ZAGORAA cultural/historical guide to the Zagora (inland) region of

ZAGORA
A cultural/historical guide
to the Zagora (inland)
region of Split-Dalmatia County
THE DALMATIAN
ZAGORA (INLAND)
Joško Belamarić
THE DALMATIAN
ZAGORA (INLAND)
A cultural/historical guide
to the Zagora (inland)
region of Split-Dalmatia
County
Zagora
14
Klis
24
Cetinska krajina
Zagora
4
58 Biokovo, Imotski,
Vrgorac
3
Zagora
THE DALMATIAN ZAGORA (INLAND)
A cultural/historical guide to the Zagora (inland)
region of Split-Dalmatia County
Here, from Klis onwards, on the ridge of the Dinara mountain chain,
the angst of inland Dalmatia’s course wastelands has for centuries been
sundered from the broad seas that lead to a wider world. The experience
of saying one’s goodbyes to the thin line of Dalmatia that has strung
itself under the mountain’s crest, that viewed from the sea looks like
Atlas’ brothers, is repeated, not without poetic chills, by dozens of travel
writers. To define the cultural denominators of Zagora, the Dalmatian
inland, is today a difficult task, as the anthropological fabric of the wider
Dalmatian hinterland is still too often perceived through the utopian
aspect of the Renaissance ideal, the cynicism of the Enlightenment, or
the exaggeration of Romanticism and the 18th century national revival.
After the fall of medieval feudalism, life here has started from scratch so
many times - later observers have the impression that the local customs
draw their roots from some untroubled prehistoric source in which the
silence of the karst on the plateau towards Promina, behind Biokovo, the
gurgling of the living waters of the Zrmanja, Krka, Čikola and Cetina Rivers, the quivering of grain on Petrovo, Hrvatac and Vrgorac Fields, on
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Zagora
the fat lands along Strmica and Sinj, create the ideal framework for the pleasant countenance, joyous
heart and sincere morality of the local population
of which many have written, each from their own
point of view: from abbot Fortis and Ivan Lovrić
during the Baroque period, Dinko Šimunović and
Ivan Raos not so long ago to Ivan Aralica and, in
his own way, Miljenko Jergović today.
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Zagora
NAME AND GENERAL HISTORY
“Dalmatia” comes from the name by which the Romans called their
province of Illyricum from the start of the 1st century AD (initially
Delmatia, for example in Pliny and Dionysus), after the warlike tribal community of the Delmata, mentioned in historical sources as
inhabiting the area between the Krka and Cetina rivers. This tribe
was called this after their capital of Delminium, whose name has
in turn been preserved in the name of the Dumno or Duvno Field
(around modern day Tomislavgrad). The Delmata offered such
great resistance that the Romans equated them with other tribes
in the region, which explains the significantly wider breadth that
province’s frontiers had in comparison with the original Delmata
territory. Their name, just as much as the thousands of stone tumuli
on the mainland and the islands, indicates their chief activity: Delm
or Dalm in ancient Illyrian means herdsman, shepherd, herd, sheep;
hence Delminium = a grazing place, a pasture, and delmë or dalmè
to this day means sheep in the Albanian language. They were, however, also renowned sailors, pirates, and the entire area of Illyricum
was to Rome at the close of the antiquity what Prussia was for Germany in the 19th century – a source of soldiers and emperors who,
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Zagora
like Diocletian, tried to renew Rome’s rigorous
discipline and original virtues.
Some of the most significant pages of early
Croatian history, from the 9th to 11th centuries,
were written in the Dalmatian Zagora area, to
which preserved monuments from the source to
the mouth of the Cetina River bear faithful witness. Dalmatia’s territorial frame has seen significant changes, as has its Zagora part, especially
towards the highlands. Over two and half centuries, Christian and Islamic spiritual domains met
here at the close of the Middle Ages.
The largest part of Zagora in Split–Dalmatia
County is made up of former core of the Dalmatian Krajina—regions of continental Dalmatia
that were once the centre of Croatian statehood,
including Knin, Sinj, Imotski, Klis and the Makarska seaboard, then, from the start of the 16th
century under Ottoman rule and finally annexed
to the Venetian possessions in Dalmatia after
the Venetian-Turkish wars of the 17th and early
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Zagora
18th centuries. An important role was played in these wars by the
local populace, under the leadership of their Serdari, Harambaši
and Knezovi (princes). A new demarcation line (1699) saw Dalmatia staked out towards the Turkish dominions by a series of strategic
points and forts from Zvonigrad, over Knin, Vrlika, Sinj, Zadvarje
and Vrgorac to Čitluk on the Neretva River. In renewed military
operations from 1714-1718, the Turks (having won Vienna) had to
give up Strmica, Trilj and the Imotska region in the Croatian coastal
inland. The new demarcation line (1721) gave Dalmatia’s interior
its present day shape.
The return of life to the Zagora area, for decades systematically ravaged from both sides, was not at all simple. By its Acts of 1755
and 1756, Venice bestowed large tracts of land to its deserving individuals in the territories of its “new and newest acquisitions”, and
two “Padova camps” of cultivatable land to every peasant, under
the condition that it be passed down along the male line, but without the right to sale and with the obligation to give a tenth of their
production as a fee for the use of the land. Peasants were obliged to
plant at least 4 fruit, olive or mulberry trees. There was an evident
desire to anchor this inconstant nomadic Vlach people to the land
in the same way as had been done in ancient Roman times with
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Zagora
war veterans. Historiography has yet to give its
final appraisal of these Acts, perhaps under the
suggestive influence of a saying of the time: La
proclama zaratina, dura de la sera a la matina
(“The Zadar Proclamation holds from evening
to morning”). Domestic academics (Radoš
Ante Michieli Vitturi in particular, founder of
the Agricultural Academy in Lukšić), criticised
the Act, saying it did not give enough consideration to the crude Vlach mentality, and that
it did not allow for the rational enlargement of
landholdings. Nevertheless, marshlands were
drained around Knin, Sinj, Nadina and Ostrovica and later on around Vrgorac, Rastoke and
Imotski – employing thousands of peasants.
Villages and small towns gradually took form (it
was proposed that they be modelled after those
in the Lika region!); the construction of roads
and bridges was launched, the first industries
were established and mines were opened. A significant impetus to development was made by
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Zagora
roads built during the French administration at the start of the 19th
century when Dalmatia already had a population of 308,108—compared to only 50,000 in 1650 or its 108,090 inhabitants in 1718. The
demographic growth of the eighty years that followed the Požarevac
Peace came out to as much as 150 percent, despite as many as seven
lean years out of every ten!
In the second half of the 18th century, Zagora was revealed not only
as an untapped economic resource, but also as a kind of endemic
civilisation in the heart of enlightened Europe – one needs only to
recall the reports of Albert Fortis and his detractor Ivan Lovrić.
Venetians referred to the people of continental Dalmatia (outside
of the villages and small towns) as Morlacco – after the Morowallachian, a distinct group of Vlach whose name has its roots in the
black colour of their clothing. The name would, by way of Fortis,
be adopted across Europe, where the Morlacco became one of the
more important pre-Romanticism discoveries undefiled by the conventions of civilisation. It was long one of the most backward and
impoverished of the Venetian, and later Austrian, possessions. The
all-prevalent patriarch heroic ethos that had defined the highlander
mentality through the centuries received its quintessential articulati-
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Zagora
on in the works of folk writers like friars Filip
Grabovac and Andrija Kačić-Miošić.
Inland Dalmatia, up to the borders of Lika and
Bosnia & Herzegovina, lives to this day as a part
of the wider Dinaric ethnic whole. The most
frequently depicted of the older customs is the
abduction of unmarried girls (umicanje – usually
a mock play-act); blood vengeance (the umir or
vražda) existed up to the 19th century; Hajduci
(outlaws); Ojkanje—a kind of singing that draws
its roots from the oldest ethnic substrate—that
of the ancient Mediterranean and Balkans. The
characteristic division of settlements into larger
and smaller family tribes (fraternities made up
of groups of close relatives of the same surname) still functions in many places. Small towns,
burgs of the compact type, are typical of Zagora,
sprouting chiefly on the main fields, always at
the foot of one of the old fortresses (Knin, Drniš,
Sinj, Imotski, Vrgorac) and having a central market square. The significance of these centres of
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Zagora
administration and economic activity was best seen at the Sunday
fairs, but declined between the two World Wars with improvements
to road connections to the coastal cities. Also characteristic on
the other hand are the “scattered” types of villages distributed into
neighbourhoods (komšiluk) of tribal denomination, often with small
huts, once built without mortar, as straw-thatched dry-stones, and
located on the edges of fields or along the flysh belts.
