Elaphites

Elaphites
Schematic map of the Elaphites
Waters	the Adrian Sea
Geographical location	42 ° 43 '  N , 17 ° 54'  E Coordinates: 42 ° 43 '  N , 17 ° 54'  E
Number of islands	13
Main island	Koločep

The Elaphiten (also Elafiten , Elafiti , Elaphitische Insel , Hirschinseln , from Gr. Elaphos " deer ") are an archipelago belonging to the Republic of Croatia , administrative district Dubrovnik-Neretva , off the south Dalmatian coast.

geography

The archipelago is a few kilometers northwest of Dubrovnik and southeast of the Pelješac peninsula . Usually thirteen islands are counted among the Elaphites: Šipan, Lopud, Koločep, Jakljan, Daksa, Sveti Andrija, Ruda, Mišnjak, Kosmeč, Goleč, Crkvine, Tajan and Olipa; the island of Lokrum (ital. Lacroma) located directly in front of the old port of Dubrovnik does not belong administratively to the Elaphites, but to the city of Dubrovnik. The Elaphites are separated from the mainland by the Koločeper Canal, the waterway between Lopud and Šipan is called Lopuder Passage (literally “Gate of Lopud”), the narrow, winding corridor between Šipan and Jakljan is called Harpoti.

Only the three largest islands in the archipelago are inhabited:

• Koločep ( Italian Calamotta), 2.5 square kilometers, two settlements on the coast (Gornje Čelo, Donje Čelo), approx. 150 inhabitants;
• Lopud (Italian Lafota or Mezzo, "the middle one"), 4.5 square kilometers, a settlement of the same name on the coast, approx. 220 inhabitants;
• Šipan (Italian Giuppana), 16.5 square kilometers, two settlements on the coast (Suđurađ, Šipanska Luka) and four smaller settlements inland (Frajga, Sutulija, Vonjevo Selo, Ođak), approx. 450 inhabitants.

A large part of the population lives on the islands only in the tourist season and spends the winter months on the mainland.

• Jakljan is sporadically inhabited during the summer months, but hardly developed for tourism. The buildings of a holiday camp for children built there in Yugoslav times are currently not in use.

The other islands are uninhabited today, but were partly inhabited in earlier times:

• On Daksa , the island closest to the mainland, there are the ruins of a Franciscan monastery and a 19-meter-high lighthouse, which was closed by Napoléon Bonaparte after the dissolution of the Ragusa Republic in 1808. Friedrich von Greiffenclau zu Vollrads (1401–1462), grandfather of the German bishops Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads (1467–1531) and Johann XX lived here from 1456 until his death . von Dalberg (1455–1503), as a widower and Franciscan brother.
• On Sveti Andrija (Italian: Donzella), the island furthest towards the open sea, there are the remains of a Benedictine monastery, which was officially abandoned around 1799, but probably previously abandoned, and a lighthouse that was built in 1873 and has since been rebuilt several times. Sveti Andrija also served as a quarantine station for plague sufferers at the beginning of the 15th century, and the Benedictine monk and poet Mavro Vetranovič (1482–1576) lived here as a hermit around the middle of the 16th century.
• Traces of modern settlement can also be found on Ruda (remains of a Dominican monastery).

Climate, flora and fauna

The islands are partially karstified on the coasts and consist mainly of limestone and dolomite , the larger islands, however, are densely overgrown and also forested in the interior, the red earth soil ( raw limestone clay ) also allows agricultural use (citrus fruits, olives, wine, figs). The center of agriculture is the five-kilometer-long Šipansko Polje (Šipan Field), on which cattle breeding (cattle, sheep) is carried out. Up until the Second World War , the wild herbs growing on the islands were also used commercially and some of them were exported. The highest point is the Velji Vrh on Šipan with 234 meters. Due to the sheltered location, the climate on the islands is subtropical with hot, dry summers and rainy autumn and winter, the average annual temperature is 15.1 degrees Celsius, with an average of 215 days of sun per year. Wildlife species: wild boars (which have only been at home here for a while and which are believed to have reached the islands by swimming from the Pelješac peninsula), otherwise only smaller mammals such as B. hares, plus numerous birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. Snakes are particularly common, but supposedly there are no poisonous species among them (information from the Croatian Tourist Information Office). Parts of the archipelago are under nature protection.

history

The first written mention of the archipelago can be found in the Naturalis historiae of Pliny the Elder (around 23-79), where he is already listed under his name, which is still in use today, but whose origin is unclear. One possible explanation is that it is derived from the Greek "elaphos": "deer"; either because deer could have actually existed on the islands earlier (which is considered very doubtful) or because the shape of the group of islands has been interpreted as that of a deer; Another derivation of the name refers to Hellas (Latin: Greece) and “Phytos” (Greek: plant), meaning “islands of the Greek plant”, which could possibly mean the olive trees. Both derivations are speculative.

