DUBROVNIK - KISADO

48 dubrovnik neretva county
dubrovnik neretva county
49
Lastovo is a town of
chimneys. In times past,
a sign of the wealth of
a household was the
size and ornateness
of on e’s chimn ey,
an d many unusual
examples still stand.
Another vital aspect
of Lastovo’s heritage
is the “Poklad” - the
traditional pre-Lent
carnival celebrating the
island’s deliverance
from Catalan pirates.
A n e ff i g y o f t h e
Catalan messenger
takes centre stage,
spectacularly released
from a hilltop to slide
on a rope to the town
centre with firecrackers exploding at its feet. Humiliating
indeed. At this time, as well as during summertime festivals,
you can see the island’s folk costume, where the men wear
scarlet and black with embroidered braces and hats decked
with colourful flowers.
With so little (except carnivals) to disturb them, fish adore
Lastovo, and you can be sure of an excellent meal here.
Lastovo has poor transport connections, few shops, and
there is little accommodation with a few families offering
private rooms. But if you’re ready and able to explore, and
happy to adapt to the treacle-slow passage of time here, this
could well be the start of an enduring love affair.
Mljet
Sounds of Mljet
A breeze brushing through pine boughs ... the flapping of a
sail out in the channel, heard from high on a seaside ridge ...
the bray of a donkey. Silence.
Mljet gets a growing share of tourists, but as one of the more
remote and less developed islands, with limited ferry service,
it lacks the kind of mass tourism of much of the Dalmatian
coast and some other more accessible islands. This isn’t
the place to come for late night bars, concerts, discos. One
might hope it never will be. A ferry connects the island with
the Pelješac Peninsula.
Be prepared to fall in love with nature all over again, for this
island has a stunning quality waiting for you to discover.
Croatia’s 8th largest island is approximately 3 km wide and 37
km long making it attractive to explore for a short or lengthier
stop. It has an area of roughly 100 square km with 131 km
of coastline and many little niches and coves to discover, so
you’d be forgiven for wanting to stay. With five distinct forest
tree varieties, abundant fauna and lush vegetation, it’s easy
to see why Mljet is called the “Green Island.” Mljet offers
a panorama of coastline, cliffs, reefs and numerous islets
as well as the rich topography of the hills that rise steeply
above the sea and plummet back into deep valleys sheltering
ancient stone villages. The submarine world includes quite
an array of fish and several types of corals. With fantastic
weather, recreational sports, hiking and bicycle paths are
only a fraction of the pleasures that you can enjoy here. The
western end of Mljet has been protected as a National Park
since 1960.
The ancient Greeks who settled here left the first record of
the place, calling it Melissa or Melitta, (meaning, bee; honey)
because of the many bees that made their home there. Greek
settlers became familiar with this island whilst colonising
nearby Vis (Issa), Hvar (Pharos) and Korčula (Korkiru).
The Illyrians settled the entire island in the 2nd Century
BC, leaving graves and traces of military fortifications and
settlements in seven places, on hills near water sources. The
best preserved sites are located on Veliki Gradac hill above
the Veliko Jezero, and the fort of Vodica near Babino Polje.
The Romans followed, their era lasting from the 2nd Century
BC to the 7th century AD. After Octavian wiped out the Illyrians
in 35 BC, the Romans built their own settlements on the
western side of the island. Evidence of their domain is most
notable in Polače, where they built a palace. Other Roman
ruins are located in Pomena, Žara and Pinjevci.
The Croatian-Slavic nobility settled along the entire Adriatic
coast around the end of the 8th and the start of the 9th
Century. During this period of weakened Byzantine influence in
the region, Croatians descended from the Neretva Valley and
some settled on Mljet. The Romans, however, remained on
the western end of the mountain for about another 300 years,
until they were defeated in a battle on the mountain Bijeđ,
between Blato and Polače. Evidence of this battle, including
mass graves and remnants of bones, spears, swords and
arrows, was discovered in 1938.
In 1151, Prince Desa of Zahumlje donated the entire island
of Mljet to the Benedictine Abbey of St Mary of Pulsano from
Apulia. Their arrival saw the construction of a church and
grand monastery (1177-1198) on the islet in Veliko Jezero.
Ragusa (later called Dubrovnik), acquired the Pelješac
Peninsula in 1333, leaving Mljet isolated for a time. This
changed in 1410, however, when Ragusa, now independent
of Venice, annexed Mljet. Ragusa held the island until the
dissolution of the Republic under Napoleon in 1808.
Tourist information
Tourist Board Mljet tel. 74 60 25, fax 74 60 25,
tz-mljet@du.t-com.hr, www.mljet.hr. Sobra office
(around the side of the café at the ferry pier).
