Picture this: you're standing on the edge of a stone structure over a hundred years old, the Adriatic Sea crashes against the cliffs below you, and the only sound is the wind passing through the cracks in the walls. You're not in some Italian version of Indiana Jones – you're on the island of Ugljan, just twenty minutes by ferry from Zadar.
Few people know that this peaceful Dalmatian island hides one of the most unusual archaeological-industrial remains in the entire Adriatic: five stone pens – former Austro-Hungarian quarantine stations for livestock. These impressive structures are now abandoned, overgrown with Mediterranean vegetation, but still defying time and waves.
What exactly are these mysterious stone pens?
In the second half of the 19th century, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was obsessed with controlling diseases that spread through livestock trade. The Adriatic was a key trading route, and livestock arriving from the east had to pass strict quarantine before entering the European market.
The solution? Building isolated quarantine stations at strategically selected locations along the coast. Ugljan proved perfect – close enough to the mainland for logistics, yet isolated enough for safe quarantine.
These five pens were built between 1870 and 1890. Each was designed with a precise purpose:
- Stone walls up to one and a half meters thick prevented animals from escaping
- Position above the sea enabled natural ventilation and reduced the spread of infection
- Ramps to the water served for loading and unloading livestock from ships
- Water cisterns ensured supply during the quarantine period
Animals spent from 21 to 40 days here, depending on risk assessment. Only after that were they allowed to continue their journey to markets in Trieste, Vienna, or beyond.
Where are they located and how to get there?
The five pens are distributed along the northeastern coast of Ugljan, stretching from Kukljica to Kali. Here's how to find them:
1. The pen at Sabunike cove
The best preserved of all five. A gravel road leads to it from Kukljica (about 3 km of walking). The walls are still over three meters high, and remnants of the original metal gates are visible. Ideal for photography as the sunset falls directly on the stone walls.
2. The pen at Cape Arat
The most dramatic location – the pen is situated on the very cape, surrounded by sea on three sides. Access is more demanding, arriving by kayak from Kali is recommended (arrange with local fishermen, price around 100-150 kuna for a round trip).
3. The pen above Jaz cove
This is the most easily accessible pen, only 20 minutes of walking from the center of Kali village. A marked trail leads from St. Lawrence Church. The original stone water cistern is also preserved here.
4. The pen near Lamjana
A semi-hidden pen reached by a path through olive groves. Interestingly, local residents use part of the walls as a fence for their sheep – a continuity of tradition over a century old!
5. The pen at Veli Bok
The most remote and most ruined, but therefore also the most romantic. The path to it leads through dense maquis and requires good footwear. The reward? Complete solitude and the feeling that you've just discovered something few people know about.
Practical tips for visiting
Before you set off on this unusual adventure, here's what you need to know:
Best time to visit
Avoid July and August – the heat is unbearable, and the vegetation too lush for easy movement. The ideal time is from mid-April to mid-June, and September and October. Temperatures are pleasant then (20-25°C), vegetation is more passable, and the light is perfect for photographs.
What to bring
- Sturdy shoes with good soles (the terrain is rocky and uneven)
- Minimum 2 liters of water per person
- Sun protection and a hat
- GPS device or offline map – there's often no signal
- A flashlight if you plan to enter better-preserved structures
Safety notes
These structures are not set up for tourists. Walls are unstable in some places, floors uneven. Do not climb on the walls and do not enter parts that look collapsed. It's best to visit them with someone who knows the terrain – local guides from Kali organize tours for small groups (around 200-250 kuna per person).
Combining with other experiences on Ugljan
Visiting the pens can be part of a larger exploration of the island. Here's how to fill a day or weekend:
Morning: Visit one or two pens (start early, around 7-8 AM, while it's fresh)
Lunch: In Kali, stop by Konoba Pece – their grilled fish and local wine from Ugljan are the perfect rest after hiking. Price of a meal for two with wine: 250-350 kuna.
Afternoon: Cool off at Sabunike beach – the same cove where the first pen is located. A pebble beach with crystal clear sea, without crowds even in season.
Evening: In Kukljica, stroll along the waterfront and dine at Restaurant Coral – their specialties are scampi buzara and black risotto.
Where to stay for this kind of exploration?
For this type of active vacation, apartments in smaller villages on the island are ideal. Kali and Kukljica offer the best base – close enough to all five locations, yet with the authentic atmosphere of a fishing village.
When choosing accommodation, look for an apartment with parking (you'll need it if you want to visit all the pens) and a host who knows the island. Local knowledge is invaluable – sometimes the path that Google Maps shows doesn't actually exist, or there's a better, shorter way that only locals know.
Why visit these forgotten structures?
In an age when every tourist attraction has an Instagram profile and organized tours every hour, these stone pens offer something rare: authenticity and silence. There are no souvenir shops here, no admission tickets, no selfie sticks.
Just you, stone a century and a half old, and the sea constantly crashing against the cliffs below you.
That's the kind of experience tourists increasingly seek – an escape from the obvious into something real. And Ugljan, that underrated neighbor of more glamorous islands, offers it in abundance.
When you next plan a vacation on the Adriatic, consider this unusual adventure. Your friends will ask: "Where were you?" And you'll have a story like no one else.