Traces of settlement from the Illyrian, Greek and Roman times exist on the islands. It is possible - but not certain - that in 47 BC it was At Šipan there was a battle between the followers of Caesar and Pompey .

The Elaphites have probably been under the administration of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) since the 11th century , but reliable data are only available from 1272. Under the name Comitatus Trius Insularum or Comitatus Insulae, Koločep, Lopud and Šipan were combined into an administrative unit, which was administered by a Comes (rector) belonging to the Ragusan nobility, appointed by the Council of the Republic for one year, to whom an administrative officer (Chancellor ) and an official named Syndicus were appointed as a controlling body. Seat of the Comes - which between 1410 and 1493 was also responsible for the administration of the island of Mljet (Italian: Meleda), which did not belong to the Elaphites - was Šipanska Luka. In 1457 the Comitatus Insulae was divided, Lopud and Koločep were combined into a separate administrative unit with the rector's seat in Lopud. This administrative structure essentially remained in effect, apart from minor organizational changes, until the republic of Ragusa was abolished in 1808. During the time of the Ragusan administration, administrative buildings (rectors' palaces on Šipan and Lopud), villas of wealthy Ragusan patricians and numerous churches were built on the islands, most of which were heavily fortified as protection against pirate attacks. Fort Španjola was built on Lopud at the beginning of the 16th century on a mountain above the settlement. After the devastation of the Elaphites by a Turkish invasion in 1571, additional defense towers and fortified churches were built in the late 16th century.

After Napoleon's dissolution of the Republic of Ragusa in 1808, the Elaphites were annexed to the French-controlled Illyrian provinces in the following year , from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 until the end of the First World War they belonged to the crown land of Dalmatia of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy . From 1918 to 1941 they were part of the so-called SHS State (Yugoslavia), from 1941 to 1945 of the Independent State of Croatia , from 1945 of the Yugoslav Republic of Croatia. Since 1991 they have belonged to the independent Republic of Croatia.

During the six-month siege of Dubrovnik by the troops of the (Serbian-Montenegrin) Yugoslav People's Army in the second half of 1991, supplies to the city were partially secured by speedboats that broke the sea blockade from the Elaphites, especially from Šipan. Occasional warning signs in front of landmines still remind of these dramatic events of the recent past on Šipan.

Cultural-historical marginalia

The German writer and philosopher Rudolf Pannwitz (1881–1969) lived and worked on Koločep from 1921 to 1948. The Austrian writer Josef Friedrich Perkonig (1890-1959) settled most of the plot of his 1938 novel Lopud, Insel der Helden auf Lopud (further editions in 1943 and probably 1945). In 1955 a new edition appeared under the new title Love Song by the Sea . The Czech writer and politician Viktor Dyk (1877–1931) died in 1931 while on vacation on Lopud.

economy

The Elaphite people traditionally lived from fishing and agriculture, from the commercial exploitation of wild herbs and on Koločep until the 18th century also from coral diving near Sveti Andrija. Many of the male residents served in various ranks, up to the captain, on ships of the Ragusaner fleet and partly also of the allied Spanish Armada (two seamen from Koločep belonged to the crew of the Santa Maria , the flagship of Christopher Columbus ). There were shipyards on Šipan and Lopud until the 16th century. The expansion of the tourist infrastructure began as early as the 19th century, which was intensified after the First World War and which is the most important economic factor today.

tourism

Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are relatively well developed for tourism, if not at the highest level. On each of the three islands there is at least one larger hotel: on Koločep the "Villas Koločep" in Donje Čelo, in Lopud the "Lafodia" as well as the "Grand Hotel Lopud", built in 1936 and now restored after years of dilapidation, on Šipan the "Hotel." Šipan ”in Šipanska Luka. There are also numerous private quarters of various categories and price ranges. There are numerous restaurants and cafés, some of them excellent, as well as smaller grocery stores. Due to their small size, Koločep and Lopud are (almost) car-free, on Šipan there is a five-kilometer bus line that connects the two coastal towns of Suđurađ and Šipanska Luka via the Šipansko Polje. There are hiking trails on all three islands, as well as swimming in several places, the most attractive is the sandy beach of the Šunj Bay on Lopud, which can be reached from the village of Lopud by crossing the island (approx. 15 minutes' walk) (restaurant). There are attractive places for divers on Koločep. Tourist information offices, which also provide free maps of the islands, and a post office open on weekday mornings are available on all three islands.

