Podstrana (Croatia/ Hrvatska)

Today another post from Dalmatia (region in Croatia). I had already posted about Podstrana here. It is a settlement and municipaty located near Split (in fact only 8 km from this city). Podstrana has about 9000 residens. It is very popular with the tourists. Podstrana has been populated since the prehistoric days. The first people to settle there were  Ilyrians,  more specifically, an Ilyrian tribe called Pituntini. If you want to see what the appeal is, feel free to browse photographs. When I was there this Sunday, the rainy clouds fought battle with the sun...and this elemental stuggle created those silver shades that Impressionist painters were so crazy about. Standing at the beach, I could see just what they were so fascinated with. Sea has its own magic, powerful and ancient force that is hard to explain with words.

Danas još jedna objava iz Dalmacije. Već sam pisala o Podstrani ovdje.  To je naselje i općina smještena blizu Splitu (samo 8 km od samog grada). Podstrana ima oko 9000 stanovnika. Turističko je mjesto, a naseljena je od prapovijesnih dana. Prvi doseljenici bili su ilirsko pleme zvano Pituntini. Želite li vidjeti u čemu je draž ovog mjesta, slobodno pogledajte fotografije. Kada sam bila tamo prošle nedjelje, kišni oblaci borili su se s suncem i to  je stvorilo one srebrne nijanse za kojima su slikali impresionizma bili tako ludi. Stojeći na plaži, mogla sam shvatiti što ih je toliko fasciniralo. More ima svoju čaroliju, moćnu i drevnu snagu koju je teško objasniti riječima.

POST UPDATE 2024

A WEDDING IN PODSTRANA 

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/09/a-golden-gown-wedding-guest-outfit.html

ANOTHER WEDDING IN PODSTRANA I ATTENDED

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2015/11/what-i-wore-to-weddingsto-sam-nosila-na.html

ANOTHER VISIT TO PODSTRANA

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2014/08/postcards-from-dalmatia-podstrana.html

A VISIT TO STOBREČ

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2024/04/visit-stobrec-with-me-croatia-wiw-for.html

Stobreč, a charming historical village that has become a tourist resort. Located between Split city and Podstrana, this little village is a wonderful destination for a stroll or a day at the beach. It's actually been inhabited since the ancient times. Starting its life as a Greek colony, this village is genuinely historical. It's so closely tied to Split city, you can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins. In fact, administratively Strobreč is a part of Split city. Regular readers of my blog will remember that Split is actually my hometown.

 I grew up thinking of Stobreč  as a part of Split city. As it develops, it might become more independent, but one can also think of it as suburbs of Split city. Similarly, as it grows Podstrana is becoming more and more independent from Split city. 

NOW, SOME GENERAL INFORMATION FROM A TOURISTIC SITE: https://www.omisinfo.com/podstrana/

General information

Podstrana is a municipality in Split -Dalmatia county with population around 10,000 people. It is a series of small settlements located along the coast from "Bajnice", the westernmost village of the "parish of Jesenice" up to river "Zrnovnica", the western border of ancient "Republic of Poljica". Podstrana is located approximately 10 kilometres south from Split and 14 kilometres north from Omis. It is connected to both towns by regular bus lines. Podstrana consists of several settlements along the coast ("Mutogras", "Sveti Martin" (Saint Martin), "Grbavac", "Grljevac", "Miljevac", "Strozanac") and of the old settlement located under the hilltop "Perun", 200 metres above sea level, named "Gornja Podstrana" (Upper Podstrana). From this old settlement, which throughout its history was the part of the "Republic of Poljica", coastal settlements developed during 20th century, with the development of tourism and construction of the Adriatic highway. Agriculture is still today important part of local economy, mainly thanks to the production of vegetables in "Podstrana field", a large area of arable land located close to the sea which is very uncommon in this region, where mountains usually stretch directly to the sea. With the mild Mediterranean climate of coastal area and good quality of soil, the "Podstrana field" also bears fruit to some of the most delicious peaches, for which Podstrana is renowned.

