ZAGORA

A cultural/historical guide
to the Zagora (inland)
region of Split-Dalmatia County

THE DALMATIAN
ZAGORA (INLAND)
Joko Belamari

THE DALMATIAN
ZAGORA (INLAND)
A cultural/historical guide
to the Zagora (inland)
region of Split-Dalmatia
County

Zagora

14

Klis

24

Cetinska krajina

Zagora

58 Biokovo, Imotski,
Vrgorac

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 Dalmatias course wastelands has for centuries been
sundered from the broad seas that lead to a wider world. The experience
of saying ones goodbyes to the thin line of Dalmatia that has strung
itself under the mountains 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, ikola and Cetina Rivers, the quivering of grain on Petrovo, Hrvatac and Vrgorac Fields, on

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 Lovri
during the Baroque period, Dinko imunovi and
Ivan Raos not so long ago to Ivan Aralica and, in
his own way, Miljenko Jergovi today.

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
provinces 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 delm or dalm
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,

Zagora

like Diocletian, tried to renew Romes 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. Dalmatias 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 SplitDalmatia
County is made up of former core of the Dalmatian Krajinaregions 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

Zagora

18th centuries. An important role was played in these wars by the

local populace, under the leadership of their Serdari, Harambai
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 itluk 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 Dalmatias 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

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 (Rado
Ante Michieli Vitturi in particular, founder of
the Agricultural Academy in Luki), 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

Zagora

roads built during the French administration at the start of the 19th
century when Dalmatia already had a population of 308,108compared to only 50,000 in 1650 or its 108,090 inhabitants in 1718. The
demographic growth of the eighty years that followed the Poarevac
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 Lovri.
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 Kai-Mioi.
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
vrada) existed up to the 19th century; Hajduci
(outlaws); Ojkanjea kind of singing that draws
its roots from the oldest ethnic substratethat
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, Drni,
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 (komiluk) 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 Trogirs
Pantana to rnovnica, including the areas 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 forts 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 Princes 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 ubis and Nelipis. 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, itluk, Vrlika, Knin and
the Butinica 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 itluk and
beyond via Prolog; the third road went
through Trilj and further into Bosnia via
Aran and Buko 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 Krui. It then became the centre of the Turkish
Sandak (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

17

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 Kruis tower at its highest point. In
the mid 17th century, Venetian engineers Magli and Santini designed
several bastions in the forts first and third encircling wall, also
constructing a new cistern, munitions storage facility and quarters
for the forts 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. Para of motifs from the history
of Klis.
Situated between the Salona basin and the Cetina region, the karst
fields of Dicam and Mu were of key strategic and transportation
significance, even in prehistoric times and antiquity, to which battles fought during Batons 1st century Illyrian rebellion against the
Augustean legions bear witness.
The Vranjaa 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. Ivanievi 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
itluk) and to the northeast (Pons Tilurithe 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 Splits 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 Radoi). Its eastern border was at rnovnica,
and towards Split at Suhi most in Dujmovaa. 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 Lopuka 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., Caesars legions
led by Consular Gabinius experienced a horrible defeat in the pass at
Sinodium (a yet undiscovered locality), between the Drni Promina
(Promona) and Mu (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 Mu 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 Mu Donji (Church of Our Lady) and Mu Gornji
(Church of St. Peter) or, exceptionally, as in the case of Konjsko,
around the picturesque manor of the noble Split family Tartaglia
(originally Jakovljevi). 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 protg 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 Mu 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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24

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 Kamenica), 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 Perua.
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 Omi. 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
VrlikaKnin 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 Zorani (1536) a well known
utopian journey in the first fiction prose
of Croatian Renaissance literature,
where Zorani 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 Ztna meaning door, describing
the rivers 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 Omi Dinara
mountains, parallel to the coast. It is
calmed, bordered by the poplar trees
among the fields near Zakuac, before
the stone gates at Omi 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 Omi (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 Batons 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 (commanders
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
BurnumIvoevci above the Krka River). A stonemasons 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 peina (Noble Cavewith

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 StoneBronze 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).

Petkovi house in Sinjs Vrlika 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 Splits Archaeological Museum.

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Cetinska krajina
32

Trilj
The most important passage across the Cetina River already existed
in prehistoric and later eras (Pons Tiluriby the military camp at Gardunrecorded 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 avina. It
was first mentioned in 1371 as the town of the
Cetina prince Ivan II Nelipi. 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 Priblaa and
Dugia, a large prehistoric lake-dwelling settlement was discovered.
Above the settlement uste 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 todays Sinj (the Delmati Osinium), there was the planned
town of Aequum (without any earlier Illyrian settlement predecessor), which today is itluk. 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 itluk 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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Cetinska krajina

Cetinska krajina

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Cetinska krajina
38

Sinj
Tombstones were unearthed in Rudui under the hill Grad in Sinj
(today on display in the Cetina Region MuseumMCK) 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 AgesFsini (1341), Zyn (1345, when Croatian-Hungarian
King Ljudevit the Great gave this to Ivan Nelipii 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, Udoviii, 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: ubi, Frankopan, Talovac and
Nelipi who erected fortresses and
cities at Glava in the Dinara foothills,
in Vrlika, Potravlje, Sinj, on avina
(first mentioned in 1372) and Nutjak, a
fortress that was ruled over by Poljiki
Prince arko Draovei, 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
DellAcqua, 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 knights 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-pai eli), the flag waver with
assistants closed up by the alaj-au,
the commander of the alkar troops
and the final rider to compete)all
in authentic and richly ornamented
knights uniforms.

