Vis
| Vis | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | the Adrian Sea | |
| Geographical location | 43 ° 3 ' N , 16 ° 9' E | |
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| length | 17 km | |
| width | 8 kilometers | |
| surface | 89.72 km² | |
| Highest elevation |
Hum 587 m |
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| Residents | 3445 (2011) 38 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Vis (city) | |
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Vis [ ˈʋiːs ] ( Italian and German Lissa ; Latin Issa ; Greek Issa ) is a Croatian island , politically and geographically part of the Split-Dalmatia region in the central eastern Adriatic .
geography
Vis is almost 90 km² (length 17 km, width up to 8 km) and more hilly than mountainous, the highest point, the mountain Hum , reaches 587 meters. Vis is about 60 km from the mainland and has about 3500 inhabitants. The largest towns are Vis and Komiža . Together with its smaller side island Biševo , it is the most distant inhabited island from the coast of the Dalmatian mainland. An approximately 18 km wide estuary separates it from Hvar , the next island in the east. In the middle of the island there is a natural flat land that was formerly used for a military airfield , today the areas are used for viticulture . Despite its small size, the island has a well-developed road network that is largely in good condition and leads to many beach bays and attractions within a few meters. There are several car and scooter rentals, bus routes and taxis. Mayors of the island are Ivo Radica (City of Vis) and Tonka Ivčević (Komiža)
Vis can only be reached by ship. However, there is a helipad for the military and emergencies. The airfield established in World War II is currently being reactivated. The next seasonally served airport from Germany is in Split . From the port of Split there are regular ferry connections to Vis, which take between one (catamaran) and two hours (car ferry).
history
In the 4th century BC The Greeks founded the colony of Issa on Vis under Dionysius I of Syracuse , today's city of Vis, which over time became an independent polis with its own coin and founded colonies, including today's Split. The Illyrian Wars (229–219 BC) ended in a loss of importance in favor of the new Roman hegemonic power on the Adriatic. 47 BC The city was incorporated into the Roman Empire.
In the Middle Ages Vis belonged to the Republic of Venice , in 1797 the island was added to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy . It was temporarily occupied by the British, who used it as a base to control the Adriatic coast. During this time the naval battle on March 13, 1811 at Lissa fell , in which the British captain William Hoste with three frigates and a corvette defeated the significantly larger Franco-Italian fleet (six frigates, small ships) under captain Bernard Dubourdieu and with it the landing on the island prevented. The British captured two opposing frigates (Bellona (fr) and Corona (it)); the French flagship La Favorite burned. Bernard Dubourdieu and two of his captains fell.
Under Austro-Hungarian rule at the time of the Crown Land of Dalmatia from 1814, the island's Italian name, Lissa, was used. As promised in the London Treaty , it came to Italy in 1918 , after which it became Yugoslavian through the Rapallo Border Treaty in 1921.
Several naval battles have taken place near Vis / Lissa over the centuries, the most recent being the naval battle of Lissa on July 20, 1866.
In the vicinity of Komiža is the "Tito Cave", from which Josip Broz Tito is said to have organized the resistance against the German occupation forces in 1944.
Due to its strategic location, Vis was always of interest to the military and was also called the Gibraltar of the Adriatic . Until the collapse of the multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia , the island was a restricted military area and not accessible to foreigners. It was not until 1995 that the island was opened to the outside again, so that tourism could only take hold very late. In addition to tourism, the residents mainly live from viticulture and fishing .
Attractions
Bay of Vis
Vineyard on Vis
Coastal landscape near Rukavac
Stiniva bay
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- Modra špilja cave on Biševo
- Tito cave on Vis
- Zelena špilja on the side island of Ravnik
- Old military airfield
- Old submarine bunker
- Former military area with underground fortifications and old guns on the southwestern tip of "Stupisce"