History of Podstrana

According to the earliest historical sources, the first known inhabitants of Podstrana were the Illyrians, members of the tribes of "Dalmati". Archaeological remains of Greek settlement have been found at the bottom of the "Mutogras" hill. At the end of the 1st century BC the Romans founded one of the oldest settlement in this picturesque area called "Pituntium" from which the current name of Podstrana developed over centuries. Roman writer Pliny the Elder from the first century mentions a Roman settlement called "Pituntium" located in this area. The inhabitants lived mainly of income from the estate, from cultivation of vines, olive groves and orchards. The records of the nature and position of the main settlement "Pituntium" indicates the origin of the pre-Roman period. It is assumed that the settlement was located in the area of "Stara Podstrana" and was surrounded by dry stone walls made of large stone blocks. Remains of these stone blocks can be found today in the wall of the cemetery of the church of St. Martin in "Sveti Martin". One of the blocks in this wall is a roman headstone that belonged to Roman general Lucius Artorius Castus. Many historians think that there is enough proof that this is the tombstone of none other than legendary King Arthur himself. In this location in "Sveti Martin" there are many other interesting archaeological findings. Other interesting remains from the Roman period of the history of Podstrana are the ruins of Roman building in "Polača" and "Cindro" castle in "Strozanac"

Croats arrived to this area in early seventh century and have founded several settlements on the slopes under the mountain tops. The oldest settlement called "Gornja Vas", was established in the vicinity of the freshwater spring and the source of potable water. In "Sveti Martin" in the year 839, Croatian prince Mislav made peace with Pietro Tradonico, the Venetian doge - the Venetian navy was no longer allowed to freely sail the Adriatic sea. In eleventh century, together with neighbouring villages they founded the "Republic of Poljica", an autonomous community that was organised as a "peasants' republic", and it's best known for the "Poljica Statute" first written in 1440. The people of Podstrana feared and respected the Statute and its laws and relied on faith and God.

Summer holiday in Podstrana

With the development of tourism in Croatia, it slowly became the most important economic activity and source of income for the people of Podstrana. Podstrana bases is tourism on the well know hospitality of the local people, rich cultural and gastronomical heritage, natural beauty, mild climate, clean sea and endless sequence of beautiful pebble beaches. The proximity of the largest Dalmatian and second largest Croatian city, the city of Split surely played an important role in developing Podstrana into modern holiday resort. Split is the largest port and the most important transportation, cultural and socioeconomic hub on the eastern side of the Adriatic sea. Podstrana is situated just few kilometres east from Split, and with regular bus connections it became a suburb of Split. 

Podstrana stretches along the Adriatic tourist highway, a two-lane road which connects it with other tourist centres on Croatian coast. Along the road there are numerous hotels, restaurants, private houses where it is possible to find excellent accommodation for reasonable price. And along the coast, there is several kilometres long sequence of white gravel beaches, with lots of shade and many beach bars that are situated along nice promenade. The eastern part of Podstrana, an area named "Mutogras" is very popular spot for windsurfing, and surfing equipment is available for rent on several spots in Podstrana. There are also many other possibilities for water sports, like renting sea-scooters, kayaks, diving and renting a boat to explore nearby islands. The western part of Podstrana is home to one of the best hotels in Croatia, "Le Meridien Lav" with many services that are open to public like open and closed pools, tennis courts, welness centre, conference centre, parking, marina, casino, restaurants, bars, playground for children etc. 

CITED FROM https://www.omisinfo.com/podstrana/

 DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CROATIA?

cited from https://www.britannica.com/place/Croatia/History

The lands where the Croats would settle and establish their state lay just within the borders of the Western Roman Empire. In the 6th and 7th centuries CE, Slavs arrived in the western Balkans, settling on Byzantine territory along the Adriatic and in the hinterland and gradually merging with the indigenous Latinized population. Eventually they accepted the Roman Catholic Church, though preserving a Slavonic liturgy. In the 9th century an independent Croatian state developed with its centre in northern Dalmatia, later incorporating Croatia proper and Slavonia as well. This state grew into a powerful military force under King Tomislav (reigned c. 910–928). Croatia retained its independence under native kings until 1102, when the crown passed into the hands of the Hungarian dynasty. The precise terms of this relationship later became a matter of dispute. Nonetheless, even under dynastic union with Hungary, institutions of separate Croatian statehood were maintained through the Sabor (an assembly of Croatian nobles) and the ban (viceroy). In addition, the Croatian nobles retained their lands and titles.

