Brač
- Not to be confused with BRAC
Brač (Latin Bratzis, Italian: Brazza) is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the third largest island in the Adriatic, and thus the largest in Dalmatia. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic. The island has a population of 13,000, living in numerous little towns, ranging from the 'main town' Supetar, with more than 3,500 inhabitants, to Novo Selo, where only a dozen people live.
Other towns and villages on the island include Bol, Škrip (the oldest village, from preroman times), Pučišća, Splitska, Postira, Nerežišće, Donji Humac, Mirca, Gornji Humac, Dol, Sutivan, Sumartin, Praznica, Murvica, Povlja, Dračevica, Ložišća and many more.
The economy of Brač is based mostly on tourism, but fishing and agriculture (especially wine and olives) are very important too, as is its precious white stone (which was used in building Diocletian's Palace in Split, and is built into the White House in Washington, DC, too). Historically, Brač was famous for goats; even Pliny comments that from the island of Brattia (the Latin name for the island) comes excellent cheese, wine and olive oil.
History
Archeological findings date the existence of human communities on the island even back to the palaeolithic (in the Kopačina cave between Supetar and Donji Humac). Nevertheless, there are no traces of human inhabitation from the neolithic. Only in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, illyrian tribes populate the inner parts of the island. Numerous villages were existing in that time (but none of them survived).
In the 4th century BC greek colonization protruted over many adriatic islands and along the shore, but none of them on Brač. Nevertheless they visited the island and also traded with the illyric tribes, greek artefacs were found in the bay of Vičja near Ložišća. Brač laid on the crossroads of several trade routes from Salona (today Solin) to Issa (today Vis) and the Po River.
In the year 9, the Romans finally conquer Dalmatia after long fights against the native tribes. Salona becomes the capital of the new province, and probably because of its nearness to Salona, no bigger villages or towns are founded on the island. Signs of Roman population can be found all over the islands, but they usually remain single Roman villas, cisterns, and especially early quarries between Škrip and Splitska. Splitska also becomes the most important harbour to carry stone to Salona and the whole of Dalmatia. Diocletian's Palace, which is later to become the seed of closeby Split, is built in this time with the stone that is cut here. Also agriculture, especially wine and olives, started in that time.
After the descruction of Salona by Avar and Slavic tribes, Brač first becomes a refugee for many a denizen of the shore. Traditionally, Škrip was founded by refugee Salonans, but the town is actually is much older than that. Nominally, the island was then part of the Byzantine Empire. Neretvians joined the population of the island, and the island became part of Pagania (Narentia) in the 10th century. In 1050, together with the rest of Pagania, it became part of the Croatian realm.
In the 12th century, as the Croatian influence faded, because Croatia became part of Hungary, Brač is able to gain and keep independent for almost two centuries. From 1268 to 1357 they recognize the supermacy of the Republic of Venice, and after that they bow to Hungary again. In the summer of 1390, together with the whole region, they accept the rule of the Bosnian King Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić, who dies the next year. Soon after his death, Hungary claims the island again. In the whole time they keep their basic autonomy and old strutctures -- basically, because the island is never rich or strategically interesting enough to justify the effort of a change. Local nobility administrated and ruled the island, and the seat of the council was Nerežišća in the center of the island. The island leader was voted on from the noble families. Only in 1420 the venetian republic reclaims the island again, and finally they send someone to lead the island.
Venice rules until 1797, for more than four centuries. The official language is latin. During this time, the bosnian realm falls to the Ottoman Empire, and many refugees settle on the islands, especially on Brač. Many towns were founded in that time, and the population starts moving from the interior of the island to its coast: Bol, Milna, Postira, Povlja, Pučišća, Splitska, Sumartin, Supetar i Sutivan.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the rule of Venice fell, and Brač was administrated by France for a short time. In 1807, Petar I Njegoš of Montenegro managed to seize Brač and Korčula with the help of the Russian navy. In the Congress of Vienna in 1814 the island was given to the Austrian Empire. Brač was incorporated into the Austrian crownland of Dalmatia since 1815, a part of Cisleithania of the Monarchy of Austria-Hungary since 1867. After the fall of Austria-Hungary 1918, Brač became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
The population of the island was drastically decreased in the beginning of the 20th century due to heavy emigration, mostly to Latin America, especially Argentina and Chile, and New Zealand and Australia. The emigration continued during the whole century, only later generations preferrably moved to European countries, especially Germany.
In 1941 Italian forces occupy the island. In the moountaneous regions of the islands, native rebels fight a quite effective guerilla war, but the occupants answer harshly with arrests and executions. After the Italian capitulation in 1943, German troops occupy the island in June 1944, but already in July they are beaten again and the island is freed. As part of Croatia it becomes part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, until Croatia gained its independence in 1991. The war of independence in Croatia was barely fought on the island (there was a brief bombing of Milna), but the aftermath of the war, especially the loss in tourism, was disastrous for the island. Only now the island is regenerating from the decade long drainage of its most important economical branch.
Literature
- Prirodne osnove otoka Brača, Bračni zbornik, vol. 14, Ivo Marinković, ed., SIZ za kulturu općine Brač, Supetar, 1984
- Povijest otoka Brača, Dasen Vrsalovic, Publisher: Skuptina općine Brač, Savjet za prosvjetu i kulturu, Supetar, 1968, OCLC: 8993839
External links
- IslandBrac.com: Island of Brač photogallery
- Kuća Dol Dol Village and Photos of Bračde:Brač
et:Brač fr:Brač hr:Brač it:Isola di Brazza nl:Brač pl:Brač ru:Брач sr:Брач fi:Brač