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TRADICIJA TRADITION

Ljudska ruka Ëesto ne vidi savrπenstvo cjeline dok podiæe dio ne-

kog sadræaja, koji tek u zavrπenome mozaiku iskazuje udivljenje od

kojega zastaje dah. Gradnja suhozidnih krajolika, kamenih kuÊa,

gumna, gradina i zdenaca koje su starosjedioci jadranskih otoka i

obala sustavno podizali, bez projektnih nacrta, izvire iz umjetniËkog

iskaza njihove intuitivne i praktiËne mudrosti temeljene na Ëvrstoj

suradnji s okruæjem u kojemu se æivi. Takvi izriËaji pradavne kamene

poezije iskazuju i snagu jedinstvene jednostavnosti u kojoj se æivot

predstavlja bez maski i suviπnih pridjeva.

The builder’s hand often fails to appreciate the perfection of the

whole during the process of building a future structure. Only when

a mosaic is complete, does it emerge as an awe-inspiring beauty

worthy of breathtaking admiration. Dry-stone masonry has been

widely practiced by the inhabitants of the Adriatic islands and littoral.

Without any designs, relying only on the artistic expression of their

intuitive and practical wisdom, rooted in close understanding of their

environments, stone masons built walls, houses, threshing floors,

forts and wells. These expressions of ancient poetry in stone also

testify to the power of unique simplicity where life appears without

masks and unnecessary attributes.

Piπe/By Goran StojanoviÊ

Fotografije/Photos Ivo Pervan

»ovjek je oduvijek svojim duhom i tijelom istraæivao prirodu, stvarajuÊi prostor za svoj dom s ognjiπtem,

pritom mijenjajuÊi krajolik u kome je nastojao utisnuti svoj otisak, znamen vlastite prilagodbe. U krajolicima gdje kamen, vjetar i sunce domi-niraju, Ëovjek nema veliku moguÊnost izbora za ovladavanje prostorom nego nuæno spoznaje da su prihvaÊenje, usklaenje i strpljiva po-

Vratite me u gromade, u klisure, u spletove gorja.

U zakone vjeËnosti moje djeviËanstvo Jure Kaπtelan, Jadikovka kamena

Return me to the rock masses, the cliffs, the mountain ranges.

Return my innocence to the laws of eternity. Jure Kaπtelan; Lament of a Stone

niznost jedini pristup kojim se moæe ostvariti opstojna suradnja s Prirodom.Povijest se moæe temeljito uËiti iz kamena. Drevne civilizacije oduvijek su ga mudro sla-gale u znakove i putokaze. U njega su unosili, ucrtavali ili urezivali mnoge sadræaje koji i danas zahtijevaju veliku strpljivost i pomno prouËava-nje. U dubinskim prizorima njegove strukture izlaze nam odgonetke, ponegdje i zatomljeni

