Hungary and Croatia 2019

DAY 15 - EXPLORING THE ISLAND OF VIS

We made an early start and our guide turned out to be excellent. We spent the whole day traveling across the island and back. He was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot from him about the Island and the military occupation.

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Up the hill behind the apartment with a view back to the Town of Vis and Kut

On our way out we we told about the time that Tito lived on Vis. Josip Broz, commonly known as Tito, was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various roles from 1943 until his death in 1980. During World War II he was the leader of the Partisans often regarded as the most effective resistance movement in occupied Europe.

As the Second World War ended and the Cold War began, Vis, then part of Yugoslavia, was transformed by leader Tito into a military base for the communist Yugoslav army. It was closed off to foreign visitors, remaining so until 1989 – a fact unknown by many of the tourists who now ferry across from the Croatian mainland.

Ideally located in the Adriatic Sea, Vis was of strategic importance to Tito, who began establishing a number of military fortifications including a submarine base, gun emplacements and a network of secret underground tunnels and caves across the island.

Our route took us into the middle of the island and to Tito's caves on the side of Mount Hum. It was in these caves that he worked with the Partisans. It was a long steep climb to the caves.

Looking back on the climb up

Sessions of the governing body of Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia were held here from June to October 1944

In the lower cave


Commemorative Plaque

Translation:

Here from June to October 1944 held a session of the

Central Committee of the Joint Council of Yugoslavia.

Tito's residence in the upper cave


Commemorative plaque

Translation:
Tito was staying here and working in 1944 when he was head of the political and military leadership of the Yugoslavian Liberation War

Inside Tito's cave

The lizards are well known residents

We continued on past an old now unused airfield to Komiza, the only other major town on the Island at the Western end.

Looking down towards Komiza

An old military installation above Komiza

St, Nicholas Church, Komiza

The settlement of Komiža was first mentioned in the 12th century. In the 13th century, the Bendictines established the St. Nicholas Monastery on elevated ground above the settlement. The oldest part of the monastery is a single-naved Romanesque church. In the period between the 14th and 17th century a large five-naved church was built; its central nave dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and the large Baroque sanctuary to 1652. The tower above the church facade was converted into a bell tower in 1770.

To pay respects to their patron saint, the locals burn an old boat each year. They do it in front of their parish church. The ceremony is quite simple – a wooden boat is prepared the night before so it is ready on the morning of the St. Nicholas day. A few kids guided by one youngster splash the sides of the boat with petrol, simply light the torch and set the boat on fire.

Down at the harbour

Commemorative plaque on the harbour wall

In the 16th Century Komiža was attacked and devastated by pirates from Spain. The chapel that existed then was robbed and burnt. Not long after that the boat with the pirates sunk in a storm and all pirates were killed. Their cargo ended up on the sea bottom. The only surviving object was the painting of the Lady, which was returned to the beach in front of the burnt chapel. People from Komiža built the church again and from that time on the church is known as Church of Our Lady Of The Pirates.

For our last part of the visit we traveled back to the Town of Vis and beyond along the coast to the North to Fort George. The historically symbolic stronghold of Fort George was the base for the navy of several different nations. Originally built by the British in 1813, and named after King George III, it was later used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Yugoslav Army. Now it has been remodelled into a bar, restaurant and a music venue.