Fisherman's legacy and the light of the underworld
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Grad Komiža
Komiža and Biševo preserve the unique heritage of the Adriatic – from natural wonders to cultural and historical monuments. The Blue and Medvidina caves bear witness to the beauty and power of the sea, while the Komuna Castle and the Fisherman’s Museum tell the story of centuries-old fishing tradition and the unique falkuša boats. The fortified monastery and church of St. Nicholas, known as Muster, have been the spiritual and defensive center of Komiža for centuries, and special rituals are still held there today. In the 20th century, fishing skills turned into industry – fish processing factories and the legendary Neptune have fed Komiža for more than a century. All these stories together form a mosaic of life in which the sea, faith and work have shaped the identity of this place.
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Points of interest
#1
Fisherman's Museum (Commune)
Komuna, the castle in Komiža, was built in 1585 on a small cape of the Komiža harbor. It has a quadrangular shape with walls that widen diagonally at the bottom, and on the north and west walls there are stone rings for mooring ships. The walls end with a battlement with openings for defense. They contain cannon mouths, narrow loopholes and square openings. Above the entrance door there is an inscription and the coat of arms of the Venetian prince and governor Ivan Grimani, which states that the castle was built with his efforts. On the north wall it is also emphasized that the construction was financed by the income from fishing of Komiža near the island of Biševo, and not by Venetian state money. Next to the inscription there is a relief of a winged lion, the only remaining symbol of the Venetian Republic on the island. The interior of the castle is vaulted with solid vaults that rest on a central column. On the first floor there is a Gothic arch, and a staircase leads to the terrace. After the Austrian disarmament of the island of Vis in 1879, the Komiža municipality purchased the castle and housed its administrative offices. At that time, a clock tower was added to the facade. Today, the Commune houses the Fisherman's Museum. The museum houses a collection of objects related to fishing and shipbuilding, which made Komiža famous on the Adriatic. The exhibits include original pieces of fishing and ship equipment, as well as objects related to fish processing, which was once particularly developed in Komiža. The most valuable exhibit is a replica of the Komiža gajeta falkuša. A falkuša was a special fishing boat about nine meters long and slightly less than three meters wide. It could carry a crew of six fishermen and up to eight tons of fish. The mast was nine meters high, and the sailing speed reached up to ten nautical miles per hour. It was built exclusively from pine from the island of Svec. The last original falkuša, called Cicibela, was destroyed in a storm in 1986. The tradition of building these boats was later restored, and three new falkushas are used today for tourist and cultural purposes.
#2
Church of St. Nicholas (Muster)
The monastery and church of St. Nicholas, known in Komiža as Muster, were first mentioned in the mid-13th century as a branch of the monastery on Biševo. Tradition has it that the Benedictines left Biševo due to pirate attacks and built a fortified monastery on a hill above Komiža. At the end of the century, the monastery became independent and had its own abbot. In addition to agriculture, the monks were also involved in trade and owned a ship named St. Nicholas. Muster was a Benedictine monastery until the 15th century, and after their departure the church was expanded over the centuries and became the parish and cemetery church of Komiža. The oldest part of the present-day five-nave church is a Romanesque building from the 13th century, today's northern nave with a semicircular sanctuary. There used to be a cloister and residential buildings next to it. Two towers have been preserved from the fortress: the southern one from the 13th century, one of the oldest in Dalmatia, and a smaller tower on which a bell tower was built in the 18th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the church was additionally fortified due to Turkish threats. During the attack of 1571, the monastery was destroyed, and new fortifications were carried out in 1645 by building a bastion on the northern side. At the end of the 18th century, bronze cannons were placed on its peaks. The interior of the church is marked by wooden and marble altars. The large wooden altar is considered one of the best examples of local woodcarving. The Bethlehem altar from 1692 is among the oldest preserved depictions of the nativity scene in Croatia. The church also houses numerous tombstones with inscriptions and coats of arms from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and the choir has an organ from 1895. Muster is also known for two rituals: the celebration of St. Nicholas and the Quarantors. On the feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, an old wooden ship is burned in front of the church. The ashes are used to bless new ships, symbolizing Komižan's connection with the sea. Kvarantore is a ceremony of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that lasts forty hours. It begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Tuesday evening, a week before Easter. In Komiža, this custom is observed in its original form, without major changes since the 18th century. The altars are decorated with red cloth, flowers, candlesticks and statues, and more than 120 candles are burned during the ceremony. The muster has thus been a place of defense, a parish church and a center of religious customs throughout the centuries. Its history and present-day rituals testify to the enduring connection of Komižan with faith and the sea.