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æivotni signali zapisani u fosilnim zapisima biljaka ili pradavnih biÊa koja su veÊ odavno nestala s naπih planetarnih horizonata. Kamena su pristaniπta, svjetionici, lukobrani, muli, mostovi i palaËe. Mnogi tornjevi i zidine, utvrde i kaπteli graeni su njime. Graditeljstvo je izriËaj uznesenog nadahnuÊa spuπtenog u ruke graditelja za prostor Ëovjeka. Namjene su mu razliËite. Tvre i drevna zdanja nose ga u sebi i oko sebe. Kamena graa uvijek se pomno birala za razliËite namjene te se prevozila i iz povijesnih kamenoloma na bliæa ili udaljena odredišta, u Dubrovnik s KorËule, u Split s BraËa, u Atenu iz Pentelikona, u Veneciju iz Istre. Graditeljska djela sagraena iz kamena podneblja otoka BraËa pokazuju nadahnute primjere umjetniËkog iskaza; pustinja Blaca saæimlje se u molitvu, Dioklecijanova palaËa prkosi snagom dostojanstva upuÊenog moru i kopnu, trogirska i šibenska katedrala uzviπeno streme nebu, a dræavniËki se poslovi odvijaju u kamenim zdanjima Bijele kuÊe u Washingtonu te parlamentima BeËa i Budimpeπte.Kamen se pretvara u posebnu sveËanost kada se od njega oblikuju zaglavlja, bifore, rozete i zvonici, arkade i crkve, krajputaπi, kameni te-meljci, balustrade, zdenci, mlinovi i krstionice. U njemu je oduvijek titrao æivot, koji se Ëesto izraæavao i kao kakav okamenjen mir u koji se teπko dopire i slabo razumije. U toj dubokoj i tvarnoj tiπini pohranjena je i zarobljena svjetlost sunca, uznesena tvar od koje nastaje i drago kamenje, meu kojima dijamant, taj najtvri mineral izvorne i velike ljepote, izgleda kao kristaliziran san neke daleke zvijezde.Kamen je oduvijek bio i umjetniËki izazov. Klesarstvo, graditeljstvo i kiparstvo njegova su djeca kojoj se redovito s povjerenjem predaje. Kameno kiparstvo poezija je otkriÊa sadræaja, koje se klesanjem oslobaa od tereta svoje zarobljene obloge. Baπ zato, za razliku od slikarstva, kiparstvo ima i svoju treÊu, dubinsku dimenziju koja se moæe osjetiti dodirom ruke s razliËitih motriπta i percepcije promatraËa. Na prostorima gdje je kopno, kao u sluËaju

otoka, okruæeno morem ili gdje se djelomice stapa s njim, ljudi su upuÊeni na temeljito prihvaÊanje zakonitosti prirodnih elemenata zemlje, vode i zraka. Arheologija mediteran-skog krajolika iskazuje povijest Starogradskog polja, koje se od 2008. godine nalazi na Uneskovoj listi svjetske baπtine, a potjeËe joπ od grËke parcelizacije znane kao Farovske hore, zatim rimskog agera coloniusa, koji je bio intenzivno naseljeno primarno gospo-darskim imanjima. Joπ od davnina podruËje jadranske obale mukotrpno se obrauje, ograuje, omeuje, graniËno obiljeæava, krËi se i preslaguje zemlja, oslobaa od kamena, gdje je god to moguÊe.Kamen je bijelosiva svjetlost koja isijava iz jadranskih krajolika. On je svjedok sjeÊanja, doticaj vremena kada su ljudi i Priroda bili u bliskijem srodstvu, kada se svaki novi dan doËekivao u povezanosti s novim izazovima, u tim raskoπnim i divljim prostorima mora i πkrte zemlje, u kojima se s mnogo muke, truda i volje izgraivao æivot nade. Na tim oskudnim vidicima kamen kao da je izaπao iz iste priËe. Vjetar je nezaobilazni dio priËe o kamenu, moru, uvalama i portima, kamenim kuÊama i πkrtim poljima koja su se poπtivala i vlastitim znojem zalijevala. O vjetrovima se uvijek viπe govorilo nego o kamenu, moru i valovima. U predjelima gdje su vjetrovi uporni i uËestali, ljudi ih nasluÊuju, mudro tumaËe i najavljuju. Dobro ih poznaju jer s njima æive, dotiËe ih njihova snaga, smjer, narav i Êud, miris i dodir. Vjetar moæe huËati, zavijati ili pak milosno, Ëak umilno puhati. Jugo ili bura, maestral, nevera, πijun, πilok, levanat; mnoga su lica istog izvora boga Eola, razliËite snage, volje i namjere. Onome tko se nae na putu vjetra jasno je da on oblikuje mnogo toga. Od njegove snage busenje i grmlje zaleæe pri zemlji, lome se maslinove grane, polijeæu borovi, presa-vijaju trsovi loze. Pod njegovom se snagom i naletima zemlja i pijesak povlaËe iz svojih skroviπta, udube stijene i zidovi kamenih kuÊa. Kada je dobrostiv, daruje okolini miris kadulje ili ruæmarina te raznosi pelud brnistre, lavande i svega ostaloga πto se nae na mediteranskim obroncima s vidikom na more.Narodno graditeljstvo na Jadranu istiËe slike jednostavnih vizura, dubokih poruka, velike i duboke svrhovitosti. Ono je nuæno povezano sa æivljenjem na πkrtoj zemlji u zajedniπtvu Ëovjeka i okruæja, u kojemu se boravi i od kojega se æivi. Na priobalju dugo se æivjelo od slane srdele, neke ulovljene ribe s krumpirima na leπo, katkad samo komada kruha sa sirom i Ëaπe bevande. Zatim neka suha smokva. I objed je gotov. Kameni krπeviti tereni omeeni suhozidima i suhozidnim terasama s kamenim kuÊicama i