Over the following centuries, the area associated with the name Croatia shifted gradually north and west as its territory was eroded, first with the loss of Dalmatia to Venice by 1420 and then as a result of Ottoman conquests in the 16th century. The Croatian nobility maintained their claims to lands occupied by the Ottomans, hoping to repossess them once liberated. A Croatian national tradition also survived within these territories, as well as in lands under Venetian rule. A broader Croatian ethnic identity would be further consolidated among the Catholics of Dalmatia and of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the nationalist movements of the 19th century.

The Austrian Habsburgs, elected to the throne of Croatia in 1527 after the death of King Louis II of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács, defended the “remnant of the remnants” of Croatia by establishing the Military Frontier (German: Militärgrenze; Serbo-Croatian: Vojna Krajina), a defensive zone along the border with the Ottoman-controlled lands. Because it was ruled directly by the Habsburg war council, the Military Frontier further reduced the amount of land under the control of Croatian nobles, the Sabor, and the ban. Furthermore, its military units and their land rights attracted not only some Croatian peasants but also a larger Orthodox inflow from the Ottoman-conquered territories. 

Under the pressures caused by the Ottoman invasions and increased obligations to landlords, the position of the Croatian peasantry deteriorated, leading to a number of rebellions—most notably in 1573. The nobility, too, was under pressure from Habsburg absolutism. An anti-Habsburg conspiracy of Croatian and Hungarian nobles was unsuccessful, and its leaders, including Petar Zrinski, ban of Croatia, were executed in 1671. Their extensive properties in Croatia were confiscated by the Habsburg crown.

Ragusa and the Croat Renaissance in Dalmatia

The Adriatic port of Ragusa had been founded by Latinized colonists, but by the 14th century it had been largely Slavicized and had acquired its alternate name of Dubrovnik. The largely Croat republic of Ragusa maintained a precarious autonomy under the suzerainty of Venice, Hungary, and (after 1397) the Ottoman Empire. Its wealth as a trading power was based on its role as an intermediary between East and West, and it nurtured a flourishing cultural life. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Ragusa and other Dalmatian cities under the rule of Venice became the centre of the Croat Renaissance, which produced, in addition to works of art and science, an extensive and powerful literature that had a lasting influence on the development of the Croatian literary language. As a mercantile power, however, Ragusa eventually entered a decline parallel to that of Venice, so that by the 18th century it had become little more than an economic backwater. Ragusa retained its autonomy as a city-state until 1806, when it was occupied by Napoleon I’s armies. During the French occupation of all of Dalmatia, which lasted until 1813, the region was designated as part of the Illyrian Provinces, where education and publications in South Slav languages were allowed.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DALMATIA?

Dalmatia, region of Croatia, comprising a central coastal strip and a fringe of islands along the Adriatic Sea. Its greatest breadth, on the mainland, is about 28 miles (45 km), and its total length, from the Kvarner (Quarnero) gulf to the narrows of Kotor (Cattaro), is about 233 miles (375 km). The major islands from north to south (with Italian names in parentheses) are Krk (Veglia), Cres (Cherso), Rab (Arba), Pag (Pago), Dugi Otok (Isola Lunga), Brač (Brazza), Hvar (Lesina), Vis (Lissa), Korčula (Curzola), Mljet (Meleda), and Lastovo (Lagosta). A rugged and barren range of mountains, the Dinaric Alps, divides Dalmatia from the interior. With peaks ranging from 1,500 feet (450 meters) to more than 6,200 feet (1,900 meters), the Dinaric Alps offer only two main passes: the Krka River canyon and the Neretva River valley. The Dalmatian coastline has numerous bays and harbors and is noted for its scenic beauty. The climate is mild, with dry summers, abundant rain in autumn and winter, and very little snow.

The first recorded inhabitants of Dalmatia were Illyrians (the name Dalmatia probably comes from the name of an Illyrian tribe, the Delmata, an Indo-European people who overran the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula beginning about 1000 BCE). The Greeks began to settle there from the 4th century, founding a number of colonies on the islands, the most famous of which were Issa (Vis), Pharos (Hvar), and Corcyra Melaina (Korčula), and a few towns on the mainland coast, one of which is Salona (Solin), near modern Split. The Greeks, opposed by the Illyrians, appealed to the Romans for help, and a long series of Roman-Illyrian wars began in 229. The fall of the Dalmatian capital, Delminium, in 155 brought Roman civilization to the country. On the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Dalmatia fell under the power of Odoacer in 481 CE and later under that of Theodoric, to become a battlefield during the wars between the Goths and the Byzantine emperor Justinian I.

