In addition to its breathtaking natural beauty, the islet boasts a richly adorned church and a monastic complex with three museum collections. From ancient costumes, banknotes, and vessels to butterfly, crystal, and mineral collections, and a library with over 30,000 volumes, Košljun is an islet hiding countless wonders.

The island is home to Franciscan monks who continue a 17-century-long monastic tradition. One of them, meticulous researcher Father Bernard Barčić, identified 540 plant species, categorising them into 111 families – all on an islet with a circumference of just 1,074 metres. The diligent monks also tend to two larger gardens, an olive grove, and a lush forest of holm oaks and black ashes. The avian life here is equally impressive, featuring blackbirds, jays, goldfinches, and the ever-present seagulls.    

On Košljun, you can visit the Franciscan monastery, cloister, and the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But we’re confident you’ll enjoy wandering through its beautiful vegetation just as much, as this unique islet is a valuable nature reserve.

Franciscan monastery Košljun

Košljun 1, 51521 Punat 

+385 51 854 017 

+385 51 855 590 

www.kosljun.hr 

fskosljun@gmail.com

The legend about the origin of Košljun says that Puntarska draga was once a large field that belonged to two brothers. One of them was blind. When they shared the grain, the healthy brother cheated the blind brother. When the blind man asked God for justice, God interceded for him, so the field was covered by the sea, and the blind man’s possessions – Košljun, a small hill – remained above the sea.