Cetinska krajina

Alka. This knights 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 bulls eye hit is
celebrated with music and gun salutes
from the small cannon in the Kamiak
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 18961926.
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 Kamiak 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 Lovri houses. At the southern entrance into the
town, a bridge was constructed over the Goruica 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 Bosanica or
Bosnian cyrillic, had a super-regional
character, preparing the continuation
of the tokavica literary standards of

the Croatian language. The greatest

work was written by friar Andrija Kai
Mioi: Pleasant Conversations of
Slavic people (1759)dedicated to
the poor, farmers and shepherds.
Kais 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 Gundulis 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 9th11th centuries was the
seat of the Vrhrika parish (Verchrecha: meaning top, river spring).
This parish included the towns: Glava, Prozor, Sinj, Trilj, Stolac,
Gradac, Nutjak and the Tugari and Poljika parishes. Of the five early Croatian districts (Imotski, Zminj, Klis and Drid) found within
the area of todays 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 Vuki Hrvatini, 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. Medovi, B. Buli) 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
ibenik humanist of the 15th century,
Juraj igoria researcher of the
ibenik 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 allantica 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 igori
of a lyric by Horatio whichfar from
the rough Illyrian areas in Medicis
Florencewould serve as the concetto
to Botticellis 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 vestibuleWestwerk
(with a private chapel upstairs) on the
western side and a bell tower on its
faade (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 ubretic and
Berislavic families (which each gave two
Bans)esteemed Croatian families of
the 14th and 15th centuries.

45

Cetinska krajina

Milan Begovi 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 Preoani na Cetini along
the southern edge of the Cetina Field.

46

Glava
This late medieval fortress from the 14th
15th century (with its preserved three story
round tower) was raised near Unita, above
the old road to the interior of Bosnia, which
on later maps was called Dinari.

Cetinska krajina

Ero. The national opera Ero by Jakov

Gotovac (Split 1895Zagreb 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 Croatians musical
piece, despite the first criticisms:
Yet another Croatian composer
has written an opera in vain. In the
excellent libretto by Milan Begovi,
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 folklorefrom 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 Ivani
Nelipi 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 girls choir Duni mi,
duni, laane).

47

Cetinska krajina

Poljica
A microregion surrounding Omi 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 tribesthe
Delmata and Daorsathat 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 Kaii, 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 (Radmans 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 Omi. On the cliffs above the river was the fortress
Vise (14th15th century).
Throughout the coastal mountains which separated the lower and
central Poljica and along the Omi 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 Zakuac and the hill-forts in the medieval fortress

Starigrad above Omi) have been recorded.
The narrow road blazed through the cliffs above Zakuac above the
Cetina River pass by the monument to Mila Gojsali (the work of
Ivan Metrovi), 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 todays 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 rivers mouth is the Chapel of
St. Peter in Prika, one of the most
significant early Croatian structures
from the 9th11th 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 Buli 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. Jurenamed 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: rnovnica, 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 rnovnica 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, Due).
The easternmost point of Poljica, Podgraa, is reached via the villages of Zveanje 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 Gojsalii dvori, which is
soon to house a memorial collection of the Poljica heroine Mila
Gojsali.

52

Cetinska krajina

Poljika Principality. The residents

of the villages on Mt. Mosor are
particularly proud of the history of their
Poljika Principality (the Peasants
Republic), an original medieval state
organization with 12 rural municipalities,
each with its own prince. The Poljika
Principality paid dues to the Turks
and the Venetians (also giving Venice
soldiers). The Principality had its own
set of laws (the Poljika Statute) thought
to be inspired by English humanist
Thomas Moore (14781535) 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 Poljika 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 akavian dialect, with
the Bosanica script (the Croatian
variant of cyrillic script). The territory
of the Principality was bounded by the
rnovnica River, the sea and the knee
of the Cetina River. The Principality
retained its autonomy right up until the
bloody battle near Stroanac in 1807
in an uprising against Napoleans army.
The last Poljika prince, Ivan ovi
escaped to Russian on a Russian ship.