Life was based on animal husbandry, olive tree growing and viticulture. There was an upturn in the development of Zagora in the second
half of the 19th century with the boom in Dalmatian wines. But,
with the “Wine Clause” (a deal struck between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy exempting Italian wines of import tariffs), the
vineyard-ravaging Peronosporaceae and Phylloxera vitifoliae diseases
and finally with the First World War and the ensuing political situation of the 20th century, emigration to America, Australia and from
the 1960s on to Germany, appeared to many of the people of Zagora
as the only way out of poverty. The awakening of Croatian sentiments among the Catholic population and the tendency towards the
Serbian option among the Orthodox Christians would lead to an
ethnic conflict in the second half of the 19th century, taking on tragic
dimensions during the Second World War and at the end of the 20th
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Zagora
century. In modern Croatia, Zagora is seeking
new routes of development, based largely on
opening the entire area to tourism, its exceptional variety of landscapes making it a unique park
of culture, history and nature.
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Klis
KLIS
The strategic significance of the fortress atop the pass (340 m)
between Mts. Kozjak and Mosor, or better, between the Solin-Split
basin and the Dalmatian interior, was of exceptional importance in
both the prehistoric period and during antiquity. Constantine Porphyrogenetus in the 10th century cites Klis as the seat of the ancient
Croat coastal district (Parathalasia) that stretched from Trogir’s
Pantana to Žrnovnica, including the area’s inland. Applying a folksy
etymology, this Emperor-writer draws the origin of the name Klis
from the Greek KLEISA, in its meaning of key, which truly fits the
syntagm of the fort’s position as the “key to Dalmatia”.
In 852, Croatian Prince Trpimir issued a charter in which he mentions “curtis nostra que Clusa dicitur” and the Prince’s guest, Gottschalk of German Saxony, one of the most renowned theologians
and philosophers of the time would find sanctuary here for two
years after being driven out of Frankish lands. Gottschalk describes
how, from 846 to 848, Trpimir waged war with the Latin cities on
the coast and their Byzantine sponsors. In the 13th century, Klis
was handed over to the Templars as a Royal grant (Leno), and then
to the Croatian feudal nobility, the Šubić’s and Nelipić’s. Croatian14
Klis
Roman roads
Three Roman roads towards the inland
passed through the Klis pass from the
period of Regent P. Cornelius Dolabella
(legatus Illyrici superioris from the
years 14-18 AD). The road through Klis,
Dicma, Sinj, Čitluk, Vrlika, Knin and
the Butišnica Valley reached usque ad
imum montem Ditionum Ulcirum (the
village of Grab on the other side of the
Dinarid Alps) and was 77,500 Roman
steps in length. The second road from
Salona via Klis went towards Čitluk and
beyond via Prolog; the third road went
through Trilj and further into Bosnia via
Aržan and Buško Blato.
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Klis
Hungarian King Bela IV and his entire court entourage found refuge
at Klis fleeing the Tartars in 1241/42. Born here was St. Margarita
of Klis, his daughter. It was the seat of Bosnian King Tvrtko and of
the Croatian viceroys (Ban) until 1537 when it fell to Turkish hands
despite the heroic, and later poetically sung, defence led by Senj and
Klis captain Petar Kružić. It then became the centre of the Turkish
Sandžak (district) for Central Dalmatia and a part of Bosnia, that is
to say, for the district known as Vilajet Hrvati (Croat Province) that
stretched across the larger part of the medieval Croatian kingdom.
The frontier between Turkish and Venetian Dalmatia at the time was
on the Jadro River in Solin. Split became a small Christian enclave
on the edge of the Ottoman Empire, without a single agricultural
possession on land, so that it is not unusual that a Venetian general
proposed to his Government at the end of the 16th century that Split
and the central seaboard be conceded to the Turks! The Klis fortress
was liberated by General Leonardo Foscolo during the Cretan War
on 31 March 1648.
The shape of the fortress, an irregular polygon (304 m long from
east to west and only 53 m wide from north to south) is dictated by
geomorphology, the configuration of the precipice, rising steeply to
a height of 358 metres above sea level. The fortress has three encir16
Klis
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Klis
cling walls. It was built over a considerable period of time extending
from late antiquity to the 19th century, retaining many elements of
a medieval fortification, with Kružić’s tower at its highest point. In
the mid 17th century, Venetian engineers Magli and Santini designed
several bastions in the fort’s first and third encircling wall, also
constructing a new cistern, munitions storage facility and quarters
for the fort’s complement of 300 officers and soldiers. A suburb
was formed to the south side following the retreat of the Turks. The
parish church has frescoes by V. Parać of motifs from the history
of Klis.
Situated between the Salona basin and the Cetina region, the karst
fields of Dicam and Muć were of key strategic and transportation
significance, even in prehistoric times and antiquity, to which battles fought during Baton’s 1st century Illyrian rebellion against the
Augustean legions bear witness.
The Vranjača cave is situated on the northern slopes of Mt. Mosor.
The cave was opened to the public in 1929 and is accessed by way of
Dugopolje and the village of Kotlenica.
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Klis
The name of Mt. Mosor in local
etymology was derived from Mons
Aureus, with the legend of former gold
mines or buried treasure, which would
come to the Illyrian word meaning
lonely mountain (after the Illyrian god
Masser). This impressive mountain
massif stretches through the broad
karst plateau for a length of 25 km,
from the Klis pass to the Cetina River
that separates the mountain like an
island with its canyon. Therefore, in
geomorphology, the name mosor
is given to all mountains with a lone
position (even in other languages). The
first research on Mt. Mosor was carried
out by botanist R. Visiani in 1824; F.
Kerner conducted geological studies
here (1904); F. Ivanišević conducted
anthropological studies (1903), while
R. Bujas and U. Girometta conducted
speleological studies here in the early
20th century.
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Klis
Dugopolje
Only a dozen kilometres from Salona, Dugopolje stood at the branching of key Roman roads to the north (Aequum – present day
Čitluk) and to the northeast (Pons Tiluri—the bridge spanning the
Cetina river at present day Trilj, under Gardun where a military encampment of the Tilurium VII Roman Legion was located, certainly
at the same position as an earlier Illyrian hill fort, and onwards to
Narona). The importance of the location is evident from the wealth
of archaeological finds exhibited at Split’s Archaeological Museum.
Blizna
Situated in the Arcadian landscape of the Trogir inland that once
belonged to Parathalasia, one of the fourteen Croatian districts that
stretched between Mt. Mosor, that is to say, from Klis and Trogir,
to Labin (including Radošić). Its eastern border was at Žrnovnica,
and towards Split at Suhi most in Dujmovača. Research was carried
out during the recent renovation of the Church of St. Mary that
revealed semi-circular buttresses, similar to those in the Church of
the Holy Salvation at the source of the Cetina River or at the 9th
century church at Lopuška glava in Biskupija near Knin. The church
in Blizna had a vestibule with a tower in front of the facade with an
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Klis
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Klis
external staircase. Among the fragments of early Croatian plaited
decorations from the altar partition wall, one reads the memory of a
still unnamed Croatian prefect of the ancient Cetina District.
Behind Kozjak
The new highway has revealed the rugged beauty of the landscape
inland of Mt. Kozjak. This area was first recorded during the period
of the Roman-Delmati wars. In the years 48-47 B.C., Caesar’s legions
led by Consular Gabinius experienced a horrible defeat in the pass at
Sinodium (a yet undiscovered locality), between the Drniš Promina
(Promona) and Muć (Andetrium): about 2000 soldiers were left in
the battlefield while the war flags fell into the hands of the Delmati.
Later, in Tiberius’ time, the important Via Gabiniana route passed
through here, leading from Salona to Muć and beyond.
