraces and the skill of preparing the original Bakarska vodica. These data explain why the tastings within "A Walk Through History" cannot be reduced to a side offer of food and drinks. They are part of a broader story about a way of life, land, seafaring and the effort to pass local knowledge on to new generations.
A workshop, exhibitions and an expert guided tour lead through the lesser-known layers of the town
The cultural and educational part of the evening includes the "Bakar Treasure" jewellery-making workshop in the Creative Studio in the Castle, announced for 19:15, with registrations at info@tz-bakar.hr. The workshop is an example of content that enables visitors to take an active part, not only observe the programme. At 19:30 in the catacombs, the opening of the exhibition "The Hidden Treasury of Bakar" is announced, opening visitors' view into the underground spaces beneath Bakar's co-cathedral and presenting valuable relics connected with the spiritual and cultural history of the town. Such content gives the event a special tone because it combines heritage, sacred history and a rare opportunity to enter spaces with a strong atmospheric effect. At 20:00, an expert guided tour with guide Boro Štrbac is planned, starting at the Banska vrata, enabling visitors to connect the history of the town with concrete streets, buildings and urban details.
At 20:30 in the Castle, the opening of an exhibition of ship models by Luciano Keber, a Bakar captain, ship modeller and lover of maritime heritage, is announced. The official programme of Margaretino leto 2026 states that the exhibition of models of traditional ships by Luciano Keber, entitled "Keber in Bakar", will last from 21 June to 31 July at several locations, including Jaz, the "Paulić" Gallery and the "Matija Mažić" Cultural Centre. In the Bakar Town Library, books and catalogues by Luciano Keber dedicated to maritime heritage will also be exhibited during the event. The inclusion of Keber's work in the evening of "A Walk Through History" is a logical continuation of Bakar's maritime story because ship modelling, the captain's tradition and the memory of ships are connected with the identity of a town that was turned towards the sea for centuries. The exhibition is therefore not only accompanying content, but a visual addition to the story of sailors, ports and navigation.
The Castle, the Turkish House and the catacombs as spaces of living memory
Bakar Castle is one of the most prominent symbols of the old centre. The Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar states that the Frankopan Castle rises at the top of the historic centre and that throughout history it was governed by the noble families Frankopan and Zrinski. Today, the Castle is an important space for interpreting history, exhibitions and cultural programmes, which explains why a large part of the evening schedule gathers around it. The event uses it as the natural centre of activities: the workshop takes place there, maritime heritage is presented in its surroundings, and the closing concert is held in front of it. For visitors staying in the town after the programme or coming for the weekend, it may be practical to look at accommodation near the event venue in time, especially because of the evening finale in front of the Castle.
Additional value to this year's event is given by the announcement of tours of the "About Fish" Interpretation Centre in the Turkish House. In its report on the centre, HRT stated that it is located in a building locally known as the Turkish House and that the permanent exhibition is based on stories about fish, the town, people and the sea, with special emphasis on the tradition of tuna fishing in Bakar Bay. According to the same source, the centre brings together fishing and maritime heritage that had been less visible in the public space for decades. The Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar describes the Turkish House as a building of oriental style, connected with legends and unknowns about its origin. The inclusion of this space in "A Walk Through History" further expands the programme beyond the usual postcards of the town and leads visitors towards a more complex story of fishing, tuna fishing and local memory.
The finale with local performances and a Marko Tolja concert
The evening part of the programme continues at 21:30 with a performance by the Bakar Majorettes and children from Fijolica Kindergarten in front of the Castle. This part of the schedule emphasises the inclusion of the local community, which is important for events that want to remain more than a one-day tourist event. When children, associations and local performers take part in the programme, public space becomes a meeting place of generations, and heritage is transmitted through performance, play, music and communal gathering. At 22:00, the finale is reserved for a Marko Tolja concert in front of the Castle. The concert gives the evening a popular musical ending and connects the cultural and historical programme with the summer atmosphere of Margaretino leto.
