Croatia is recognised on the tourist map of Europe as a country with a lot of potential, but how can we best present the cultural heritage, historical, natural and all of the other sights that our country abounds in?

In Split-Dalmatia County, they found an innovative formula – the Dalmatia storytelling destination project, which revives characters steeped in heritage in museums and other important sites and creates thematic interpretive walks. This is a unique project in Croatia and Europe, within which 23 thematic interpretation walks were created and 16 heritage characters were revived.

Projekt nije namijenjen samo turistima, već i domaćim stanovništvu. Cilj projekta je kreirati turističke The project is intended for tourists, but also for locals, and works to create tourist experiences through the telling of authentic stories, which will be commercially available to the public through the county storytelling platform in the form of finished tourist products such as themed interpretation walks and costumed guides, storytelling trips and storytelling events. The aim of the project is to preserve and present Dalmatian cultural heritage and develop an offer encompassing year-round tourism in Split-Dalmatia County.

As part of the project activity of reviving heritage characters, costumed heritage interpreters (educated tourist guides or curators) will present the specifics of the museums and/or sites through the life stories of the people they’re dressed as to visitors. As such, they’ll make the stories authentic, picturesque, emotional, interactive and introduce visitors to an experience where together with the performers, they’ll immerse themselves in a kind of time machine from which they’ll emerge richer in knowledge and understanding towards the heritage story they were told and the place they visited.

As part of Dalmatia Storytelling, Split’s museums will take you on a journey through time where you will experience all of this area’s sheer beauty and sights in full splendor, but also feel sadness, passion, joy, defiance, love – life drivers that lead to wars, and which sometimes direct the circumstances quite unexpectedly, differently, but always interestingly. Travelling through the paths of Split’s stories is a way to emotionally immerse yourself in Split and peek into the souls of its people.

BIRA MARULIĆ’S TOUR, A NOBLE FROM THE 16TH CENTURY AND THE SISTER OF MARKO MARULIĆ

INTERPRETER: GORANA GALIĆ

LOCATION: THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF SPLIT

Bira MaBira Marulić was a truly special woman, and with an interpretive walk with this noblewoman (played by a performer) through the Museum of the City of Split, you will learn many interesting things about Marko Marulić, the author of the historical epic – Judita. Visitors will be offered a view of Renaissance and humanistic Split within the permanent exhibition of the museum, located in the Gothic-Renaissance palace of the Papalić family. Back during the 16th century, it was a gathering place for the intellectual cream of the crop of the City of Split, led by the literary bard, Marko Marulić, who enjoyed a great, firm friendship with this family. Back then, of course, Bira wasn’t part of that “male world.” She decided very early on that she would be ordained in a nearby Benedictine monastery next to Dioletian’s Palace, but despite that, she remained closely associated with her brother Marko.

Stoga će vam interpretatorica koja utjelovljuje plemkinju Biru, sestru oca hrvatske književnosti Marka M

Therefore, the interpreter who embodies Bira the noblewoman, the sister of the father of Croatian literature Marko Marulić, but also a witness of that time, will present the way of life in Renaissance Split, providing her insight as a noblewoman, who witnessed very many turbulent historical and political events.

In her story, she points out the poor position of women at that time who were left as widows or without their fathers and brothers, and thus without the protection of the breadwinners, so they would often seek protection within the walls of the monastery of St. Benedict and the church of St. Euphemia, some of them becoming nuns.

THE MAGDA LUPIS TOUR – TORPEDO INVENTOR IVAN LUPIS’ RELATIVE

LOCATION: THE CROATIAN MARITIME MUSEUM IN SPLIT

INTERPRETER: PETRA BLAŽEVIĆ

If you want to experience the heritage of millennial Adriatic seafaring in an innovative way, join this interpretation tour with Petra Blažević, a curator disguised as a lady from the 19th century.

In going through the museum’s exhibit, you will be able to imagine what it would have been like to live in these exciting episodes of the past. Mrs. Magda Lupis will introduce you into this proverbial time machine and together you will embark on an exciting journey. Thanks to the method of costumed interpretive guidance, you will have the opportunity to gain a completely new experience by following the timeless Miss Magda, a cousin of the famed torpedo inventor Ivan Lupis.

The whole tour revolves around one ordinary break that all travellers, including tourists themselves, experience while traveling to their various Adriatic destinations. This break, however, will be anything but ordinary. The year is 1866, and Magda is on a steamboat trip on the Gruž-Rijeka route and is currently preparing to visit the museum during a break between the arrival and departure of the ship from the Port of Split. If you want to experience Croatian history with the taste of salt in the company of a brave adventurous woman, feel her passion in discovering something new, and also hear interesting stories about the great invention of the torpedo, don’t miss out on time travelling 155 years back to Split’s Gripe Fortress.