skloniπtima, spomenici su nadljudskih pothvata jedne ili viπe generacija narodnih graditelja, koji su stoljeÊima na naπim prostorima, posebice u 19., podizani neobiËnom pravilnoπÊu, iz visinske perspektive vidljivi kao neka mistiËna umjetnost sklada i svrhovitosti. Istarska Vodnjanπtina, srednjodalmatinski otoci sa Starogradskim poljem na otoku Hvaru te πire podruËje ©ibenika s arhipelagom, tri su izvoriπta kamenoga graditeljstva iznikloga iz narodne tradicije æivota na krπu.Evolucijske mijene stvaraju æivotne navike, kao rezultat slijeda interesa πto su se raali i umirali na tim prostorima. Najprije su na njima boravili pastiri, koji su jadransku obalu i otoke poËeli krËiti, stvarajuÊi polja i suhozidne ograde, te su tako izrasli u pastire−teæake. SpoznajuÊi more, postaju ribari i, na kraju, vremenskim slijedom, danas osvanuπe kao ugostitelji.Kamenom ograena polja bila su odreena za vinograd, krumpir i rijetke voÊke. U ogradama, ostalim povrπinama oko polja u krπevitim tere-nima, sadile su se masline i vinova loza. Takve kamene ograde graene su i na osami, πtiteÊi masline, katkad i neku voÊku.UËiniti ogradu, znaËilo je najprije visokim zidom u suho ograditi teren, zasnovati krËevinu, pa onda krπu oteti i najmanji kus zemlje, svaku πkarpu prevrnuti, ne bi li se izvrtalo bar malo πkrte zemlje, radeÊi na æarkom suncu, u teπkoj suknenoj odjeÊi bez donjeg rublja. Alat: laπun, poluga, motika, sikira, kosir, kosiraËa, konistrica.U poju i ogradi sve je uredno, prekopano, Ëisto, nema draËe ni korova. OËi se napasaju praskavim koloritom πto ga tvore sivkastoplavi kamen, smee krpe prekopane zemlje, zele-nomodri buseni nasada, smokava, maslina, trseva, πarenilo cvjetova voÊaka, a prsa se pune intenzivnim mirisima zemlje, kamena, bilja, cvijeÊa i plodova. Od svega πto ispunjava prostor upravo su mirisi najimpresivniji; slikovito opisuje Ive Juraga Nadov u monografiji Kurnati.Danas, napuπteni suhozidni krajolici odaju osjeÊaj kakve zamrznute priËe o Ëovjekovu æivotu, koji je nekada bio duboko uronjen u svoje okruæje s kojim je znao odgovorno gospodariti. U njemu su se ljudi prehranjivali, u njemu boravili te æivjeli izgraujuÊi svoje zajednice i obitelji. Osnovna podjela jadranskoga kulturnog krajo- lika bila je na prostore paπnjaka i poljodjelstva, koje je dijelila potrebna granica, dinamiËna i promjenjiva, suhozidna, obrambena, nepro-bojna za one koji je ne trebaju prijeÊi. A to je stoka, koze, vol, magarci, koji bi je inaËe lako prelazili ulazeÊi u skromne vrtove namijenjene Ëovjeku i njegovoj obitelji.Jadranski suhozidi i narodna kamena gradnja hrvatski je kulturni imetak velike vrijednosti.