There are numerous traces of the humble pastoral life which
unfolded here, changing very little over the millennia. Next to the
thin small fields, villages developed around the parish churches,
such as in Muć Donji (Church of Our Lady) and Muć Gornji
(Church of St. Peter) or, exceptionally, as in the case of Konjsko,
around the picturesque manor of the noble Split family Tartaglia
(originally Jakovljević). Tombstones and remnants of architecture
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BRANIMIRO COMMES DUX
CRVATORVM
The name of Branimir is found not only
in papal documents, but was also first
found engraved in a stone beam of
the pre-altar separation in the Church
Klis
In May 879, Prince Branimir became
the ruler of coastal Croatia, liberating
the region from Frank and Byzantine rule
for the first time and receiving spiritual
protection for his political project from
Pope John VIII (evidence in many
documents). He later would regulate
relations with Byzantine (confirmed by
the fact that he succeeded in promoting
Bishop Teodozij, his ‘protégé’ into Split
Archbishop). In his day, the Slavic
vernacular was introduced into holy
worship. Methodius himself (“the Slavic
apostle”) was in Croatia in 880 on his
travels to Rome to defend his teachings
before the pope.
testify that in Roman times, this was also
the site of the Andetrium military camp.
Under the present day Church of St. Peter
(1871), the foundations of an early Croatian
church from the period of Prince Braninir
have been discovered (and which is in fact
an adaptation of an earlier late Antiquity
church).
of St. Peter in Muć with the date 888,
making this the first year documented
on a Croatian medieval epigraphic
monument. Together with other stone
monuments, typically ornamented with
the characteristic braid decoration,
these prove the active and lively cultural
and religious life of Croatia in the early
Middle Ages.
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Cetinska krajina
Cetinska krajina
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Cetinska krajina
THE CETINA REGION
A part of the Dalmatian Zagora (about 1000 km2) between the two
parallel mountain chains of Svilaja and Dinara (a massif comprising
Ilica, Dinara, Troglav and Kamešnica), with the Cetina River running through the long valley made up of the Cetina, Vrlika, Hrvatac
and Sinj Fields. The Koljanac and Ribarica Fields are nowadays
covered by the waters of Lake Peruča.
The Cetina River rises from five karst springs (vrilo) in the form of
a dark lake at the bottom of a deep sink-hole from which the entire
river flows at once, 380 metres above sea level between Mts. Gnjata
(1809 m) and Dinara (1831 m), two kilometres north of Vrlika. It
runs through narrow gorges, widens as it passes through Sinj Field,
before quickening its pace through the canyons that form a semi-circle around the Mt. Mosor massif, leading to the mouth of the river
near Omiš. It is believed that its name in antiquity, Hippus, comes
from the name of the upper reaches of the river – from the Greek
hippos, meaning “horse” as the rapids of the unnavigable upper reaches of the river jump about like horses.
Archaeological remains (hill-fort and lake-dweller settlements and
necropolises under stone tumuli) bear witness to the fact that the
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Cetinska krajina
With its magnificent form and length,
the diversity of its subterranean
and above-ground karst forms, the
Dinara Mountains are the tallest
mountain range on the Balkan
Peninsula. For millennia, this mountain
range has formed a wall between
the Mediterranean and continental
world. The name is reminiscent of the
Illyrian tribe Dindara that lived on its
eastern side. In antiquity, it carried a
Greek name: Adrion oros. It is most
impressive when viewed from the road
Vrlika–Knin where it is seen as a massif
ornamented with horizontal stripes
which appear to be a giant staircase
with stairs about 2 m high. This was the
first Croatian mountain range to enter
into the literature as poetic inspiration
in the poem Planine (The Mountains)
by Petar Zoranić (1536) a well known
utopian journey in the first fiction prose
of Croatian Renaissance literature,
where Zoranić celebrates his “nation”,
our “scattered heritage”.
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Cetinska krajina
28
upper and middle reaches of the Cetina were the central and most
important parts of the Delmata territory. With the establishment of
Roman rule, most of the hill-fort settlements along the fields were
depopulated and the fertile land divided among the veterans of the
VII Legion (leg. VII. Claudia pia fidelis) stationed at Gardun (ancient Tilurium).
Cetinska krajina
Toponymists believe that the name of
the Cetina River originates from the
word Zétna meaning door, describing
the river’s mouth which opens the route
to the sea in a stone massif. Few rivers
have such a diversity of forms over
such a short course as the Cetina. It
is most impressive in the deep canyon
from Trilj to Zadvarje where it shows
its sheer power in the Velika Gubavica
and Mala Gubavica waterfalls. With
their 100 meter drop, the power of this
“one of the most terrifying waterfalls
in Europe” was taken by the Kraljevac
hydroelectric plant in 1912. After
taking a sharp turn towards the west,
the river flows under the Omiš Dinara
mountains, parallel to the coast. It is
calmed, bordered by the poplar trees
among the fields near Zakučac, before
the stone gates at Omiš and the sea. In
recent years, the river has developed
as a rafting site and this experience has
become a must among tourists.
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Cetinska krajina
30
Tilurij
Tilurium, is situated to the southeasternmost point of the Cetina
valley, where the river leaves the Sinj Field and enters the gorge
along the Mosor and Biokovo massifs before dropping to the sea
at Omiš (Oneum). Here, where the road that leads from Salona towards Narona and Bosnia bridges the river, the camp of the Roman
VII Legion was established at the site of an earlier Illyrian hill-fort,
at the latest during Baton’s Pannonian-Delmata rebellion in the year
6 or 8 AD, perhaps a little earlier. It was abandoned by the military
between the years 147 and 161 AD. Methodical research, currently
in progress, has established the position of ramparts, monumental
granaries and cisterns, perhaps also of a pretorium (commander’s
lodgings). One inscription states that a cohort of volunteers erected
a “tower for raising water” (turrem ad aquam tollendam) around the
year 150 for the needs of this Legionary garrison. The existence of
an amphitheatre that, as a rule, accompanied the seat of a Legion,
has not yet been confirmed. (One was only recently discovered at
Burnum—Ivoševci above the Krka River). A stonemason’s workshop
that shaped a specific type of gravestone was active at Gardun serving the needs of the Legion. The most interesting example is the
gravestone of a boy, Gaius Laberius, with ball in hand, built into the
Cetinska krajina
Gospodska pećina (Noble Cave—with
1185 m of the hallway studied to date)
near the source of the Cetina River
near Vrlika was a Palaeolithic habitat.
At the end of the Stone–Bronze Age,
about 1900 BC to the mid Bronze Age,
about 1600 BC, the Cetina culture
developed here. This culture was
related to the Indo-European herders
who had settled here and lived next to
the cave in earthen dugouts in the karst
valleys, in lake-dwelling communities
and in fortified hill-forts. The ceramic
artefacts and tools dating back to this
period are best presented in the Cetina
Region Museum in Sinj (MCK).
Petković house in Sinj’s Vrlička street. There
is a renowned trophy from Gardun, a large
monument to the triumph of the VII Legion
over the natives erected around the year 12
AD (depicting a shackled Delmatian and
Pannonian, kneeling under the trophy pillar
upon which the captured war insignia are
hung). Found in 1886, it is today exhibited
at Split’s Archaeological Museum.
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Cetinska krajina
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Trilj
The most important passage across the Cetina River already existed
in prehistoric and later eras (Pons Tiluri—by the military camp at Gardun—recorded in ancient itineraries). One Roman engraving from the
year 184 AD (on display in the Split Archaeological Museum) tells of
the reconstruction of the bridge that was financed by several of the
Dalmatian towns at the time. Its importance was confirmed by deed
Cetinska krajina
of donation by Emperor Justianin (6th century)
which donates the Pontem Ciluri to a monastery
in Monte Cassino. Today, this is a picturesque
excursion site (particularly favoured by gastronomes) which is the starting point for river rafting,
horseback riding… Among the many excursion
sites are the mills on the clear Grab stream, rich
in trout. High above the road that leads from Trilj
towards Bosnia, in the midst of a perfectly preserved nature reserve, is the fortress Čačvina. It
was first mentioned in 1371 as the town of the
Cetina prince Ivan II Nelipić. The fortress offers
a unique view of the Cetina region and the amphitheatre of mountains which surround it.
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Cetinska krajina
Otok
On the western edge of the Sinj Field. In the area of Priblača and
Dugiša, a large prehistoric lake-dwelling settlement was discovered.
Above the settlement Šuste is a prehistoric hill-fort, later a fortress
from the late antiquity period, while at the location Mirine, there are
ruins of a significant early Christian basilica with baptistery.
Near today’s Sinj (the Delmati Osinium), there was the planned
town of Aequum (without any earlier Illyrian settlement predecessor), which today is Čitluk. This was an agrarian colony of Roman
veterans founded by Emperor Claudius (Colonia Claudia Aequum).