THE REVIVAL OF AUTHENTIC HISTORICAL AND LOVE STORIES FROM VELI VAROS

INTERPRETERS: BOŠKO PAPIĆ AND IVAN BARANOVIĆ

LOCATION: VELI VAROS Interpreters dressed as the famous Mayor of Split Ivo Tartaglia and local fisherman Roko, along with his beloved Cicibella, will take you for a walk through this picturesque suburb. You will learn all the interesting things about this part of Split, and also peek into human destinies, which wrap around these stories like a piece of very fine silk. The special feature of this tour is the discovery of what is not written in tourist guides, real life, woven with many emotions of the local population.

Posebnost ove ture je otkrivanje onoga što ne piše u turističkim vodičima, realnog života, istkanog The tour starts from Matejuška, a small fishing port where the inhabitants live from fishing, before turning to the south side of Varoš where the monastery of St. Francis from the 13th century can be found. Not far from the monastery at that time, the smell of sulfur could be strongly felt. Sulfur springs were discovered by Emperor Diocletian and springs were regularly used for healing, women also used to wash clothes at that same spring.

Walking through the small stone streets, visitors will discover what else the people of Split built in the 16th century in order to attempt to defend themselves from the Ottoman conquests, as well as what motives were the eternal inspiration of the famous painter Emanuel Vidović. Roko explains in his own way another peculiarity of Split – a specific sense of humor, prone to ridicule and sarcasm. Roko recounts what the game of hats looks like in moments of entertainment for the locals and how important wine is to them. Mayor Tartaglia presents local taverns as an indispensable part of the town’s folklore and fraternity and explains the role of faith in the lives of the townspeople who always dream and hope for a better life. It must be noted that this particular tour isn’t currently adapted for people with disabilities.

THE STORY OF DON FRANE BULIĆ

VENUE: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF SPLIT

INTERPRETER: NINO ŠVONJA

This costumed interpretive walk begins at the entrance to the museum where Don Frane Bulić, more precisely the performer in the modern day, talks about the history of the museum, with a well-known anecdote about the acquisition of the money for the construction of the building itself.

Kostimirana interpretacijska šetnja počinje na ulazu u Muzej gdje don Frane Bulić, odnosno interpretator, g

THE STORY OF DON FRANE BULIĆ

VENUE: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF SPLIT

INTERPRETER: NINO ŠVONJA

This costumed interpretive walk begins at the entrance to the museum where Don Frane Bulić, more precisely the performer in the modern day, talks about the history of the museum, with a well-known anecdote about the acquisition of the money for the construction of the building itself.

The lapidary can be visited during this tour, as can all of the stone monuments. Don Frane managed to purchase the sarcophagus of Valeri Dinent and his wife for the museum, the only unlooted sarcophagus in Salona (the modern day Solin). Don Frane mentions another sarcophagus – the Sarcophagus of the Good Shepherd. When the building was being constructed, he first had a sarcophagus erected, and only then did he erect a tower so that the sarcophagus could never be carried away.

INTERPRETATION TOPIC: OLGA MESTROVIC ON IVAN MESTROVIC

INTERPRETER: IRIS MARINOVIC

LOCATION: THE MESTROVIC GALLERY This tour is a reflection of Meštrović’s family life through the memories of his wife, Olga Meštrović. The backbone of the thematic storytelling are the personal experiences and memories from the family life of the artist’s wife who talks about the artist’s profession and his work – sculptures which are in the permanent exhibition of the gallery.

The direction of this tour follows the chronology of events in their family and life. The tour begins in the garden with a conversation about the construction of a villa in Meje, with a look at the beautiful moments enjoyed as part of family life, in the central hall the theme is getting to know the artist and his wife, their love, their marriage and Olga’s character, which is very much present in her husband’s stunning sculptures. More can be learned about their children and Meštrović’s mother, and about the family habits and what was on the menu and on the dining table back then. On the upper floor, attention is drawn to the sculptures that reflect the physiognomy of Olga, as well as Meštrović himself.

INTERPRETATION TOPIC: RUŽA MEŠTROVIĆ AND THE STORY OF IVAN MEŠTROVIĆ

INTERPRETER: VESNA BULIĆ BAKETIĆ

LOCATION: THE MEŠTROVIĆ GALLERY IN SPLIT

Rosa Elizabeth Klein was Meštrović’s first, and very artistically gifted wife, who skillfully mingled in the artistic and intellectual circles of various European capitals, which significantly helped the affirmation of Meštrović as an artist. The tour begins on the central plateau in the Gallery’s garden or under the porch, where visitors are introduced to the house’s history and architecture. What follows is a tour of Meštrović’s works from the Viennese and London periods of his life.

The inner part of the tour starts from the room where one of Rosa’s more sensual, feminine sculptures is located. By the way, the Gallery also houses two works, which she made herself.