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Tradicija protkana sjeÊanjima nosi emocije zajedniπtva koje su modernim vremenom za-tomljene, naËinom æivota dijelom napuπtene, njegovom brzinom ponegdje i izbrisane. Ovi drevni spomenici, u svojim opisima bezbrojni i beskrajni, pozivaju danaπnje naraπtaje da ih prepoznaju kao imetak vlastita srca izrastao iz naslijea koje nije samo kulturno.Narodna kamena gradnja ispunjena je djelima umjetniËkih ruku koje tada nisu poznavale pojam, izraz i nakanu umjetniËkog izriËaja. Te teæaËke ruke svojim su izvornim i intuitivnim znanjem gradile desetke i stotine metara suhozida ograujuÊi njime svoja polja, lokve i paπnjake, podiæuÊi kamene kuÊe, bunare i gustijerne, gumna, male porte, rive i muliÊe,

vapnenice, mostove, ognjiπta, kapelice…. Osobiti su to i Ëudesni ljudski zahvati koji grade poπtujuÊi Prirodu, njezino dostojanstvo, ljepotu i izvornost. Povijest vina i povijest kamena prepleÊe se otkad je Ëovjeka i vinove loze. Rijeke znoja prolivene su krËenjem vinograda. GromaËa je svjedok upornosti, lozin list znak Ëednosti, grozd znamen izobilja. Ondje gdje su berbe izdaπne i redovite, bilo je oduvijek æivosti, lu-dosti, pjesniπtva, istiËe Predrag MatvejeviÊ u svome Mediteransku brevijaru. Hrvatska je bogata jadranskim vinogradima i izvrsnim vinima. U njima se vinova loza nje-guje osobito njeæno. Na vrletima i padinama mnogobrojnih otoka i jadranske obale takvi vinogradi svjedoËe svoju ljepotu, snagu i do-stojanstvo. Na mjestu gdje ih sunce kupa svo-jim zrakama, a more svojim aerosolima, izrasta groæe velike kvalitete i slatkoÊe. U vinima koja iz njih nastaju, zrcali se kristalna zraka iznimnih bukea. U suhozidnim prostorima vinograda koje su podizali naπi preci raste groæe kao ures, bogatstvo vinogradara, ali i podsvjesni simbol kulture i religije. Vino je i projekcija æei naπe duπe. Za vlasnika trsa vinograd je i æivotna sigurnost, temeljna vrijednost materi-jalne kulture. Vinograd Veliki Bucavac najpo-znatiji je hrvatski suhozidni krajolik, a nalazi se iznad primoπtenske marine. Povijesno mlad, iskrËen sredinom proπlog stoljeÊa, ostao je simbol autohtone narodne kulture naslonjen na tradicijsku baπtinu te izrastao u krajolik koji je zaπtiÊen kao kulturno dobro.Najstarije suhozidne graevine koje se nalaze na istoËnom dijelu Jadrana predilirske su i ilirske utvrde i grobnu humci poznati joπ i kao tumuli. Podizani su prije 3500 godina, a i da-nas njihovi ostaci svjedoËe svoj razlog i misiju postojanja. Mnoπtvo timula i sada se nalazi po vrhovima breæuljaka od Istre do Albanije, na naπem dijelu Jadrana, najviπe u Istri i sjevernoj Dalmaciji.Hrvatski Jadran bogat je otocima, otoËiÊima i grebenima; ima ih više od tisuÊu i dvije sto-tine. Poznata je i dokazana istina da ni jedno druπtveno ureenje ili geografska zadanost prostora, u antropoloπkom pogledu, ne su-djeluje u odreenju identiteta Ëovjeka kao πto to Ëini otok. Otoci imaju svoja pravila æivota, svoje zvukove i mirise, svoje posebnosti. Ko-pno nikada nije razumjelo otoke, ni obrnuto, jer ipak oni su samo njegov odvaæni dio koji je samostalno zaplovio u modrinu morskih puËina. Otoci su kao planeti koji u sebi sadræe mnogo svjetova, nevidljivih ljudima s kopna. Nepotopljeni u moru, okreÊu se suncu. ©to im drugo i preostaje? Ispunjeni tradicijom koja πuti, otoËani na buduÊnost gledaju kao na ponovljenu proπlost.