Dalmatia’s principal cities are Zadar, Split (Spalato), Šibenik (Sebenico), Dubrovnik (Ragusa), Trogir (Trau), Korčula, and Kotor. The region’s economy is mainly agricultural. The soil is unsuitable for the cultivation of cereal grains but favors olive trees, vegetables, and, above all, vines. Dalmatian vineyards are rich in wine production. There are deposits of bauxite that are exploited by the aluminum refinery near Šibenik. Abundant reserves of limestone coming from the neighborhood of Split account for much of Croatia’s cement output. There are also chemical factories as well as food-processing plants. Major shipbuilding yards are at Split. The rivers, except for a few miles on the Krka and on the Neretva, are unsuitable for navigation, but their precipitous fall makes them a natural source of hydroelectric power. Tourism has become a major economic factor; Dubrovnik and Split are major Mediterranean tourist attractions.

TRANSLATING CROATIAN ( DALMATIAN ) POET VESNA PARUN

A DREAM

My mother's hand,  like a white sail, a wing of a tender oriole.

Do you remember a fairy tale about a golden apple, a moonlight's rainbow?

On a swing branch transparent to the (point of) snow, soft to the (point of) sorrow,

my eyes weave silent conversations, long lullabies. 

Wells filled with heavy water travel into an unknown harbor.

My mother's song,  a white daisy, is guiding me by the hand. 

SAN 

Ruka moje majke kao jedro bijelo, krilo blage vuge. 

Sjećaš li se bajke o jabuci zlatnoj, mjesečeve duge? 

Na ljuljački grani prozirnoj do snijega, mekanoj do tuge,

oči moje predu razgovore tihe, uspavanke duge.

Putuju bunari puni teške vode u neznanu luku.

Pjesma moje majke, ivančica bijela, vodi me za ruku. 

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE 

 

Parun, Vesna, Croatian writer and translator ( born in Zlarin, on 10th of April, 1922 – died in Stubičke Toplice, on 25th of October, 2010). Vesna began her study of Romance languages at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in 1940, but stopped because of World War II. After the war, she began studying philosophy at the same faculty,  but dropped out due to illness in 1947. From that point on, Vesna had been working as a freelance writer.

The very extensive poetic work of V. Parun, the most translated Croatian poetess, produced one of the most significant chapters of contemporary Croatian poetry. Her first poetry collection Zore i vihori (Dawns and Whirlwinds)  published in 1947, in which youthful vitality, love and nature are contrasted with war, death and suffering, was declared apolitical, artistically empty and decadent by the then official socialist realist critics. With its resistance to the violent ideologising of post-war poetry, this collection is a forerunner of the poetics of the Krugovac generation.

 With the anthology collection Crna maslina (Black Olive) (1955) and the collections Ropstvo (Slavery) (1957), Pusti da otpočinem (Let Me Rest) (1958) and You and Never (1959), she confirmed herself as a poet preoccupied with love. Love and the experience of nature are the central themes of the collection Faithful Otters (1957), Coral Returned to the Sea (1959) and Wind of Thrace (1964), which can be considered hymns to the sea. She expressed her realization of the tragedy of life in the collection Ukleti dažd (Cursed Rain) (1969), full of dark moods and resignation.

 In the following collections, she showed a penchant for the ironic, satirical and grotesque, referring to concrete social reality (Apocalyptic fables, 1976; Salto mortale, 1981; Tronožac koji hoda, 1993; Smijeh od smrti jacci, 1997; Pelin fables, 1998; Đoko and Đokonda: poetic-satirical counterpoint, 2002, etc.), although she later returned to the elegiac, nostalgic and metaphysical atmosphere of her previous collections (Drums instead of hearts, 2003). 

Vesna Parun expressed herself both in free verse and in traditional metrical forms (sonnet collections Sto soneta/One Hundred Sonnets, 1972; Olovni golub/Lead pigeon, 1972; Salto mortale; Suze putuju: /bolnički sonneti/, 2002), but she also wrote prose poems (Indigo grad, Indigo city 1990).