In the Secession exhibition room there is also a sculpture called Girl Singing, for which the model was Olga Klein, Rosa’s youngest sister. Rosa talks about her childhood, youth and the circumstances of meeting a young Slavic sculpture student in the Austrian capital of Vienna, in a very interesting historical period.

In the central hall next to the Vestalka sculpture, stories about the life of artists across Europe follow. The sacral hall contains a theme that constantly runs through Meštrović’s oeuvre, and is especially intense during the construction of the mausoleum of the Račić family down in Cavtat. These sculptures were created as a result of the artist’s sculptural maturity in the 1930s and the beginning of his family life. Here is where Rosa ends her story, passing away in 1942, with Meštrović continuing to live his life with his new family.

INTERPRETATION TOUR: MARKO UVODIĆ FROM SPLIT

INTERPRETER: HRVOJE COKARIĆ AND MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ

LOCATION: THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND ZOO

The interpretation tour includes short stories by Marko Uvodić, published in his work Libar. The focus is on the coexistence of man and donkey in Split, at the beginning of the 20th century. In practice, this is a fifty-minute costumed interpretation of historical heritage, which begins with a walk in the fishing port of Matejuška, through Veli Varoš, and ends in the forest on Marjan, above the church of St. Nicholas. The interpreting team includes both an interpreter and a donkey.

The story relies more on research and the presentation of the coexistence of man and donkey in the Split of old, rather than on highlighting the historical locations of Veli Varoš and Marjan. The focus is placed on bringing the culture of the Split peasant closer, in the historical, political and cultural context of the then Split and of Europe as a whole.

The introduction refers to the then culture of the “little man” from a rather cynical point of view, avoiding the glorification of the local culture. This sort of interpretation is approached critically and satirically and the presentation is suitable for groups of 2 to 20 people. In addition to the standard fifty-minute interpretation, there is also a shortened version of 30 minutes, which ends at the first lookout, and a more extensive version of 70 minutes, which ends at the Split Zoo. The interpretation tour is suitable for people over the age of 10, but is not suitable for people with disabilities due to the relatively long walk involved in the tour.

The idea behind the Dalmatia Storytelling destination is a unique storytelling platform that allows you to get better acquainted with unforgettable, authentic, emotional Croatian stories through something different and unusual.

In this edition of the article, we’re going to take you in search of Viver, a mythical creature that lives in the hidden caves of the mystical Brač village of Dol, a walk with the Renaissance poet Petar Hektorović, and to get to know the cultural heritage of Komiža – a wealth of fishing heritage.

“In search of Viver”

Interpreter: Ivana Gospodnetić

The inhabitants of Dol on Brač know about the mythical creature that hides in their caves, and they call him Viver. He can only be found in Dol, and if you are lucky, you might even be able to hear him calling.

About the village of Dol:

Dol belongs to a series of twelve old medieval settlements located in the interior of the island of Brač, sheltered at the end of a deep fertile valley, surrounded by steep hills topped with beautiful medieval churches, and at the foot of inexhaustible springs of water. Today it has about a hundred inhabitants living there, and at the very entrance to this small place lie breathtaking houses traditionally covered with stone slabs, as well as numerous caves made up of the grainy hrapućuša stones which were once human dwellings, which are currently used as shelters for cattle, places in which to keep firewood, a dwelling for pigeons, owls, but also Viver!

About the walk:

In an interpretive walk through the village, we’ll take you to meet the mythical creature that hides in the caves of Dol – Viver. One guide will embody many Dol locals who will take you to the past of this little village and directly to some of the legends and beliefs of its inhabitants.

This cultural-interpretive walk is carried out as part of the Dalmatia Storytelling destination project. It is dedicated to Petar Hektorović. It takes us back in time, deep into the past, and teaches us how the hand of fate brought Petar Hektorović to Tvrdalj, and how he wrote his ‘’stone book’’ in Tvrdalj. It then points out the reasons that prompted Hektorović to write his famous work “Fishing and Fishermen’s Talk’’, what his favourite cake was, what it was like to live in Stari Grad at the time of the plague, which Saint Roch (Sveti Rok) means to Stari Grad and what Petar’s role in all of that really was. It also tells us about his granddaughter Julija and the famous Tintoretto.

The interpretive tour of the Renaissance poet Petar Hektorović is the story of a person who was born during the awakening and renaissance on the island of Hvar. In a cycle of virtues and abilities, we will discover how he could swim strongly and resourcefully like a fish in their very own pond. Tvrdalj, the ‘’Fishing and Fishermen’s Talk’’ book, the Saint Roch Church and St. Peter the Martyr, is a thematic line that follows his life, actions and eventually – his death.