This was the only settlement of colonial rank in the interior of the
Roman Dalmatia province. Its forum, surrounded by an atrium in
the centre of town at the crossing of two basic roads, has only been
partly studied. The capitol lied on the northern side. Unfortunately,
this location has neither been systematically studied nor presented.
The widely known marble statues of the goddesses Fortuna and Hecate, the head of Heracles and other artefacts from Čitluk are on
display at the Museum of the Franciscan monastery and the Cetina
Region Museum in Sinj.
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Cetinska krajina
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36
Cetinska krajina
Cetinska krajina
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Cetinska krajina
38
Sinj
Tombstones were unearthed in Ruduši under the hill Grad in Sinj
(today on display in the Cetina Region Museum—MCK) bearing
symbols of a mystical character of the original Delmati religion
(related to the Sun cult and belief in immortality of the soul). In
Roman times, the settlements of the Delmati Osinijata were situated
on the southern slopes of Grad: hence the name Osinium, and in the
Middle Ages—Fsini (1341), Zyn (1345, when Croatian-Hungarian
King Ljudevit the Great gave this to Ivan Nelipičić as his seat), Syn,
Syngh, Wssyn and finally Sinj. In the early 16th century, the entire
area was conquered by the Turks, who formed the Cetina District
with its seat in Sinj. After the loss of Sinj in 1698, in 1715 the Turks
again tried to win back the town, but suffered a heavy defeat on the
holy day of the Feast of the Assumption, 15 August. In memory of
those heroes in the victory won with the intercession by the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the people of Sinj have held the Sinj Alka tournament
for centuries.
Cetinska krajina
In the early Middle Ages, the Cetina
District was established around Sinj
and the central course of the Cetina
River. This was one of 11 early Croatian
districts, with many remnants of a series
of churches rich in stone furnishings
(Holy Salvation on the Cetina, Koljana,
Hrvace, Grab, Udovičići, Brnaze) and
necropolises found at Kijevo, near
Vrlika, at Potravlje and elsewhere. In
medieval Croatia, the Cetina District
became a Principality and through the
14th and 15th centuries, was home to
some of the most distinguished noble
families: Šubić, Frankopan, Talovac and
Nelipčić who erected fortresses and
cities at Glavaš in the Dinara foothills,
in Vrlika, Potravlje, Sinj, on Čačvina
(first mentioned in 1372) and Nutjak, a
fortress that was ruled over by Poljički
Prince Žarko Dražoveić, killed in an
ambush in 1508 in an attempt to bring
food to besieged Sinj.
The painting of the Miraculous Our
Lady of Sinj, which legend states that
the Franciscans brought from Rama, is
held on the marble altar (Pio and Vicko
Dell’Acqua, end of the 19th century) and
attracts countless worshippers from
throughout Dalmatia on the Feast of the
Assumption on 15 August. In recent
restoration efforts, x-rays showed that
the painting (on canvas) was indeed
folded several times, obviously in order
to carry it more easily while fleeing.
39
Cetinska krajina
40
Sinj received its present-day appearance at the end of the 17th and
through the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was formed into a picturesque town on the slopes of Grad hill. Research is currently ongoing to study the impressive ruins of the medieval town (at the
place where the late antiquity castle from the 6th century stood).
The alkars may only be unblemished
residents of Sinj and the Cetina
region, born of a Cetina family. The
tournament is organized based on the
medieval knight’s tournaments (the alka
was once run in Makarska, Split and
elsewhere). It is held on the first Sunday
in August each year in honour of the
Mother of God who saved the town and
to commemorate the victory of 700 Sinj
knights against the much larger Turkish
army (60,000 soldiers) in the siege on
Sinj in 1715. Just as impressive as the
actual tournament is the official parade
of the alkars with their assistants, the
chieftain and troop of alkar lads, the
lad carried the buzdovan (a spiked
mallet), the leader of the Edeka (a
horse without a rider with trophy gear
belonging to the Turkish military leader
Mehmed-paši Čelić), the flag waver with
assistants closed up by the alaj-čauš,
the commander of the alkar troops
and the final rider to compete)—all
in authentic and richly ornamented
knight’s uniforms.
Cetinska krajina
Alka. This knight’s competition in
which alkars (riders on horseback)
aim for an iron alka (steel ring) hanging
at 3.22 m height on a rope with their
lance while at full gallop (speed must
not be less than 45 km/h). The alka
(from the Arabic word halqua = ring)
is two small concentric rings joined
by three bars: a hit in the central ring
carried 3 points, 2 points in the upper
section of the outer ring and only 1
point for a hit in the side sections
of the outer ring. A “bull’s eye” hit is
celebrated with music and gun salutes
from the small cannon in the Kamičak
fortress. The winner is the rider with the
most points from three rounds. It is not
uncommon for a fourth round to decide
the winner among riders with equal
points. The winner receives a large
prize and purse spent on treating all the
race competitors. A large audience also
gathers to watch the final rehearsals
on Friday and Saturday when the
competitors practice without their
formal uniforms.
41
Cetinska krajina
The Franciscan monastery was founded back in 1699 when the monks
escaped with the commoners from Rama to Sinj. It was torched in
1714, damaged in an earthquake in 1769 and the church was completely remodelled in 1862. The bell tower was added on from 1896–1926.
The monastery also houses the museum with its precious collection
of archaeological findings from Aequum as well as an ethnographic
and natural history collection.
In 1713, the fortress Kamičak was constructed (later restored in 1890)
and under it the Kvartir was built to accommodate the Venetian army
(this would soon afterwards become the Alkar Court with its museum
collection). The only entirely preserved residential structures from
that period are the Lovrić houses. At the southern entrance into the
town, a bridge was constructed over the Goručica River in 1784 to
“advance trade”. Sinj was truly reputed as a market town which developed quickly in the 19th century when it became the seat of the
municipal and county administration and the court. This was when
the first classical secondary school was opened under the Franciscan
monastery, the first upper school in the Austrian monarchy to use
Croatian as the language of instruction (1853); the short-track railroad (the famed rera) was built and water was transported to the town
from the Kosinca spring, etc. Public parks were also created.
42
Cetinska krajina
In 1463, the Franciscans of the
province Bosna Argentina (Bosna
Srebrena, named after Srebrenica
in Bosnia) received the adhname
from Sultan Mehmed II, a privilege
which allowed them to conduct
congregational service in Bosnia and
Turkish Dalmatia. Until the AustroHungarian administration, there
was no other Catholic spirituality.
Turkish Dalmatia remained under
the congregational jurisdiction of
the Bosnian Franciscan province
right up until 1734, when a new
Franciscan province, the Most Holy
Redeemer, was founded with its seat
in Sinj. Through several centuries,
this monastery was the only centre of
religious life and the only educational
and cultural institution in partibus
infidelium. The monks were the
mentors of the people in spiritual and
material matters. Franciscan literature,
at first printed in a western version of
the cyrillic script called Bosančica or
Bosnian cyrillic, had a super-regional
character, preparing the continuation
of the Štokavica literary standards of
the Croatian language. The greatest
work was written by friar Andrija Kačić
Miošić: Pleasant Conversations of
Slavic people (1759)—dedicated to
the poor, farmers and shepherds.
Kačić’s baroque lyrics, interwoven
with medievalism and folklore formed
a way of highland thinking and built up
a national tradition over decades of
retelling, representing the heritage of
the other pole in Croatian literature, to
counter Gundulić’s “Osman”.
43
Cetinska krajina
Cetina
Cetina is today the name of the unsightly village at the spring of this
river, which in the early Croatian era of the 9th–11th centuries was the
seat of the Vrhrika parish (Verchrecha: meaning top, river spring).
This parish included the towns: Glavaš, Prozor, Sinj, Trilj, Stolac,
Gradac, Nutjak and the Tugari and Poljička parishes. Of the five early Croatian districts (Imotski, Zminj, Klis and Drid) found within
the area of today’s Split-Dalmatia County, the Cetina district was
the largest. In the 16th century, the residents of Vrhrika fled from
the Turks to the Prozor fortress, taking with them the name of their
earlier settlement which, since then, has been called Vrlika. Prozor
was built in the early 15th century by Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, and in
1421, the Croatian-Hungarian King Sigmund of Luxemburg granted
it to Mikca Vitturio who was the royal regent in Trogir, from which
he had to flee one year earlier (following the invasion of the town by
the Venetian army when all his assets were seized).