53

Cetinska krajina

Not far from Sitno (the birthplace of the family of Antun Mihanovi,
author of Croatias 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 Ugrinovi. 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 steak
(traditional tombstone) raised in honour of another Poljica heroine,
Mara uljevi 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 arko Draojevi
(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, kudra 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

Maruli. He built the fortresses Nutjak (downstream from Trilj) and

Kunjak (Kuie behind the Omi Dinara mountains).
Towards the southeast, across the Cetina River canyon, stretch the
Omi 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 Omi 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
reliefthe 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 todays 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 faade
reflected over the channel that separates it from the islands of Bra
and Hvar and the Peljeac peninsula. The Makarska Riviera is bounded by Vrulje towards the west and Baina under the mouth of the
Neretva River to the east, and the ridge of Biokovo. Following the
Dubrovnik and Peljeac 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 Rogoznika 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 towersand its colour which varies
depending on the time of day and year

Biokovo is unquestionably Croatias 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 ibenik
about 1000 m high, offering a unique
landscape experience. Even more

beautiful is the belt of lush evergreen

plantspines 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 ibenik, 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. Barts 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 19081912, 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 Pupai. 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.
Steak (plural Steci). 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).

63

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 Nelipii at the source of the Vrljika River in
Proloac, but later had to be moved to Kamenmost, then to Otok
on Proloko blato, to Podgrae, to Dobre in Rogoznica and Omi.
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 akavian dialect used the term
to refer to peasants and shepherds
inland who used the tokavian 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
(misnicea rare eastern Mediterranean
bagpipe-like instrument).

67

Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac

on the hill Dikovaa in Zmijavci, just 8 km south of Imotski. Also

on this hill is a necropolis of steci.
A monument to 20th century Croatian poet Tin Ujevi is the work of
sculptor Kruno Bonjak (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 Lovre and the hill-fort on Koki in
Proloac (Epilentium?), and larger structures with the basilica in
Cista Velika (Tronum?), Zmijavci (Dikovaa), Proloac, on Gorica
in Soviiall 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,

Gavanua, their children, their guests
and all Gavans 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,
Gavanua, 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 Gavans 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 Gavanua, 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
Gods 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 Proloac
Situated northwest of Imotski. A particularly important archaeological zone through a series of centuries as it lies near the Badnevica
canyon in Proloac in the northwestern part of the Imotski field.
Here we find the ruins of the medieval fortress of Stjepan Vuki
Kosaa (mentioned in 1444), further adapted for the Turks, and the
late antiquity castle erected on the prehistoric hill-fort on Kokia
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 Runovii, 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

Proloko blato. In terms of karst forms,

Proloko 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, Knezovi Lake, Provalija,
Krenica, Jezerina, Lokviiko Lakeall
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, Utopie, Opaac, 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 Proloko
blato which preceded the monastery in
Imotski. During the winter months and
beginning of spring, all the sources
from Studenci and Riica 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 Buua was created in
autumn 2004 following the collapse of
the southwestern part of the Imotski field
in the Lokviii 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 Croatias greatest poets, Tin
Ujevi. Recently, the tower in which the poet was born on 5 July
1981 as the son of a local teacher was restored (called Fratrova
Monks, CukarinoviaCukarinovis or Kapetanova kulaCaptains
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 upa, 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 Geli 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 Napoleons Road.

Biokovo, Imotski, Vrgorac

Napoleons 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 ibenik. 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 dailymore 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 Zavores 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 Ujevi (1891-1955). Poet with

the most significant lyrical opus in 20th
century Croatia. Like his countryman
Ivan Metrovi 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 Pintorovi, 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
husbands 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, todays 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 ballads
romantic decasyllabic lines were
translated into German in 1775 by Johann
Wolfgang Goethe, into Latin by uro
Feri 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
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490 036
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Zagora

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78

TRILJ TOURIST BOARD

HR-21240 Trilj, Bana Jelaia 8
Tel./Fax.: +385 (0)21 832 510
turisticka.zajednica.trilj@st.htnet.hr
IMOTSKI TOURIST BOARD
HR-21560 Imotski
Tel: +385 (0)21841 125
Fax: +385 (0)21841 078
VRGORAC TOURIST BOARD
HR-21276 Vrgorac, Tina Ujevia 32
Tel./Fax.: +385 (0)21 675 110
www.vrgorac.com

ZAGREB

PULA

OSIJEK

KARLOVAC

RIJEKA
SENJ

ZADAR
IBENIK

TROGIR

Split

olta Bra
Vis

OMI
MAKARSKA

Hvar

DUBROVNIK

Zagora
79

Zagora

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

80

Vrlika

Easterguarding Christs tomb during Holy Week

April

Trilj

Eco-challenge

April/May

Sinj

International gallop races

May

Imotski

ImotaCroatian Festival of Mandolin Orchestras

May

Radoi

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 silaRaos Days in Medova Doca

July

Kostanje

Festival soparnika

July

Kostanje

Days of Mila Gojsali

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, oja, 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

Biklijadanational 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:

Joko Stella
Mili Razovi

Editor:

Joko Belamari

Text:

Joko Belamari

Translation:

SPES, Zagreb

Design:

Mario Brzi

Photos:

Joko Belamari
Mario Brzi
Raul Brzi
Andrija Carli

Prepress:

Studio Tempera