“At my Fortress, the fortress which adopted me” begins the story of the life of the famous Renaissance poet and nobleman Petar Hektorović. The saga reveals the details of the situation from life on the island of Hvar way back in the sixteenth century and how, under the scarlet cloak of this most unusual nobleman, and yet a true representative of the Renaissance period, the heart of a man who loved, understood and appreciated people regardless of their class and affiliation, beat strongly.

Tvrdalj

The starting point of the storytelling tour about Petar Hektorović is the easily visible facade of the Tvrdalj summer house. In front of the building, guests get the impression of the size of the building, which is followed by a story about the no less famous poet. Through the main wooden door you enter the “portego”, a lobby with barrel vaults, numerous antique chests and an attractive toilet area from back in the sixteenth century. Heading out on the south side, you enter the very heart of Tvrdalj, a real microcosm in which all God’s beings are welcome.

Our host, the good spirit of Tvrdalj, teleports us into an oasis of peace and quiet, dominated by a real glittering emerald pond, framed by stone arcades and inscriptions from all over the world.

A view to the north reveals an interesting construction of a gazebo tower and a dovecote. From there we head over to the “glamorous” park. There sits an oval stone table and there is an interpretation of Hektorovic’s famous ‘’Fishing and Fishermen’s Talk’’. In that very place and at that same old stone table, on clear days, Hektorović received friends, and enjoyed singing songs with them, feasting on Stari Grad peppercorns paired with a glass of prosecco. Heading from the park along the corridor to the west, we come to an ethnographic collection with exhibits of typical Hvar cuisine and a tavern where the Hektorović family used to gather together for a meal.

Saint Roch’s Church

This church is ideologically connected to the character and works of Petar Hektorović, who made the designs, financed the construction, and bequeathed the funds for its completion. He built this church and gave it as a gift to his city and his people in need, without whom he would not have completed his stone symphony, his Tvrdalj. Namely, back when the plague was ravaging Europe, people were influenced by St. Roch and sought help, so, Hektorović, being more noble than any other nobleman, decided to build a church with the name of that saint on his own property. In constructing Tvrdalj, Petar Hektorović built a strong friendship with the local people and in that way, he thanked them.

The Church of Saint Peter the Martyr

This church is the final resting place of Petar Hektorović and his mother Katarina. Above the main door of the church is an inscription about the unpleasant events which occurred back in 1571 when the marauding Ottomans attacked all of the major towns on the island of Hvar, including Petar’s own Tvrdalj in beautiful Stari Grad. The museum of the Dominican monastery, which is located within the church itself, preserves the unique Tintoretto altarpiece that once adorned the tomb and altar of the Hektorović family. The motif on the altarpiece “The Lamentation of Christ” hides an interesting fact within, and is therefore an unmissable point of interest for every single visitor.

This concludes the interpretive walk and the thematic line that follows and honorus the life, work and the death of Petar Hektorović.

Interpreter: Klaudija Gamulin

Komiža’s fishing cultural heritage

Interpreter: Dora Čukušić

The Church of St. Mary is often referred to as the Church of Our Lady of the Pirates. It is located on the beach and was built throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is closely associated with the numerous legends of pirates and the fishing heritage of Komiža, the oldest fishing village in the entire Adriatic.

Throughout history, the islanders have struggled with many adversities including pirate attacks. There are a few legends about pirates and the origin of the name of this church, and one legend says that pirates once stole a picture of the Virgin Mary during the robbery of the church, but they couldn’t sail with her on board at all, managing only when they threw her off the ship.

Another legend says that they successfully sailed away with all of the treasure, but they were caught in a severe storm and they began to become unstuck and slowly sink, but the picture’s end was a little different…

As for the construction of the church, there are several variants, in one church document from local folk tales it is stated that a man from the Ivčević family was told three times in a dream that a picture of the Mother of God was somewhere on the shore and then he ended up discovering it in a small cave while fishing in the Komiža waves.

According to another story about the construction of the church, the Mother of God appeared to a fisherman while he was fishing and told him to go to the pastor and tell him to build a chapel for her. The pastor did not trust the fisherman at all until he read with his own eyes the miraculous inscription of Our Lady on the fisherman’s back and then set out to build her the most beautiful church possible.

The Bishop of Hvar approved the construction of this church with a bull issued in Zadar back in 1513. Local fishermen’s income from catching sardines, mackerel, anchovies and other species successfully supported the fraternity, the Parish church of St. Nicholas and the church of Our Lady of the Pirates, and the prayers addressed to the Mother of God ensured their protection and blessing, or so the people of Komiža believe.

A source of water flows beneath the church…

Thanks to having a very specific geological background, the island of Vis has its own drinking water which comes up from underground and just below this church lies one of the water sources that flows through the channels from the central altar through to the beautifully decorated well which boasts reliefs of biblical scenes out in the churchyard.