The parish Church of Our Lady of Roses was built at the end of the
19th century in the place of the former church. The paintings inside
(C. Medović, B. Bulić) were destroyed in 1992 under the Serbian occupation of Vrlika, as was the bronze sculpture of friar Filip Grabovac which stood before the church. Vrlika is the birthplace of writer
44
The Vrlika wheel dance is one of
the most impressive national dances.
Similar dances, however, had to also
exist elsewhere along the Croatian
coast, which is confirmed by the
Šibenik humanist of the 15th century,
Juraj Šižgorić—a researcher of the
Šibenik romantic and wedding song
and dances which we today would
consider ethno-heritage. He noted that
the “wheel dancers stamp their feet to
the rhythm of the music”. Indeed, due
to his humanistic education, he was
inclined to back up his observations
with references from the authorities
of antiquity. He refers to a teacher of
the son of Croatian-Hungarian King
Matija Korvin, who also watched the
Croats play the all’antica in the same
early medieval years (he said, “When
the dancers stop, they all stamp
their feet into the ground at the same
moment”). This reminded Šižgorić
of a lyric by Horatio which—far from
the rough Illyrian areas in Medici’s
Florence—would serve as the concetto
to Botticelli’s famous Primavera.
Cetinska krajina
The Church of the Holy Salvation at
the source of the Cetina River was
erected in the 9th century by Cetina
parish priest Gastika in memory of
his mother Nemira and her sons. The
church originally had a three-nave
sanctuary and a vestibule—Westwerk
(with a private chapel upstairs) on the
western side and a bell tower on its
façade (the best preserved bell tower of
early Medieval Croatian architecture).
Next to the church is a large necropolis
(with 1102 studied graves from the 9th–
14th centuries with precious findings).
The most distinguished residents of
the settlement of the time, Vrh Rika,
were buried here under the largest
stone slabs, including the Ćubretic and
Berislavic families (which each gave two
Bans)—esteemed Croatian families of
the 14th and 15th centuries.
45
Cetinska krajina
Milan Begović and the picturesque water pump on the eastern edge
of town is the original scenography for the most popular Croatian
opera Ero by Jakov Gotovac.
Among the many significant sites near this health treatment centre,
sites one must see include the unique Slab Bridge on the Cetina
River, built in the 18th century from tombstones of a destroyed medieval cemetery, likely from the settlement Preočani na Cetini along
the southern edge of the Cetina Field.
46
Glavaš
This late medieval fortress from the 14th–
15th century (with its preserved three story
round tower) was raised near Uništa, above
the old road to the interior of Bosnia, which
on later maps was called Dinarić.
Cetinska krajina
Ero. The national opera Ero by Jakov
Gotovac (Split 1895–Zagreb 1982)
has been performed on more than 80
European stages and been translated
into nine languages. The premier
performance was given on 2 November
1935 in the Croatian National Theatre
in Zagreb and has since become the
most performed Croatian’s musical
piece, despite the first criticisms:
“Yet another Croatian composer
has written an opera in vain”. In the
excellent libretto by Milan Begović,
Gotovac discovered a living foundation
upon which to express his affinity for
comedy and humour. The musical and
text base for this opera were found in
Yugoslav folklore—from the folklore of
the Dalmatian inland (the impressive
Potravlje
A village 11 km north of Sinj dominated
by the ruins of the Travnik fortress erected
under Mt. Svilaja by Cetina prince Ivaniš
Nelipić in the early 15th century. Today, ceramics are made in the village using ancient
technology.
final wheel dance) to the girlish songs
from Kosovo (initial girl’s choir Duni mi,
duni, lađane).
47
Cetinska krajina
Poljica
A microregion surrounding Omiš at the mouth of the Cetina River,
but which historically did not include this town which developed
from the Roman town Oneuma on the left bank of the mouth of the
Cetina River at the border between the two great Illyrian tribes—the
Delmata and Daorsa—that lived from the Cetina to the Neretva. In
the Middle Ages, the town Oneuma was a solid foothold of the Neretva pirates. This was also the seat of the Kačići, who would first
cause problems for all the Adriatic towns, only later to attempt to
sign peace treaties with them (Kotor 1167; Dubrovnik 1180). “The
natural position of the town led to the temptation to become pirates,” stated one Baroque annal writer.
Radmanove mlinice (Radman’s mills) with its centuries old plantain
trees and trout farms is a favourite excursion place (and bathing
area), and it is loveliest to arrive here by boat from the mouth of the
Cetina River at Omiš. On the cliffs above the river was the fortress
Viseć (14th–15th century).
Throughout the coastal mountains which separated the lower and
central Poljica and along the Omiš Dinara mountains and in the immediate inland areas, a wreath of Illyrian tumuli and hill-forts (such
48
Cetinska krajina
49
Cetinska krajina
as Grac above Zakučac and the hill-forts in the medieval fortress
Starigrad above Omiš) have been recorded.
The narrow road blazed through the cliffs above Zakučac above the
Cetina River pass by the monument to Mila Gojsalić (the work of
Ivan Meštrović), who became a national hero in 1570 when she died
after setting fire to a Turkish military camp.
In Gata (Central Poljica) there are the ruins of an early Christian
church (6th century) of the central type with a double shell with
its surrounding hallway and a nartex was likely consecrated to St.
Ciprian as today’s parish church is. Its discovery suggests the existence of a settlement which could have, according to the written
sources of the time, be equated to the late antiquity Gedate. Next
to the church is the small Poljica Historical Museum which displays
many artefacts including the uniform of the great Poljica prince. A
monument to the victims of the horrific Chetnik massacre which
took place on 1 October 1942 under the protection of the Italian
fascists stands in the church. Nearby in Ostrvica, there are ruins of
a hunting manor of a nobleman from late antiquity which may be
related to the construction of the church at Gata. Archaeological
studies of this region are planned.
50
Cetinska krajina
On the right banks of the Cetina River,
at the river’s mouth is the Chapel of
St. Peter in Prika, one of the most
significant early Croatian structures
from the 9th–11th centuries. This is
a single nave church with cupola,
carefully articulated walls, inside and
out. There was likely a Benedictine
monastery next to the church. In 1074
and 1080, this is where the property
disputes were carried out, judged by
King Slavac (Slavizo rex), one of the
rulers of the Neretva region. Next to
the church was the Glagolitic seminary
(Seminarium Illyricum) founded in
1750 for the upbringing of the clergy
in the Croatian language, though later
closed in 1879. Friar Frane Bulić was
also a student of this seminary.
51
Cetinska krajina
A mountain trail (4 hour walk) runs from Gata via Dubrava to Kozika on the peak of Mt. Mosor (1318 m, Sv. Jure—named after the
ancient chapel dedicated to the patron saint of Poljica, St. George).
A long mountain ridge stretches between Mt. Mosor and the sea,
separating Central Poljica from Coastal Polijca. Central Poljica includes: Žrnovnica, Sitno Gornji and Sitno Donji, Srinjine, Tugare
and Dubrava while Zagorskim Poljicima: ). Each village in the foothills calls its part of the mountain by its own special name, most
commonly by the title of ancient churches or divinities (i.e., Perun
above Žrnovnica was the Slavic god of thunder). On the edge of
the flysh belt, under the mountain itself, lie a series of picturesque
ancient villages (Podstrana, Jesenice, Duče).
The easternmost point of Poljica, Podgrađa, is reached via the villages of Zvečanje and Kostanje. Above Kostanje is Kostanjska ljut
with its preserved miniature vineyards where the original vines with
their short fat stems that have resisted even the Mosor bura winds.
Next to the river is the excursion site Studenci with its old mills.
In Kostanje, it is worthwhile visiting the Gojsalići dvori, which is
soon to house a memorial collection of the Poljica heroine Mila
Gojsalić.