Marko Tolja is known to the wider public as a singer who combines pop, swing and a jazz-shaped repertoire in his performances, which makes his concert fit into the evening open-air format. In the programme of "A Walk Through History", the concert closes a series of heritage contents and attracts an audience that may come primarily because of the music, but along the way encounters exhibitions, stories and flavours of Bakar. The atmosphere in front of the Castle is especially important, because the closing musical programme remains physically connected with the space that is the centre of the historical story during the evening. In this way, the event closes at the place that summarises its main message: history is not separated from the present, but lives in the space and habits of the town.
Free programme and practical information for arrival
According to the organisers' announcement, all programmes, exhibitions, expert guided tours, workshops and tastings within "A Walk Through History" are free for visitors. This accessibility is important because the event opens cultural and heritage content to different groups of audiences, from families with children to travellers who deliberately follow summer events in Kvarner. For the "Bakar Treasure" jewellery-making workshop, registration is required at info@tz-bakar.hr, which is useful to do earlier because of a possible limit on the number of participants. Visitors arriving by private vehicle are advised to park near the Port, behind the Cultural Centre and behind the Maritime School, and they should count on walking to the area of the Upper Town. Since this is an old urban centre with stone streets and several locations, it is recommended to plan arrival early enough to visit the programmes from 19:00 onwards without rushing.
It has been announced that the "About Fish" Interpretation Centre in the Turkish House and the Castle will be open to visitors on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 18:00 to 21:00, while the catacombs are open on Fridays and Saturdays from 19:00 to 21:00. For "A Walk Through History" itself on 21 June 2026, the schedule brings an extraordinary evening programme that includes openings, a tour, performances and a concert, so it is important to distinguish the regular working hours of individual spaces from the special programme of the event. The official programme of Margaretino leto warns that the organiser reserves the right to change the programme, and the same information is published on the websites and social media of the Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar. Such a note is especially important for visitors planning a trip or arrival from more distant places. The safest option is to check the official schedule announcement, weather conditions and possible organisational changes before departure.
Programme of "A Walk Through History" on 21 June 2026
- 19:00 – Open-door days, presentation of old customs and tastings; Upper Town.
- 19:15 – "Bakar Treasure" jewellery-making workshop, Creative Studio; Castle, with registrations at info@tz-bakar.hr.
- 19:30 – Opening of the exhibition "The Hidden Treasury of Bakar"; catacombs.
- 20:00 – Expert guided tour of the town with guide Boro Štrbac; start at the Banska vrata.
- 20:30 – Opening of the exhibition of ship models by Luciano Keber; Castle.
- 21:30 – Performance by the Bakar Majorettes and Fijolica Kindergarten; in front of the Castle.
- 22:00 – Marko Tolja concert; in front of the Castle.
"A Walk Through History" in Bakar therefore brings together several levels of the same story: the town centre and the Castle, sacred and maritime heritage, fishing tradition, local flavours, children's and amateur performances and a concert finale. At a time when many destinations try to present themselves through short visual impressions, Bakar relies on a slower and more substantial approach with this programme. The visitor is invited to walk, listen, taste, look around and connect details that at first glance may seem separate. It is precisely in this combination of catacombs, ship models, the Turkish House, baškot, vodica and music that the value of the event lies. It shows Bakar as a town in which history is not observed only behind exhibition glass, but is encountered in the streets, among people and in the evening rhythm of the old centre.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar – official programme of Margaretino leto 2026, event schedule and organisers' notes (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar – description of Margaretino leto as Bakar's largest event (link)
- Visit Bakar / Croatia.hr – announcement of Margaretino leto and basic information about the 2026 event (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar – information about the Frankopan Castle, the Turkish House and other traces of the past (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Bakar – description of Bakar baškot, Bakar cake and Bakarska vodica (link)
- HRT – report on the "About Fish" Interpretation Centre in the Turkish House and Bakar's fishing heritage (link)
- International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism – awarding Kvarner the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2026 (link)
- Supplied event programme – schedule and description of content for "A Walk Through History" in Bakar