Attractions

• Koločep: Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Donje Čelo (the oldest structure from the 13th century, reconstruction up to the 20th century), Church of St. Anthony in the middle of the footpath between Donje Čelo and Gornje Čelo (14th century, reconstructed in the 19th century) Century) with cemetery, remains of a fortified tower above the port of Gornje Čelo.
• Lopud: Village of Lopud with a port in a bay about one kilometer long, with houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. Century, Franciscan monastery with the church of St. Mary of Špilice (15th / 16th century) directly at the port entrance, Trinity Church with the tomb of Captain Vice Buna (15th / 16th century) above the cliffs in front of the port entrance, parish church of St. Maria von Šuni (15th century) with a cemetery not far from the road from Lopud to the Šuni bay. Remains of several defense towers and houses as well as ruins of numerous medieval ones, some on the 9th / 10th. Inland chapels and churches dating back to the century, from which Sveti Ivan Kritelj (St. John the Baptist) offers a panoramic view over the bay of Lopud. Ruins of Fort Španjola above Lopud. Đorđić-Mayneri park. Viewing pavilion on the promenade behind the Hotel Lafodia.
• Šipan: Suđurađ village with buildings from the 16th century, including Villa Skočibuha with defensive towers (16th century) and Villa Getaldić (16th century), fortified church of the Holy Spirit (16th century) with cemetery and ruins of the Church of St. Stephen (13th century) on the outskirts, Gothic church dedicated to the Holy Trinity on the Trinity Mountain above Suđurađ. Inland: numerous sacred buildings, including the fortified church complex with churches of St. Mary of Mercy and St. Michael, rectory and fortified tower in Pakljena (16th century), remains of the church of St. Michael on Mount Big (possibly 7th century) Century), remains of probably Illyrian burial mounds on Mount Sutulija. In Šipanska Luka: Villa Sorkočević with fortifications and gardens, remains of a Roman villa, late Gothic church of St. Stephen (13th century), villas from the 19th century, above the village the remains of the rector's palace (15th century).

Many of the historical buildings on the Elaphites are in a poor state of preservation and are not open to the public. The Lopud Regional Museum no longer exists either.

reachability

Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are - in this order - several times a day during the tourist season from Gruž (Italian: Gravosa ), the port of Dubrovnik at the mouth of the Ombla ( Rijeka Dubrovačka ), from the blue and white ferry boats of the state Jadrolinija (Adriatic Sea Line). The Elaphites can also be reached from Mljet on the same line. The timetable is strictly limited outside the tourist season and on Sundays and public holidays, and not all three islands are served on every journey (the current timetable can be viewed online on the German website of Jadrolinija). The tickets must be purchased at the kiosks or in the offices of the shipping line before departure. During the tourist season, the red speedboats of the private Nova line also operate. The other islands of the archipelago can only be reached by rented or own boats, most of them are not inhabited and have no tourist infrastructure.

literature

• Aida Cvjetković, Elaphites. Islands of Deer, Zagreb 1998 (Tourism and Cultural Heritage Library 9) ISBN 953-6570-45-9 [unreliable in the details and z. Partly out of date].
• Robin Harris, Dubrovnik. A History, London 2003 (Saqi Books) ISBN 978-0-86356-332-4 .
• Bodo Müller, Croatian coast. Dubrovnik - Elaphiten - South Dalmatia, Bielefeld 2007 (Edition Maritim) 2007, ISBN 3-89225-577-6 .
• Vincenz Lisičar, Lopud. A historical and contemporary representation. Translated into German by Christoph Knie, Dubrovnik (self-published by the author) 1932.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Friedrich von Greiffenclau on Vollrads in the Saarland Biographies ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ After Lafodia also renewed Grand Hotel Lopud inserted October 6, 2012

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  Croatia, Elaphites

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  Elaphites, size indication

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  Ruda Island