52
Cetinska krajina
Poljička Principality. The residents
of the villages on Mt. Mosor are
particularly proud of the history of their
Poljička Principality (the Peasant’s
Republic), an original medieval state
organization with 12 rural municipalities,
each with its own prince. The Poljička
Principality paid dues to the Turks
and the Venetians (also giving Venice
soldiers). The Principality had its own
set of laws (the Poljička Statute) thought
to be inspired by English humanist
Thomas Moore (1478–1535) in the
writing of his “Utopia”. This Statute was
codified common law and surprisingly
democratic, though with a series of
noble clauses by which the “noble land
owners” were privileged in comparison
to the commoners. Alongside the
Vinodol Statute, the Poljička Statute
is the most interesting Croatian legal
monument. The Principality also had
a large council headed up by a prince
elected next to the church in Grac (a
splendid viewing-point) on the Feast
Day of St. George, 24 April, for a oneyear mandate. The official language
was the Croatian Čakavian dialect, with
the Bosančica script (the Croatian
variant of cyrillic script). The territory
of the Principality was bounded by the
Žrnovnica River, the sea and the “knee”
of the Cetina River. The Principality
retained its autonomy right up until the
bloody battle near Strožanac in 1807
in an uprising against Napolean’s army.
The last Poljička prince, Ivan Šović
escaped to Russian on a Russian ship.
53
Cetinska krajina
Not far from Sitno (the birthplace of the family of Antun Mihanović,
author of Croatia’s national anthem) is the octagonal Gothic Church
of St. Clement, built as a smaller version of the Split Cathedral. In
Dubrava (Gornja Poljica) is the Church of St. Luke, a picturesque
structure that developed from the 13th to 16th century, and which
houses the grave of Bishop Nikola Ugrinović. On the road which
descends towards Tugari (first mentioned in 852) is the Chapel of
Blessed Arnir, built at the place where, according to the legend, the
people of Poljice stoned this Split Archbishop to death in 1180 when
he came to collect the earnings from his lands in Poljice.
The Mt. Mosor villages surround the small karst fields. The picturesque settlement of Donje Doce which has a lovely Baroque bell
tower on the Church of St. Martin and in the cemetery is a stečak
(traditional tombstone) raised in honour of another Poljica heroine,
Mara Žuljević who died in battle against the Turks. This cemetery
also has a monument to the 426 Nazi victims killed on 26 March
1944.
The people of Poljica showed great courage and heroism in their
battles against the Turks. Particularly well known is Žarko Dražojević
(died in 1508; buried in the Split Cathedral) who died in an ambush following a series of heroic battles later put to music by Marko
54
Cetinska krajina
The Dalmatian rivers can be divided
into three groups. The first group are
those that spring at the boundaries
of the coastal flysh belt and the
limestone mountains: though these are
characterised by a short course, they
are abundant in water (Jadro, Dubrovnik
River, Škudra and numerous smaller and
temporary streams). The second group
are rivers that spring in the foothills of
the tallest Dinaric ridges, receiving water
from the non-permeable rocks around the
upper course and building deep canyon
valleys into the limestone plateaus. The
springs of the Zrmanja, Krka and Cetina
River spring nearby and flow ray-like:
westwards, south-westwards and southeastwards. These rivers must overcome
large altitude differences over a short
distance (the Zrmanja 395 m in 63.9 km,
Krka 310 m in 75.4 km, Cetina 380 m in
100.5 km) creating waterfalls and rapids
forming important sources of energy.
However, this importance is made relative
considering the variability of the water
levels following oscillations in precipitation
and rapid water cycling in karst. As such,
the Cetina River at Zadvarje can oscillate
from 12 m3/s when water levels are
lowest to 1200 m3/s in periods of highest
water levels.
55
Cetinska krajina
Marulić. He built the fortresses Nutjak (downstream from Trilj) and
Kunjak (Kučiće behind the Omiš Dinara mountains).
Towards the southeast, across the Cetina River canyon, stretch the
Omiš Dinara mountains, connecting to the Dupce/Vrulji with the
spurs of the Biokovo mountain range. Vruja (name means under
56
strong underground springs) is the place
where the Omiš and Makarska Rivieras
meet and where one of the rare roads towards the inlands opens up.
Cetinska krajina
Geological past. After the period of
Dinaric folding, there followed a long
period without any internal shifting of
the Earth in the Dalmatian region. The
vastness of flysh sediments was much
larger than the present day and the
rivers were richer in water. Carrying
great loads of pebbles, sand and silt,
they had great erosive power and the
result of many, many years of river
erosion are today seen as the most
interesting elements of the Dalmatian
relief—the vast plateaus such as the
Podi plateau near the Sinj Field, the
Ugljan plateau near Ugljan and Cista
and the particularly impressive Zadvarje
plateau near Zadvarje. Considering
the limestone composition of these
rocks, at the time of their creation these
plateaus were at about sea level when
the Dinaric mountains were even lower,
the land swampy and rivers slow and
meandering (like today’s Neretva River
near the mouth). With the uplifting of
the land, the river courses began to cut
in deeper. The cover of river sediments
were swept off the limestone surfaces
and karst forms began to develop in the
bare rock. However, only the rivers rich
in water, pebbles and sand that could
cut deep valleys remained, like the
Zrmanja, Krka, Cetina and Neretva.
57
58
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
59
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
60
BIOKOVO, IMOTSKI AND VRGORAC
With Biokovo, the Dinarid mountain range comes closest to the
sea, outdoing even the impressive Alps with the width of its façade
reflected over the channel that separates it from the islands of Brač
and Hvar and the Pelješac peninsula. The Makarska Riviera is bounded by Vrulje towards the west and Baćina under the mouth of the
Neretva River to the east, and the ridge of Biokovo. Following the
Dubrovnik and Pelješac regions, the Makarska Riviera is the tamest
of the Adriatic regions. Until recently, the lands up to the highest
slopes were covered with vineyards, olives and orchards. Only the
great Rogoznička Vrulja, which in the winter gives rise to the furious
Biokovo bura wind reminds us that there is no eternal spring here.
In terms of the variety of its relief with its
network of karst, rocks, funnels, cleft
and towers—and its colour which varies
depending on the time of day and year—
Biokovo is unquestionably Croatia’s most
beautiful mountain range. The foothills
are a slightly inclined flysh plateau which
near the village Bast impressively opens
before the gigantic amphitheatre of
the rocks of St. Ilija (Elias) and Šibenik
about 1000 m high, offering a unique
landscape experience. Even more
beautiful is the belt of lush evergreen
plants—pines and olives, with downy oak
and black hornbeam shrubs against the
rocks. This is all the more significant
as elsewhere, the Biokovo vegetation
is very poor due to the clearance of
forests which resulted in the washing
away of the humus layer to the bare
rock, despite the highland belt of this
mountain being reputed for the tertiary
floral relics (endemic knapweed, irises,
dwarf bellflowers…). Early on, Biokovo
attracted many reputed researchers.
A number of distinguished botanists
have worked to describe the Biokovo
vegetation and in 1838, the learned
Saxon King Fredrich August, Germany
writer and translator of Dante, climbed
the mountain and even engraved his
initials into a beech tree. Roberto
Visiani of Šibenik, founder of the famed
botanical garden of the University of
Padua, also did his research here.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Biokovo. The highest peak of the
Biokovo mountains range stands at 1762
m above sea level. The peak received
its name after the Chapel St. Jure (St.
George) which was moved a little lower
in 1964 due to the construction of a
television repeater, thereby attracting
pilgrims and excursionists to the chapel
on the last Saturday in July each year.
The road leading to the peak is fully
paved, though it is only open from dawn
until dusk.
On the Zagora side, the beech forests
have been more substantially preserved.
It should be stressed that this side of
Biokovo is no less valuable than its
southern side. It is near the plateau
where Zagvozd is situated and the
“fluvial apron” where we find the Church
of the Holy Cross that geologists have
described some of the most interesting
karst processes, reconstructing
the history of the development and
disappearance of the rivers that long
ago flowed from southeast to northwest,
towards the Cetina River basin.
61
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
62
The pass from the sea towards the inland at Dupce and at the large
knee of the Cetina River has always been an exceptionally important
centre. The late medieval fortress Dvare stands above this ancient
pass from the coast inland and above the once renowned Gubavica waterfall. Today Zadvarje takes its name from this fortress, and
the village is now known for its St. Bart’s fair (held on 24 August).
Zadvarje was a medieval town, the site of bloody battles against the
Turks in the 17th century. In the period 1908–1912, the Kraljevac hydroelectric plant was built here, one of the most interesting examples
of industrial architecture in Croatia. In the inland of Vruje, near the
waterfalls, is the village Slime, the birthplace of the tragically killed
poet Josip Pupačić. His home has been turned into a Memorial.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
In prehistoric times, virtually all the
more significant geographic points
were marked by tumuli (burial grounds
covered with piles of rock) or hill-forts
such as wreaths of such sites in the
Biokovo foothills towards the Imotski
Field and Vrgorac. The hill-fort with
a tumulus is typical for the Delmati
region. The direct connection between
the network of these sites with similar
ones on the coast and on neighbouring
islands is becoming clearer and
suggest the direction of circulation of
civilization contacts in that era.
