Viškovo

Viškovo is the busy centre of Halubje, spread across the hills behind Rijeka roughly ten kilometres from both central Rijeka and Opatija. The municipality covers about 20 square kilometres, while its civic life follows the main road lined with the municipal offices, post office, school, library, healthcare facilities and St Matthew’s Church. Its defining tradition belongs to the Halubje Bell Ringers, whose carnival procession forms part of UNESCO’s intangible heritage, alongside the region’s distinctive two-part singing in close intervals. Their story is presented at the House of the Halubje Bell Ringers, a contemporary interpretation centre near the village centre. Viškovo has no coastline of its own; its outdoor landmarks are the Plešivac and Milohni trails, woodland tracks, old communal cisterns and the Kapitovac pond. Southern Marinići was traditionally called Smokvarija because its warmer ground favoured figs, while Marčelji rises above 400 metres. What makes a visit unusual is the overlap between Rijeka’s expanding suburban belt and the villages still crossed by bell ringers during the annual carnival round.

Viškovo is not a seaside resort but Rijeka’s hilly hinterland, shaped by the villages of Halubje, newer residential districts and a powerful carnival tradition. It became the administrative centre of a municipality created on 15 April 1993 by joining the Viškovo and Marinići areas. The southern neighbourhoods almost merge with Rijeka’s Pehlin, Škurinje and Zamet districts, whereas northern Marčelji stands above 400 metres. The bell on the municipal coat of arms represents the Halubje Bell Ringers, and their procession together with local two-part singing links Viškovo to two traditions inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible heritage lists.