#3
Neptune Factory
In the first half of the 20th century, Komiža experienced a strong rise in the fishing industry. It was here that the first industrial facilities in Dalmatia were built – factories where sardines and other blue fish were packed and fried. Products from Komiža were in demand throughout Europe. A special role was played by the women who worked in these factories, called tobakines. They were named after the tobacco factory in Rovinj, because before the establishment of the Komiža factories on the eastern Adriatic coast, there were only tobacco factories, not fishing industries. Many of these women came from other parts of Dalmatia and the Dalmatian hinterland, contributing to the demographic picture of Komiža. After World War II, production began to decline. Some of the factory owners emigrated, and only the Neptun factory, reorganized according to the principles of self-management socialism, continued to operate. The factory was of great importance to the local population because it employed almost every worker and provided security for families. The majority of employees were women. Neptun was known for processing sardines and anchovies, and it fed Komiža for more than a century. The factory operated until the Homeland War, when it was closed in 1993. It reopened two years later, precisely on the feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and fishermen. Despite the renovation, the factory ended up in bankruptcy in 2003. The reasons were non-payment of salaries, large debts and loss of market. The bankruptcy was initiated at the request of the workers themselves, who had previously organized a referendum against the factory's operation in the tourist town of Komiža. This closed the oldest fish processing factory in the Mediterranean, which for 135 years was the foundation of life in Komiža and an example of the fish industry from which they learned outside of Europe. The factory was then purchased for 14.7 million kuna by South African entrepreneur Philip Vermeulen, with the idea of starting a museum production that would fit into the tourist offer of the island of Vis. However, Neptun's production lines ended in Serbia, where the company Interfish launched a modern tuna processing plant.
#4
Blue Cave
The Blue Cave is located on the eastern side of the island of Biševo and is one of the most famous natural features of the Adriatic. It was introduced to the world in 1884 by the Viennese painter Eugen Baron Ransonnet. Since then, it has become one of the most visited places on the sea, and in 1951 it was declared a geomorphological monument of nature. Today's entrance to the cave was subsequently dug and adapted for visitors, while the original entrance was not the same. The cave is entered by organized boats from the nearby Mezoporat bay. The biggest special feature of the cave is the light phenomenon. There is light yellow sand at the bottom. When the sun shines on the submerged opening in the morning hours, the light reflects off the sand and illuminates the interior of the cave. Because of this, the rocks and water in the cave take on an intense blue color, which is how it got its name. Inside the cave, it is possible to notice another interesting feature - the natural shape of a white heart in the rock can be clearly seen on the ceiling. The cave is protected and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Swimming inside the cave is not permitted, in order to preserve its natural balance and protect the sensitive marine community. During the 2019 survey, 119 species of marine organisms were recorded in the cave, including five strictly protected ones. Today, the Blue Cave is an example of how natural beauty and scientifically explainable phenomena can attract great interest, but also a reminder that conservation should be more important than exploitation.
#5
Medvida's cave
The Medvidina špilja is located on the southern side of the island of Biševo, in the Trešjavac bay. It is the longest sea cave in the Adriatic, about 160 meters long. The entrance is 14 meters wide and more than 20 meters high, and then gradually narrows and lowers. At the very end of the cave there is a small beach that can only be reached by small boat. Due to its geological value, it was declared a geomorphological natural monument in 1967. The cave was named after the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), the only Mediterranean seal, which once lived there. The beach at the end of the cave served as a place where the monk seals rested and raised their young. Today, they are no longer in the cave, but their appearances are occasionally recorded in the Adriatic, and their population still exists in the nearby Aegean Sea. This is precisely why the cave remains an important habitat that is protected and preserved. The cave is semi-dark and completely dark, which is why it has become a refuge for many marine organisms. In the first part, you can often see the floats of the boyeri (Atherina boyeri), and deeper in the cave, numerous species of mysid crustaceans. The rocks are covered with various mosses, sponges and polychaetes, and you can also spot strictly protected species such as the starfish Ophidiaster ophidianus and the toothed snail (Luria lurida). The antenna shrimp (Stenopus spinosus), which is popular among visitors because of its appearance, is also of particular interest. Visits to Medvidina špilja are organized and take place under special rules. It is not allowed to use artificial lights, make noise or approach the beach at the end of the cave, as this could endanger the sensitive habitat. Medvidina špilja is today a significant natural value and a reminder of the former presence of one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Its protection helps preserve the biodiversity of the Adriatic and provides a chance for the Mediterranean monk seal to one day return to these waters.