Stečak (plural Stečci). These famous
medieval tombstone monuments were
often originally colourful like fabrics
and rugs. The inspiration for their relief
depended much more on illustrations
of noble life and entertainment
(cavalcades, hunting scenes, Gothic
duels) than on cryptosymbolic motives
of the assumed Bogomile heretics.
This marked decorative aspect of the
scenes depicted led to the reduction of
the motives of the tapestries of the day,
or rather, simple “hunting tapestries”
(i.e. the ‘Jadgteppich’ from Wienhausen
of the early 15th century).
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64
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
65
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Imotski
The fortress and town on the slopes of Mt. Podi, on the northern
edge of the vast Imotski field, received its name from the early
Croatian parish Imota (10th century) which stretched to Dalmatia,
Herzegovina and Bosnia. The fortress Topana, on the ridges above
the Blue Lake, had a distinctive medieval phase within the entity
which had created it for the same Turkish rule. At the entrance to
the fortress, erected in the early 18th century, stands the Chapel of
Our Lady of Angels, patroness of the town and the entire region,
and related to the historical date of liberation from Turkish rule (2
August 171?.).
The Franciscan monastery was established in 1738, but was adapted
several times. Its fate was complex: it was established in about 1300
by the Croatian nobles Nelipići at the source of the Vrljika River in
Proložac, but later had to be moved to Kamenmost, then to Otok
on Prološko blato, to Podgrađe, to Dobrče in Rogoznica and Omiš.
The Church of St. Francis is from 1900. The monastery museum
collection houses numerous ethnographic items as well as fragments
of stone furnishings of the early Christian church, a recently researched and presented basilica with two christening fonts which stood
66
Vlach. A term with multiple meanings.
Originally this was what the Italians
or any other representative of the
Romantic peoples was called,
though this primarily referred to the
Romanticized Illyrians who continued
to live their nomadic shepherd lives in
the interior of the Balkan subcontinent
following the arrival of the Slavs.
In Turkish Bosnia, it marked all the
Orthodox Christians, while in Dubrovnik
it marked the peasants; the residents
of coastal towns and villages using
the Čakavian dialect used the term
to refer to peasants and shepherds
inland who used the Štokavian dialect.
Certain islanders used this term for
every resident of the mainland, the
native population used it for immigrants
regardless of their religious affiliation.
Finally, the Split residents used a
derivative of the term “Vlaj” to mock the
residents of the Zagora or inland region.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Ojkanje. This is singing lacking a
constructed tonality and harmonic
comprehension, as well as a sense
for a final note, in which not a single
parallel in old singing tradition has ever
been found! The narrow range of the
scale series testifies to the antiquity
of the tradition. It is a characteristic
two-part singing in which there is no
parallelism in the triplets (or sextets) that
we hear in the coastal regions nearby,
as well as the lack of a single share on
a single tone, commonly used seconds
or even parallel movements in seconds.
An equivalent two-part technique
is used by those playing the gusla
(one-stringed fiddle), dvojnica (double
wooden flute-like instrument) and diple
(misnice—a rare eastern Mediterranean
bagpipe-like instrument).
67
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
on the hill Dikovača in Zmijavci, just 8 km south of Imotski. Also
on this hill is a necropolis of stečci.
A monument to 20th century Croatian poet Tin Ujević is the work of
sculptor Kruno Bošnjak (1980). There are also plans to raise a monument to Hasanaginica, the tragic heroine about whom a national
ballad was written here in the Imotski region.
In the broader surroundings of Imotski, the finds of a late antiquity fortress on Vitrenika and Nezgrivi are impressive, as is the late
antiquity settlements above Lovreč and the hill-fort on Kokič in
Proložac (Epilentium?), and larger structures with the basilica in
Cista Velika (Tronum?), Zmijavci (Dikovača), Proložac, on Gorica
in Sovići—all important sites, each offering a splendid vista, lying on
the well documented routes of the Roman roads which lead from
Trilj, Provo, Krivodol (Imotski) towards Narona, and which even
today are preserved in their liveliness.
68
with heavenly light, cursing Gavan,
Gavanuša, their children, their guests
and all Gavan’s court and flew back
into the sky. At that moment, the sky
was lit up with lightning, thunder
was raging, the earth shook furiously
and opened, with the court, Gavan,
Gavanuša, their children and all their
guests falling in. At that place, the
Red Lake was formed. Even to this
day, there are ruins of a wall on the
edge of Red Lake, said to be the ruins
of Gavan’s great court”.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
The karst phenomena - Blue and Red
Lakes near the town of Imotski draw
particular attention. The bottom of Red
Lake is only 19 m above sea level, while
water levels oscillate between 285 and
320 metres, making this the deepest
lake in Europe. It was named after the
almost vertical red cliffs surrounding
the lake. The lake is also the subject
of a folk tale of the wealthy and cruel
Gavan and his great court. “Even
worse was his wife Gavanuša, meaner
and greedier. She did not know of
God and never aided the poor, but
instead only mocked and laughed
at them, shooing them away from
the door to the court. There was no
worse woman under the sun. Gavan
had many sons and daughters and he
thought that he would spend eternity
with them in the greatest of wealth
and luxury and leave them his entire
fortune… An angel became angered
with this callous behaviour, and took
in his right hand a fiery sword of
God’s just court and slit the sky open
The Blue Lake is tied to the legend
sung in the folk ballad of Hasanaginica
whose grave is sought in the region
called “Gaj”.
69
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Donji Proložac
Situated northwest of Imotski. A particularly important archaeological zone through a series of centuries as it lies near the Badnevica
canyon in Proložac in the northwestern part of the Imotski field.
Here we find the ruins of the medieval fortress of Stjepan Vukčić
Kosača (mentioned in 1444), further adapted for the Turks, and the
late antiquity castle erected on the prehistoric hill-fort on Kokića
glavica. In research conducted on the local cemetery, the foundations of a triple nave early Christian basilica with baptistery have
been found, as well as the remnants of an early Croatian church.
Also discovered were several Roman tombstones, one bearing the
signature of Maksimin, the oldest well known sculptor in interior
Dalmatia (2nd century AD). Ruins of an early Christian church have
also been found at the source of the Vrljika River.
In Runoviči, in the field southeast of Imotski, stood the Roman
settlement Novae (ad Novas). The floor of the parish church and
the fence around the graveyard bears engravings in honour of the
Emperors Galian and Valerian (c. 253-259 AD) and several tombstones.
70
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Prološko blato. In terms of karst forms,
Prološko blato (the Prolog mud flats)
and the western part of the vast Imotski
field are, next to Bajkal Lake, the most
diverse hydrological phenomenon on
earth. In this series of karst lakes, the
most notable are the Blue and Red
Lakes, Dva Oka (Two eyes), Prolog Lake,
Galipovac, Knezović Lake, Provalija,
Krenica, Jezerina, Lokvičićko Lake—all
fed by sink-holes of the Vrljika River and
occasionally by the course of the Suvaja
River. The Vrljika River (20 km in length)
is particularly interesting as a sinking river
with variable water levels and that sinks
into Nuge Lake. The spring section (50
ha) that includes the source regions of
the Blue Lake, Utopišče, Opačac, Jauk
and the course of the river to Kamenmost
has been protected as an ichthyological
reserve since 1971 as the habitat of the
endemic soft-muzzled trout. There was
a Franciscan monastery at Prološko
blato which preceded the monastery in
Imotski. During the winter months and
beginning of spring, all the sources
from Studenci and Ričica spring and
with the rains come a massive amount
of water that drain into the western part
of the Imotski Field, thereby increasing
the surface area of the Prolog lakes.
The newest natural lake of the Imotski
region, called Bučuša was created in
autumn 2004 following the collapse of
the southwestern part of the Imotski field
in the Lokvičići municipality. The entire
karst region is still subject to intense
geological pulsations!