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OtoËani znaju da je voda tvra od kamena, koji u dodiru s njom redovito gubi bitku. A takve bitke ne prestaju. Kiπa i more stalni su pratioci otoËnog oblikovanja, vanjskoga i nutarnjega. Kamen na otocima vredniji je od kamena na kopnu. Dok kopno uvijek ima svoje zalee, put za ostvarivanje svojih potreba, otok nema tih moguÊnosti. Ono se mora zadovoljiti s onim πto ima na sebi. OtoËni suhozidi posebno su i pomno podizani. Kao i na kopnu, svaki dio pogodnog tla oslobaalo se za sadnju, sigur-nosno se ograivalo. Osobita pozornost bila je usmjerena gustijernama i zdencima, kako bi se dosegla voda kiπnice ili voda rijetkog izvora. Kameni rubovi gustijerni natrljani vitli-ma, lancima i uæima kojima se izvlaËi vjedro, iskazuju svoju dob prostora. Mnogi otoci puni su prizora gustih suhozidnih linija kamenoga graditeljstva, koje iz zraka dojmljivo pokazuju da je jednina u razliËitosti jedina svrha za kojom Ëovjek treba teæiti.Kao πto pËela ugleda neki za sebe poseban cvijet, tako je u poËetku 2002.godine, na otoku Visu, grupa mladih entuzijasta spoznala da je suhozidna gradnja neprocjenjiva baπtina prebogata razliËitim sadræajima. NadahnuÊe i snaga pokrenula ih je u sustavnu akciju obnove vrijednosti, istraæivanje i reaktualizaciju suho-zidnoga graditeljstva na podruËju jadranske Hrvatske. Kroz udrugu Dragodid, koju su nazvali po istoimenom selu s tipiËnim kamenim kuÊama na sjeverozapadu otoka Visa, uspjeli su potaknuti ljude i institucije s pomnim inici-jativama za prouËavanje i primjenu narodnoga graditeljstva, organizaciju suhozidnih graditelj-skih radionica i pomaganjem obnove narodne kamene gradnje od Istre na sjeveru do krajnjeg juga u Konavlima.Starosjedioci naπih otoka i obala, u davnini okupljeni oko ognjiπta iz kojega se probijao dim kroz ploËaste kamene krovove, ËekajuÊi svoj objed, priËali su priËe, koje su u mnogo Ëemu bile pouËne. U njima su bila iskazana iskustva s mora i plovidbi, rada u vinogradima i masli-nicima, prisjeÊanja koja su Ëesto izricala neku pouku, zakljuËak ili vrijednosni Ëin proæivljenog zajedniπtva. Njihove ruke gradile su kamene kuÊe, mijenjajuÊi svoja okruæja, izgraivali sebe u jednostavnosti. Jedinstveni ambijenti kamenih priËa iznova priËaju priËe o boravku Ëovjeka u miru i za-dovoljstvu sa samim sobom, o Ëovjeka po-nosnom na svoje djelo s kojim nije povrijedio Prirodu. To je kamena poezija tiπine iz koje izvire Æivot. .

Man has always used his body and mind to explore nature; to create spaces that would be his home; to

alter landscapes in a desire to make his mark

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on them as a sign of their conformability. Man is left with few choices in his effort to conquer environments dominated by stone, wind and sun. Whether he wants to or not, he has to learn that acceptance, adjustment and patient humility are the only approaches to achieving lasting cooperation with nature.One can gain a thorough knowledge of history from stone, which was wisely-arranged into signs and signposts by ancient civilizations. They gave it meaning; they drew and carved many messages into it; it’s a craft which demands a lot of patience and diligent study to this very day. Solutions to riddles and sup-pressed signs of life can be discerned in its deep structural layers from the fossil imprints of plants or ancient beings, which have been long gone from the sphere of our planet. Jetties, light towers, breakwaters, piers, bridges, palaces − all are made from stone. Stone was used as the building material for many towers and walls, fortresses and castles. Architecture is an expression of rapturous inspiration placed in the hands of builders who construct various edifices for man − the purpose of each clearly varied, and which go beyond fortresses and ancient constructions. Building stone was always carefully selected for different purposes and transported from