Tourist Board Goveđari (office actually in Polače),
tel. 74 41 86, fax 74 41 86. January - June 08:00 -
13:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Getting There and Around
Transportation to the island is provided by Jadrolinija ferry
from Pelješac. Mljet is only 8km away from the peninsula of
Pelješac, 18km from Korčula and 30km from Dubrovnik. There
are a number of harbour ports in Mljet. Polače is its largest and
main port of call in the north. Other harbours include Okuklje,
Luka Prožura, Sobra, Kozarica and Pomena which has daily
connections to Dubrovnik (watch out for reefs and shallow
water), and Lokve or Gonoturska port where you can throw
anchor just before the entry canal toward the Big Lake.
What to See
National Park Mljet (Nacionalni Park Mljet)
Pristanište 2, Goveđari, tel. 74 40 41, 74 40 58, npmljet@np-mljet.hr,
turizam@np-mljet.hr, www.np-mljet.
hr. Established in 1960, the park is Mljet’s top attraction. The
park encompasses 54 square kilometres at the western end
of the island, with an astonishing interior and coastline beauty.
Veliko Jezero and Malo Jezero (Big Lake and Small Lake),
and the villages of Soline, Babine Kuće, Pomena, Polače and
Goveđari all lie within park boundaries. Of interest, this park
represents the first institutionalised attempt to protect the
native eco-system in the Adriatic.
The lakes, 145-hectare Veliko Jezero and 24-hectare Malo
Jezero, are the park’s dominant features. Thirty-meter-long
channels link the two lakes and provide an outlet from Veliko
Jezero to the sea. The current in the channels, swift enough to
power mills during the Middle Ages, switches direction every
six hours. On foot or by pedal you can enjoy a 9-kilometer
path which circumnavigates the lakes, and other paths wind
up and over the hills. It’s OK to swim or paddle in the lake, but
scuba diving and motor boats are not permitted.
The usual national park rules apply: Don’t pick the flowers,
steal the artifacts, fish without a special permit, nor litter, and
most of all, don’t start fires. Mjet is one of the most verdant of
Croatia’s islands because it wasn’t heavily logged or used for
farming or herding. Nevertheless, a 1917 fire took out many
of the deciduous forests.
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Tickets to the park cost 40 - 90 kn and during the winter you
should call prior coming for the ferry to St Mary Island to be
organised in the middle of Veliko Jezero, where you will find
the Benedictine monastery.
Benedictine Monastery on the islet of St Mary
(Samostan Sv Marija) This tiny island, in a lake on the island of
Mljet, is at the island’s cultural and spiritual heart. For a time,
the monastery was the island’s governmental center.
Benedictines, members of a monastic order who live in
autonomous communities dedicated to work, prayer and
peace, came to Mljet from Monte Gargano, Italy in the 12th
Century to establish a monastery and build a Romanesque
church dedicated to St Mary, which they completed in 1198.
In the process the Benedictines became the island’s feudal
lords, but they are credited with developing literacy, culture
and art. The Church of St Mary was repeatedly modified over
the centuries, acquiring by the 13th Century decorative reliefs
of saints and a typical Romanesque belltower. Renaissance
features such as the Gundulić coat of arms over the church
portal, defensive towers and walls, the two-storey structure
of the monastery and Baroque side chapels were added
during the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1809, during the rule
of Napoleon, the monastery was abandoned and the Austrian
Forestry Office for Mljet used the buildings for offices until
1941. In 1960 it was renovated into a lovely hotel but given
back to the bishopric in 1997, just under 800 years from the
church’s inauguration.
The church has been reconsecrated, but other than a
restaurant in the monastery cellars (during summer), the
buildings are unoccupied. The island is small but offers a
pleasant walk past two chapels. You can close your eyes for
a moment and imagine the monks carefully pruning, weeding,
and feeding in the gardens, which are now fairly overgrown.
Polače The village is named for the ruin of a significant
Roman palace and fortifications – one tower is 20m high --
built between the 2nd and the 5th centuries. Second in size
to the Palace of Diocletian in Split, you can’t miss it: the road
to Pomena slips right between its high walls. Archaeologists
have also discovered two 5th Century basilicas west of
the palace, baths, an arsenal and shipyards. The palace’s
economy included salt production, olive oil, wine, honey,
meat, cheese and fish. A paved route from the palace will
take you up the hill. When you reach the road, bear right
and continue straight to Mali Gradac, site of an Illyrian fort.
A posted turnoff on the way will take you to Montokuc, the
highest peak in the park, which grants breathtaking views
over the lakes and the Adriatic.
Dubrovnik In Your Pocket
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Winter 2009 - Spring 2010