71
72
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
73
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Vrgorac
Vrgorac was the seat of a Croatian parish in the 10th century, at the
same time as Imotski. The town was under Turkish rule from 14771694 and, until recently, the town was a border town known for its
fairs. On Mt. Motokit (1063 m), a fortress now under restoration
dominates the peak by which the town received its name. Under
the fortress is the neo-historicist parish Church of the Annunciation
of Mary (1913-1921) at the site of an older church which was used
as a mosque under Turkish rule. Within the bounds of the former
neo-historicist structure, there is a neglected though still interesting
park formed in the 1900s.
Vrgorac is the birthplace of one of Croatia’s greatest poets, Tin
Ujević. Recently, the tower in which the poet was born on 5 July
1981 as the son of a local teacher was restored (called Fratrova—
Monk’s, Cukarinovića—Cukarinović’s or Kapetanova kula—Captain’s
tower by the locals). This is one of four preserved towers preserved
from the Baroque age (others are: Raosova, Pekarova and Muminagina kula).
74
free days gave them such joy as could
not be described”.
Between Zagvozd and Župa, there is
an engraved commemoration plate
which reads (the engraving was
restored by conservationists after
it was destroyed by the Austrians):
Under the rule of Napoleon the
Great, under the protection of
Eugene, King of Italy, under the
command of General Providure
Vicko Dandola, military commander
Marshal Marmont and the technical
direction of General Blanchard,
engineer Gelić and sub-engineer
Zavore, with the participation of the
entire inland and coastal Dalmatia,
this road from the border of Croatia
to Albania was blazed, with a length
of 250 geographic miles in the years
1806, 1807, 1808, 1809. This road,
in honour of the memory of and
gratitude for the protection received
from the exalted ruler, is given the
name “Napoleon’s Road”.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Napoleon’s road. The plan of the
well known road network during the
period of French rule in Dalmatia, with
Marshal Marmont participating in the
construction, was made in 1787 by
engineering captain Frano Zavoreo
from Šibenik. In fact, it was Zavoreo
who was in charge of public works
in Dalmatia for several decades. In
his memoirs, Marmont described
the transport difficulties his troops
encountered in their long marches
across the vast terrain that was almost
without any roads. “The Venetians
were suited by such a state. Masters
of the sea, on land always in defensive
combat, they battled with Dalmatian
exclusively with help from ships…”
Marmont undertook the public works by
example of the Roman army who spent
their leisure time this way. He wanted to
create a road communication between
Zadar and Dubrovnik, and along the
coast. He created a general list of men
that were capable of working. Each
worker received one military bread or
two meals daily—“more bread than he
would have eaten at home”. If the task
was not completed in 15 days, they
would stay behind, despite the arrival of
their colleagues. Also, if they completed
before the fifteenth day, they would
leave the building site, taking the entire
15-day bread servings as a reward,
encouragement and compensation for
their invested efforts. “This reward was
enough as the workers worked so hard
that the construction areas were always
empty for two to three days. Three such
When the Austrian Emperor visited
Dalmatia in 1818, he is reported to have
said, “It is a great shame that Marshal
Marmont did not remain in Dalmatia two
or three years longer”. However, it must
be said that the Austrian authorities had
not implemented Zavore’s plan earlier
as they, unlike Marmont, believed that it
was necessary to pay for the land upon
which the road would be built.
75
76
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Tin Ujević (1891-1955). Poet with
the most significant lyrical opus in 20th
century Croatia. Like his countryman
Ivan Meštrović who intended to restore
Croatian sculpture with the tradition of
Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Romantic and
Renaissance sculpture, so too did Tin,
only in a much finer manner with less
talk and more cosmopolitan sensitivity.
He attached modern Croatian poetry
to the veins of modern petrarcism and
messianism, to the jugular of the actual
vitalism and pantheism, neo-platonism and
The ballad tells of a woman abandoned
by her husband, separating her from her
five children, sending her back to her
mother and brother Bego Pintorović, who
lived on Klis where he was deputy to the
Klis Turkish leader. Lovely Hasanaginica
was wooed by many and against her will,
her brother agreed to marry her to the
Imotski judge. Unhappy Hasanaginica
led the wedding guests to Imotski and
begged them to allow her to give her
children a gift. When she heard her
husband’s loud reproach through the
window she dropped dead to the ground.
“The children were left without their
mother, Hasan without the woman he
loved and the wedding guests without
the bride”. The ruins of the Hasanginica
tower still stand in Vrdol, today’s Zagvozd,
and the place were Hasanginica was
allegedly buried is still visible. Nearby are
three wells from which she took water
and a large oak tree has grown out of the
central well.
Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac
Hasanaginica. This national ballad
was written in the Imotski region in
1774 by learned abbot Alberto Fortis,
likely according to the dictation by Split
historian Julije Bajamonti. The ballad’s
romantic decasyllabic lines were
translated into German in 1775 by Johann
Wolfgang Goethe, into Latin by Đuro
Ferić of Dubrovnik, into English by Walter
Scott, into French separately by Prosper
Merimee and Gerard de Nerval, into
Russian by Alexandar Sergejevic Pushkin,
into Polish by Adam Mickiewicz…
avantguardism… He was a symbolist and
Parnassean, a surrealist and superromanic
and much more, a rebel with a cause, a
renegade, a poet of pessimism and a poet
of orphic joy. Only such a poet could have
written such an ingenious poem as the
Pobratimstvo lica u svemiru (Fellowship
of Faces in the Universe).
77
TOURIST BOARDS
Central Dalmatia Tourist board
Office (Split and Dalmatia County)
Prilaz braće Kaliterna 10/I
HR-21000 Split CROATIA
tel.: +385 (0)21 490 032,
490 033, 490 036
fax: +385 (0)21 490 033,
490 036
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Tel./Fax.: +385 (0)21 827 460
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Zagora
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[email protected]
www.sinj.com
78
TRILJ TOURIST BOARD
HR-21240 Trilj, Bana Jelačića 8
Tel./Fax.: +385 (0)21 832 510
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IMOTSKI TOURIST BOARD
HR-21560 Imotski
Tel: +385 (0)21841 125
Fax: +385 (0)21841 078
VRGORAC TOURIST BOARD
HR-21276 Vrgorac, Tina Ujevića 32
Tel./Fax.: +385 (0)21 675 110
www.vrgorac.com
ZAGREB
PULA
OSIJEK
KARLOVAC
RIJEKA
SENJ
ZADAR
ŠIBENIK
TROGIR
Split
Šolta Brač
Vis
OMIŠ
MAKARSKA
Hvar
DUBROVNIK
Zagora
79
Zagora
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
80
Vrlika
Easter—guarding Christ’s tomb during Holy Week
April
Trilj
Eco-challenge
April/May
Sinj
International gallop races
May
Imotski
Imota—Croatian Festival of Mandolin Orchestras
May
Radošić
Bull festival
May
Vrgorac
Strawberry Days and village games
May/June
Vrlika
Evening of Folklore – Dalmatia at the drinking
fountain
July
Vrgorac
With Tin in Vrgorac
July
Imotski
Imotska sila—Raos Days in Medova Doca
July
Kostanje
Festival soparnika
July
Kostanje
Days of Mila Gojsalić
July
Sinj
Gallop races
July/
September
Sinj
Alka tournament and the Feast of the Assumption
(concerts, sports competitions, outdoor events)
July/August
Imotski
Zagvozd: Theatre Actors Festival in Zagvozd
July/August
Imotski
Our Lady of Angels, Imotski Day
August
Sinj
Bara, Čoja, Alka
August
Sinj
Reconstruction of the Sinj battle “Opsada”
August
Sinj
Feast of the Assumption
August
Trilj
Croatia Cup Equestrian Jumping Competition
August
Vrlika
Ero from Another World
August
Trilj
Days of St. Michael
September
Vrgorac
Biklijada—national tradition of drinking wine and
milk in honour of the grape harvest
September/
October
Sinj
Junior Equestrian Jumping Competition
October
Vrlika
Vrlika Day, celebrated on the Feast Day of Our
Lady of Roses, patron saint of the town
October
Publisher:
Central Dalmatia Tourist board Office  
(Split and Dalmatia County)
Split and Dalmatia County
For the publisher:
Joško Stella
Mili Razović
Editor:
Joško Belamarić
Text: Joško Belamarić
Translation:
SPES, Zagreb
Design:
Mario Brzić
Photos:
Joško Belamarić
Mario Brzić
Raul Brzić
Andrija Carli
Prepress:
Studio Tempera