historical stone quarries to more or less distant destinations: from KorËula to Dubrovnik, from BraË to Split, from Pentelikon to Athens, and from Istria to Venice. Buildings made from stone quarried on the island of BraË are inspir-ing examples of artistic expression: the Blaca hermitage calls for prayer; Diocletian’s Palace defies the sea and the land with its dignified might; the Trogir and ©ibenik cathedrals strive to reach Heaven and state affairs are pursued within the stone walls of the White House in Washington and the Parliament Buildings in Vienna and Budapest. Stone becomes an extraordinary celebration when used to shape mullioned windows, rosettes and belfries, arcades and churches, roadside stones, corner stones, balustrades, wells, mills and baptisteries. It has always pulsated with life; it often appears as petri-fied peace, difficult to access and not easy to understand. This mysterious material captivates the sunlight, the elevated matter, which is the origin of precious stones, such as diamonds, the hardest minerals of genu-ine and exceptional beauty, which resemble a crystallized dream of some distant star. Stone has always posed an artistic challenge. Architecture and sculpture, the offspring of stone, surrender trustfully into the hands of the

stone mason. It is then that the stone reveals its poetic nature - when the carved sculpture is complete, and fully liberated from its restric-tive outer covering. This is why, unlike painting, sculpting has a third dimension, which can be touched and felt from different standpoints and through different perceptions. Where human habitats are surrounded by the sea, like on the islands, or in areas partly con-nected to the sea, people are forced to fully grasp and adopt the rules of nature − of the earth, the water and the air. The archaeology of the Mediterranean landscape is exemplified by the history of the Stari Grad Plain, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 2008. Its origins go back to the division of land first known by the Greeks as chora, and then, Ager Pharensis, in Roman times. The area was intensely populated by farmers. Since ancient times, the Adriatic littoral has been painstak-ingly cultivated − the land fenced off, marked, cleared and moved; and stones removed from it wherever possible. Stone is that whitish greyish light that shines through Mediterranean landscapes. It is a witness of remembrance, a conduit to a time when people and nature were more closely related, when every new day living off these splendid and wild spaces, dominated by the

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sea and the sparse land, brought a new chal-lenge or two, and whose inhabitants built a life of hope through hardship, hard work and a lot of goodwill. On these barren vistas, the stone appears to have emerged from the same story. Wind is a quintessential part of the story of stone, the sea, bays and harbours, stone houses and the meagre fields which have been revered and doused in one’s own sweat. There have always been more stories about the wind than about stone, the sea and waves. Wher-ever winds are persistent and commonplace, people can predict their arrival, and foresee the nature of them. They know them well because they live with them; they are touched by their power, direction, nature, whims, fragrance and touch. A wind can roar or howl or it can blow gently, as if caressing its object. Jugo or bura, maestral, nevera, πijun, πilok, levanat − these are the many faces of the God Aeolus, which appear with varied force, willpower and intent. Anyone who happens to find him- or herself standing in the wind’s path, appreciates how many things it can shape. Its strength bends bushes and shrubs to the ground; it breaks branches off olive trees; it fells pine trees, and breaks vines. Soil and sand are forced out of their shelters by its mighty onslaught; rocks and stone walls bulge inward. In its benevolence,

it perfumes the air with the fragrance of sage and rosemary; it bears the pollen of the Scotch broom, lavender and everything else that grows on the slopes of the Mediterranean seaside. Popular Adriatic architecture is characterized by simple vistas, profound messages, and a sense of great purpose. Inspiration comes from living on meagre land, where man and his environment are one − a place to live on and a place to live off of. For a long time, Mediter-ranean staples were salted sardines, and fresh fish from the sea with boiled potatoes; only rarely would there be a slice of bread with cheese, a glass of wine mixed with water, and then, a dry fig for dessert. That was the meal. Karst plots, surrounded by dry stone walls and terraces, featuring stone houses and shelters, stand as monuments and bear witness to the superhuman efforts of one or several generations of lay architects. For centuries, especially in the 19th century, they were built in a peculiarly regular way; from above, they look like a harmonious form of mystic art with a sense of purpose. The area around Vodnjan in Istria, the central Dalmatian islands, includ-ing Stari Grad Plain on the island of Hvar, the area of ©ibenik and its archipelago are all three sources of stone architecture that spawned from traditional karst.

