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The
Town of Blato
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(4.093
inhabitants) is situated in the middle of the island on the main
island road, 40 km from Korcula. This is a traditional agricultiral
centre and the centre of all agricultural products of the island.
Surrounded by fertile fields and rich woodland, early agricultural
cultivation was flourishing here as early as greek and Roman times
already (Potirna and Znjan). Archeological finds witness to the
existence of a settlement in Blato in the prehistoric and Illyrian
times. The prehistoric inhabitiant of Blato was a shepherd, hunter
and fisherman. Several early Christian churches were built in Blato
and around it. The most significant among them is the church of
St. Cosmas and Damian from the 6th century. All this confirms the
continuity of human life in Blato from the Neolithic to the present
day. Blato also has been the most densely populated part of the
island. Numerous families were not only living in Blato itself but
also had possessions 12 km away from Blato. These families would
come to Blato only for the most important events, such as marriages
and funerals, as they had all other facilities, even schools, near
their domains away from Blato. Some of these now deserted hamlets
like Brnistrova or Gumanci are very interesting for those fascinated
by life in the past.
The biggest public building in Blato today is the school, in whose
cellars the huge cisterns of Blato wine are stored. The parish church
of All Saints occupies the most prominent spot in Blato. It is a
three-aisled church built in 1350, and reconstructed in its present
form in 1672, when the bell-tower next to the church was built.
The present loggia was also built at that time replacing an older
one from 1496 witch was pulled down. In the church itself, there
is the main altar of marble, the work of the Baroque artist Petar
Pavle Bertapella (1763-1817), and the valuable All Saint painting
on it, painted by the Venetian artist Girolamo da Santacroce in
1540. The church boasts a rich collection of silver, among which
there are Venetian crosses from the 18th century. Saint Vicenza
has been worshiped in Blato as its patron saint since 1795, and
her relics are in the parish church.
Blato enjoyed its greatest prosperity in the 19th century at the
time of an unique demand for wine. It was also a time of political
emancipation which materialized in the foundation of the commune
of Blato. The terrible phylloxera vine disease hit Dalmatia at the
beginning of the 20th century. The population of Blato was halved
through emigration as a result, so that now more Blato people live
in Australia than in Blato itself. Photos of the arrival of special
emigration ships in the ports of Prigradica and Vela Luka have been
preserved. They took the emigrants on board and landed them in Australia,
New Zealand and Brasil.
A wonderful avenue of lime-trees lines the road through the middle
of the town; its is more than one kilometre long. At the beginning
of summer, every passerby along this avenue becomes aware of why
the Croatian name for June is Lipanj (it is the month when the lime-tree
/lipa/ flourishes). The football stadium is also in the middle of
the town, as well as a park with public buildings, a small hotel
Lipa, the post office and the bus station. The
sword dance and battle Kumpanjija is still performed on the
original main square in front of the church of All Saints. the heritage
of folklore of Blato is very rich and its inhabitants are pleased
to demonstrate it to tourists, especially on the feast of Saint
Vicenza (28.04). Althrough Blato did not built defend walls, it
is possible to note old blocks of dwelling houses forming small
closed areas of defence. The ethnographic museum is set in a fortified
house - kastel Arneri. Walks through and around Blato are full of
interest and the best view of the town itself and its surroundings
stretches from the road leading from the town towards the south
coast to the bays of Grscica and Prizba.
This road passes through steep terraced vineyards, which have never
been resuscitated after the devastation of phylloxera. They represent
today a monument to the hard-working people of Blato. The first
picturesque bay is Grscica, and then Prizba - a settlement of villas
and houses for hire whitch extends, untypically, along several kilometres
of the coastline. The Alfir hotel is situated in the middle of Prizba
near the picturesque small peninsula of Ratak. The modern turist
settlement Priscapac with sub aqua sports facilities lies at the
extremity of Prizba. There is only 2 km from there to Brna. The
green uninhabited islands that lie in front of Grscica and Prizba
are suitable for excursions and for fishing by local people and
tourists. Their names are: Kosor, Stupa, Crklica, Sridnjak and Vrhovnjak.