She published a polemical book of feuilletons, fables and satires Under the Male Umbrella (1987), a meditative book about suffering, love and poetry Krv štjena (1988), a collection of satirical jokes, epigrams and aphorisms Political Valentine's Day (2000) and Deadly Sin: Satire (2000). , autobiographical records A Night for Mischief: My Life in 40 Bags (2001). Her dramatic texts were staged (Marija and the Sailor, 1960; Magareći otok, 1979). 

A selection from her essay texts was published in the book Unfinished Mosaic (1999). Her significant work for children is imbued with motifs from the plant and animal world and humor (Sadness and Joy of the Forest, 1958; Wise Rabbit, 1958; Golden Duck, 1959; Džingiskan the Cat and Miki Trasi, 1968; Miki – the Famous Captain, 1970; Games before storm, 1979; Through a window of winter, 1995; Lullaby for a kiss, 1997; Bee, long and mill, 1997; Three sea adventures, 2000). She translated poems from Slovenian, Bulgarian, French and German; her renditions of songs by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Heinrich Heine and Rainer Marie Rilke are particularly appreciated. She is the winner of the Goranov vijenac Award for her entire poetic work (1977) and the "Vladimir Nazor" Award for her lifetime achievement (1982). * TRANSLATED FROM this site BY ME

THREE ISLANDS 

There are three islands in the midst of this sea, one more rocky than another,

one more passionate than another in cricket song and pine soughing.

The first one is a snake curled into a bowl, the second a shiny sword unsheathed from scabbard,

The third one is an open dead man treasure chest rocking on the waves.

All three cursed. All three blessed.

All three abundant in deep caves, gravel and rocky capes-

Ancient treasures of experience in tired stones, that no one still

has solved the destiny of. 

All three have bitten into my soul with its stone teeth!

All three have whipped me with salt, wounded me with green rosemary.

The first is known for angry battles and red wine tanks.

The second for the sunny vastness of winter where dolphins play.

The third one, chained in white marble, grows wild sheep and trembles before death.

There are three islands in the middle of this sea. One more cursed than another,

one from another more passionate in cricket song and pine soughing.

TRI OTOKA

Tri su otoka nasred ovog mora, jedan od drugog vrletniji,

jedan od drugog pjesmom cvrčaka strasniji, šumorom borja.

Prvi je zmija u klupko savijena, drugi je sjajni mač iz korica isukan,

treći otvorena škrinja mrtvačka što ziblje se povrh valova.

Sva tri ukleta. Sva tri blagoslovljena.

Sva tri krcata dubokih špilja i šljunka, rtova stjenovitih.

Drevne riznice iskustva u umornom kamenju, koje još nitko

ne odgonetnu kob.

Sva tri su zagrizla kamenim zubima u moje srce!

Sva tri su me solju išibala, zelenim ružmarinom izranila.

Prvi je znan po ljutim bitkama i crvenim badnjevima vinskim.

Drugi po sunčanim bespućima zime na kojima se igraju

delfini.

Treći, mramorom bijelim okovan, pase divlje ovce i pred

smrću strahuje.

Tri su otoka nasred ovog mora. Jedan od drugog ukletiji,

jedan od drugog pjesmom cvrčaka strasniji, šumorom borja.

VOKABULAR:

vȑlētan

vȑlētan prid. 〈odr. -tnī〉 Definicija: koji je pun vrleti; neprohodan, strm

I WAS A BOY

The evening hid me in the moonlight, 

having extinguished the candles.

All night I dreamed pondering

in an azure forest through the trees.

I was a berry of a ripe grape

in the teeth during kisses

a fox escaped from a trap

a boy that throws exclamations from a slingshot;

and a bite from a song mid forehead,

colourful cat in the basket of the game.

What I wasn’t, what I couldn’t have done,

a fish’s mirror in the pupil of an otter!

BILA SAM DJEČAK

U mjesečinu me sakrila

večer, utrnuvši svijeće.

Svu noć sam zamišljena snila

u modroj šumi kroz drveće.

Bila sam zrno rumena grožđa

u zubima sred poljubaca

lisica utekla iz gvožđa

dječak, što praćkom poklike baca;

i ujed pjesme nasred čela

šarena mačka u košari igre.

Šta nisam bila, šta nisam smjela,

zrcalo ribe u zjenici vidre!

POEM BY VESNA PARUN

POST UPDATE 2024

SPLIT CITY IS LOCATED IN VICINITY OF PODSTRANA

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2024/06/great-essays-in-science-by-martin.html

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