Evolution has changed the way people live because of a sequence of interests that have come and gone in these areas. The first inhab-itants were shepherds who started clearing the Adriatic Littoral and islands, and created fields and dry stone walls. In the process, they became shepherds − labourers. When they learned about the sea, they became fisher-men and finally, as time went on, they became restauranteurs. Each plot had a purpose: one was to become a vineyard; the other was for growing potatoes and rare fruit trees. Most of the karst land, out-side of the walled-in fields, was home to olives and grape vines. Stone walls were often built in isolated places to protect an olive grove, or a fruit tree or two.Making a fence meant that one built a tall dry wall around a plot to mark a future clear area; then, even the smallest pellet of soil was seized from the karst, leaving no stone unturned to get to the little arable land that was left; farmers would toil under the scorching sun, in heavy woollen clothes without any underwear. The tools used were a LASUN, a bar, a hoe, an axe, a hedge-bill, a KOSIRACA, and a wicker basket.The plot within the fence is neat: tilled, clean; there are no brambles or weeds. The eyes

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feast on the explosive colorite, composed of a greyish blue stone, the brown patches of tilled land, emerald green figs, olives, vines, and the patchwork of blossoming fruit trees; the chest fills up with the intense fragrances of the soil, stone, plants, flowers and fruit. Among every-thing that fills up the space, the fragrances are the most impressive. This colourful description was taken from Ivo Juraga Nadov’s monograph on the Kornati Islands. Plots surrounded by dry walls are abandoned; they conjure up old feelings of how man once lived, deeply immersed in the environment, which he managed with the skill of a respon-sible master. People fed on its fruit; they lived on it and built their communities and families around it. The basic division of the Adriatic cultural land-scape is the following: it is divided into pastures and agricultural land; the two were separated by a much-needed border − one dynamic and changeable, dry-walled, useful in defense, and impenetrable to those who were not meant to enter. And those intruders were cattle, goats, oxen and donkeys that would have trespassed onto the modest gardens intended for humans and their families.The dry stone walls of the Adriatic and popu-lar stone architecture constitute a Croatian

cultural heritage of exceptional value. It is a tradition, imbued with memories, which calls forth emotions of unity that have long been suppressed in modern times. Some have been abandoned due to the modern way of life, and some completely erased by its speed. These ancient monuments, countless and endless in their description, invite modern generations to recognize them as an asset of their own heart, arising from a heritage which is more than cultural. Popular stone architecture is rife with works made by artistic individuals who were not at all familiar with the concept, expression and intention of artistic expression. These working hands relied on original and intuitive knowledge while building tens and hundreds of metres of dry wall; they built them around their fields, pools and pastures; they erected stone hous-es, walls and cisterns, threshing fields, small harbours, seaside promenades and jetties, lime kilns, bridges, hearths, chapels… All of these exceptional and amazing achievements show respect for Mother Nature, her dignity, beauty and uniqueness. The history of wine and the history of stone have always gone hand in hand. Rivers of sweat have been spilled by people clear-ing land for their vineyards. Dry stone walls