A second road from Blato leads to the next two areas of Blato, on
the south coast of the island. The name Karbuni (Coals) speaks of
the tradition of preparing charcoal and pitch in this region. It
is also known as one of the safest anchorages for small boats in
the Korcula archipelago. A group of beautiful islands with pleasant
beaches lie in front of these places: Zvirinovik, Trstenik, Prznjak
Veli, Prznjak Mali and others. There are a few summer houses of
belonging to local people on Veli Prznjak.
Still another road leads from Blato to the north coast of the island
and the hamlets of Prigradica, Rasoha and Babina. Prigradica was
built in the 19th century as an exporting port for Blatos wine and
oil, and today it is an attractive tourist resort. The very picturesque
village of Rasoha and Babina are some kilometres away from Prigradica.
Their inhabitants were occupied with agriculture, wood-cutting and
salting fish. The artistic tradition of Blato is continued by the
contemporary painters: Natasa Cetinic, Ante Sardelic and Frano Franulovic,
who has an atelier/gallery in Blato. The road from Blato towards
Vela Luka - 7 km - passes the edge of the biggest field on the island
- Blatsko polje. A greater part of this field was under water for
part of each year until 1912, when a tunnel was dug (2175 meters)
as far as the bay of Bristva and the field was dried out. The mediaval
custom of dividing up the land in this field are very interesting.
Each family had to have a piece of good and a piece of bad land.
The only underground sources of drinking water on the island of
Korcula can be found here.
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| Tourist
Board Blato |
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Blato
is historical and cultural centre of the west part of the island
of Korcula. It counts about 4000 inhabitants. Beautiful resorts
of Blato are Prizba, Prigradica, Grscica and Karbuni. Within the
old town there is a Church of All Saints with treasure loggia and
the belfry. In the church you can admire wooden choir seats from
16th century or beautiful painting of Girolamo da Santa Croce. Processional
silver crucifix from 15th century is of extraordinary value. Besides
there are 37 small churches and the Monastery of the Daughters of
Mercy. Since 1795 Blato has been under protection of St. Vincentia.
Her body is in the Chapel in the Church of All Saints. During the
3rd Pope's visit to Croatia He declared the beatification of Maria
of the Crucified Jesus Petkovic. She established the congregation
of the Daughters of Mercy and spread it all over the world helping
orphans, abandoned, the poor, and the sick. Within the Monastery
there is a Sanctuary of Maria of The Crucified. The square in the
front of the Church becomes an open stage upon which numerous church
and secular festivals take place. Blato nurtures a tradition of
very ancient folklore, expressed today in knightly sward dance "kumpanjija"
which draws its origin from the far history. Culture tradition and
the natural beauty create a restful atmosphere which is quite exceptional
and generous smiling people will make you come back again and again.
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| BlatoTourist
Office - Contact form and contact information |
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Blato has a very
old, original folk tradition and it is shown today in the chivalrous
tournament Kumpanjija, that has its origin in the Middle Ages. Kumpanjija
is a chivalrous fight between two armies that want to show their
readiness for the defence of their homes, and the tournament is
a recall on the far centuries when the defence of the island was
in the hands of the island territorial formation - Kumpanjija.
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On
July 5, 2002. The Holy Commission made a Decision of heroic virtues
of Servant of God Marija of the Crucified. On December 20, 2002.
it made also a Decision of approved miracle of saving 20 sailors
from the sunk Peruan navy submarine "Pacocha" by which
all conditions for beatification were fulfilled and it is expected
to be in June.
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Blato plain (Blatsko
polje) is a former periodically flooded karst plain located in the
central western part of the island of Korcula. This area gravitating
geographically to Vela Luka Bay and several smaller plains, was
well settled during all prehistoric and proto-historic periods because
of transportation connections and favorable environmental conditions.
Systematic research began some ten years ago, and results are summarized
in this article.
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Natasa
Cetinic was born on 9 May 1940 in Blato on the Island of Korcula.
She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1964 in the class
of Professor Miljenko Stancic. She taught art in Blato from 1964
to 1966. She was associate in the Krsto Hegedusic Master Workshop
from 1966 to 1970. To date she has shown at 30 one-person and 300
group exhibitions. She lived and worked in Zagreb and in Prigradica
- Blato, Korcula. Natasa Cetinic died on 4th June 2001 in Zagreb.
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