Drivenik is a picturesque village in the Vinodol Valley on the northern Adriatic, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It is located in the hinterland of Crikvenica and at the foothills of Gorski Kotar, which gives it a unique combination of Mediterranean and continental climate.
The old town of Drivenik stands on a hill that was already settled in prehistoric times. The name Drivenik is mentioned in the travel itinerary of Bishop Anton as one of the seven minor fortresses in Vinodol. The Frankopan Castle was built in the Middle Ages for defense and control of traffic routes through Vinodol. A charter of the Hungarian king Bela IV from 1228 indicates that it was granted to the Krk princes, who have been known as the Frankopans since the 15th century. The first written record of Drivenik Castle appears in the Vinodol Code from 1288, one of the oldest legal documents written in the Croatian language using the Latin script. After the death of Ban Petar Zrinski and Count Krsto Frankopan in 1671, the castle became the property of the Habsburg Chamber. In the 18th century, when the Bakar–Novi Vinodolski road began to develop, the inhabitants moved from the hill to the valley, where the present-day settlement was formed.
The historical complex of the old town of Drivenik consists of a castle dating from the 13th to the 17th century, with a possible older phase; the parish church of St. Dujam from the 17th and 18th centuries; the church of St. Stephen from the 14th and 15th centuries; a cemetery from the 18th and 19th centuries; a town guardhouse from the 18th century; a school from the 18th and 19th centuries; an economic building from the 19th and 20th centuries; the chapel of St. Martin from the 14th and 15th centuries; a Calvary from the 18th and 19th centuries; a defensive wall with a portal from the 19th century; and the presumed remains of the town walls. The medieval Frankopan fortress has a rectangular layout with four round corner towers. The semicircular entrance portal with a Romanesque defensive tower structure was probably added later. The castle acquired its final form in the 15th century, when the complex was further fortified and expanded.
Drivenik is an ideal destination for those who wish to explore less tourist-oriented parts of the Kvarner region, enjoy the peace of nature, and discover the rich cultural heritage of the area. The location allows easy access to coastal towns such as Crikvenica, Novi Vinodolski, and Selce, as well as to the natural attractions of Gorski Kotar.