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bear witness to perseverance; the vine leaf is a symbol of chastity; the grape is a sign of exuberance. Where there are vineyards and wine, there is civility, artistry, lunacy and poetry, writes Predrag MatvejeviÊ in his Mediterranean Breviary, A Cultural Landscape, translated by Michael Henry Heim.Croatia boasts an abundance of vineyards and excellent wine. It is here where grapevines are gently cared for. On the cliffs and slopes of numerous islands and along the Adriatic Littoral, these vineyards bear witness to their own beauty, strength and dignity. Grapes of ex-ceptional quality and sweetness ripen in places where the sun bathes them in its rays and the sea in its aerosols. Wine which originates from this area gives off a fantastic bouquet. Vineyards, planted by our ancestors, grow within fields surrounded by dry walls − they are ornaments, the viticulturist’s wealth and a subconscious symbol of culture and religion. Wine is a projection of the thirst of our soul. For the vineyard owner, his or her vineyard is also life security, an asset of material value and culture. The Veliki Bucavac vineyard is Croatia’s most well-known dry wall landscape, which sits above the Primoπten Marina. Young in histori-cal terms, planted only in the middle of the last century, it has remained a symbol of authentic popular culture inspired by traditional heritage; its landscape is a protected cultural asset. The oldest edifices built in the dry stone wall technique can be found in the Easternmost part of the Adriatic. These pre-Illyrian and Illyrian forts and tumuli were erected 3500 years ago. Their remains bear witness to the reason and mission for their existence. Many tumuli can still be found on hilltops spanning the area from Istria to Albania, and in parts of the Adriatic, most of them in Istria and Northern Dalmatia.

The Croatian Adriatic has an abundance of islands, islets and rocks − over 1200 of them all together. It is a known and proven truth that no social configuration or geographic boundary plays such a pivotal role in determining human identity as an island. Islands live by their own rules, with their own sounds and smells, and idiosyncrasies. The mainland has never under-stood islands and vice versa; after all, islands are the mainland’s courageous extensions which have set sail into the blueness of the sea. Islands are like planets containing many worlds, invisible to the people on the mainland. Floating on the sea, they turn towards the sun. What else can they do? Traditional islanders look at the future as a repetition of the past. Islanders know only too well that water is harder than stone. When the two are con-fronted, stone always loses. And the battle is eternal. Rain and seawater are constants in the island-shaping process, both external as well as internal. On an island, stone is more appreciated than on the mainland. A mainland always has a hinterland, a road that leads to the satisfaction of needs; is-lands do not have this. They have to satisfy themselves with whatever little is on them. Dry walls on islands have always been built very carefully and in a very special way. Like on the mainland, even the tiniest bit of fertile soil is cleared and planted, and then, secured with a dry wall. Special attention has always been paid to cisterns and wells, which would capture rainwater or collect water from very rare sources. Stone borders, worn out by the bucket pulling winches, chains and ropes, at-test to their age and time period. Many islands are replete with scenes depicting dense rows of dry wall produced by stone masons. From the air, they clearly demonstrate that their

uniqueness lies in their variety, which is the only attribute worthy of pursuit.At the beginning of 2002, a group of young enthusiasts on the island of Vis realized that dry stone wall architecture was a precious charac-ter oozing heritage, much like a bee that spots a very special flower. Inspiration and willpower motivated them to start systematically restor-ing such assets, to research and re-actualise dry stone wall architecture in the Adriatic area. Members of the Dragodid Association, in its namesake village in the northwestern part of the island of Vis, in which typical stone houses can be found, have managed to move individuals and institutions with their elaborate initiatives for the exploration and application of popular architecture. They have organized dry stone wall building workshops and thus, have helped the restoration of popular stone architecture, from Istria in the north to Konavle in the far south. Long ago, while smoke hustled up through slate roofs, the natives of our islands and coastland gathered around their hearths and told educational stories while waiting for a meal to be prepared. They shared their experiences of sailing the seas, working in vineyards and ol-ive groves − they were memories with a moral, a conclusion or a value judgement stemming from communal experience. They built stone houses with their own hands, changed their natural environments and created themselves in simplicity. These stories have a unique ambiance and repeatedly speak of people living in peace and self-satisfaction, of people proud of their work, and of work, which has not been of detriment to nature. This is the stony poetry of silence from which life itself springs. W

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BORZA GRUPA Placa 12, Dubrovnik

www.borzagrupa.hr