KORNATSKO OTOČJE
KORNATI ARCHIPELAGO
Kornatsko je otočje sa svojih 147 otoka, otočića i hridi,
još davne 1967., zbog izuzetnih krajobraznih ljepota,
geomorfologije i velike razvedenosti obalne crte pro-
glašeno zaštićenim prirodnim predjelom.
Zbog potrebe strože zaštite, 1980. g. dio otočja koji obu-
hvaća Kornatski i Piškerski otočni niz, zajedno s uvalom
Telašćica na Dugom otoku, proglašen je nacionalnim
parkom.
Žutski i Sitski otočni niz ostaju „zaštićeni prirodni pre-
dijel odnosno, prema novoj klasifikaciji zaštićenih po-
dručja, značajni krajobraz.
Zbog kasnijih razmirica pri upravljanju područjem unu-
tar šibenskoga i zadarskoga kotara, uvala Telašćica 1988.
g. izlazi izvan granica nacionalnoga parka te postaje
Park prirode dok u sastavu Nacionalnog parka Kornati
ostaje 89 otoka, otočića i hridi.
D
ojmljiv kontrast škrtoga, naizgled polupustinj-
skoga i negostoljubivog kopna s jedne strane,
te biološki i geomorfološki vrlo raznolikoga i bo-
gatog podmorja s druge strane, jedna je od temeljnih
odlika Kornatskog otočja.
Vrlo značajan geološki događaj na ovim prostorima zbio se
relativno nedavno. Naime, prije petnaestak tisuća godina, u
vrijeme posljednjega ledenog doba, razina mora bila je za
preko 120 m niža nego danas. Lako je zaključiti da su Kornati
tada bili sastavni dio kopna i da je Jadransko more dopiralo
samo do polovine svoga današnjeg pružanja - Jabučke kotli-
ne. Po završetku ledenoga doba, otapanjem golemih količina
leda na Zemljinim polovima, razina mora naglo je porasla i
more je “potopilo” kornatski prostor. Sada iz mora vire samo
vrhovi nekadašnjih brda.
Čuvene kornatske “krune” okrenute prema otvorenom moru,
a koje karakteriziraju većinu vanjskih otoka u pučinskom
otočnom nizu, posebna su odlika i vrijednost ovog prostora.
Priča o nastanku “kruna” globalnog je karaktera. Cijeli sredo-
zemni prostor leži na kontaktu Afričke i Euroazijske tektonske
KULTURNA BAŠTINA
K T
ornatsko je otočje na poseban način obilježeno i obliko-
vano ne samo prirodnim i geološkim procesima, nego
i prisutnošću i djelovanjem različitih naroda i kultura
koje su se na ovom prostoru smjenjivale.
Prvi tragovi prisutnosti čovjeka na području Kornatskoga
otočja, prema nalazu kamene sjekire u polju Zejkovci, dati-
raju još iz doba neolitika. Međutim prvu potvrđenu koloniza-
ciju bilježimo u vrijeme Ilira, o čemu svjedoče brojni ostatci
utvrđenih nastambi (gradine) i grobnih humaka (gomile). I
starim je Rimljanima ovaj prostor bio zanimljiv za stanovanje
i gospodarsko iskorištavanje, na što ukazuju ostatci ladanj-
sko-gospodarskog zdanja (villa rustica) u Maloj Proversi i ba-
zena za ribe na Svršati. Otočjem je gospodarilo i Bizantsko
carstvo, kako svjedoče najmarkantnije kornatske građevine,
utvrda Tureta i starokršćanska trobrodna bazilika u podnožju
utvrde, sagrađene u 6. stoljeću. Dolaskom Hrvata na Jadran
te borbom za prevlast na moru između njih, dalmatinskih
gradova i sve snažnije Mletačke Republike, Kornati su postali
Utvrda Tureta / Fort Tureta
Godine 1639. Kornati su prodani četvorici zadarskih plemi-
ća. Nedugo nakon toga, usljed gusarskih akcija i opće nesi-
gurnosti na početku Kandijskog rata (1645.-1669.), Kornati
su ostali bez pastira i stočnog fonda. Tu su prazninu, tražeći
dodatni životni prostor, iskoristili mještani Murtera i Betine te
su na opustjele kornatske pašnjake, u dogovoru s vlasnicima
otočja, doveli svoja stada, zamjenjujući dotadašnje pastire s
Dugog otoka. Od dolaska novih pastira, pa sve do kraja 19.
stoljeća, prilike na Kornatskom otočju gotovo da se i nisu mi-
jenjale. Pašnjake su u zakupu držali Murterini i Betinjani, a is-
ključivo pravo ribolova imali su saljski ribari. Vinograde i ora-
nice u kornatskim poljima obrađivali su težaci iz dugootočkih
naselja, većinom Saljani i Zaglavci. Postupno su i uz velik trud
Murterini i Betinjani stvarali vlastiti težački posjed krčenjem
zemljišta uz postojeća polja i na izoliranim mjestima u blizini
pristaništa.
Tijekom druge polovice 19. stoljeća trideset sedam Murte-
rina, četiri Betinjanina i dva Zaglavca otkupljuju Kornate od
njihovih dotadašnjih vlasnika. Na taj je način preko 90% kor-
natskoga kopna postalo vlasništvom mještana Murtera i Be-
tine. No Saljani su i dalje ostali gospodari kornatskoga mora,
premda su Murterini tražili jednaka prava na bogata ribolovi-
šta okolnog akvatorija.
Tekst/Text: Kristijan Juran, Martina Markov Podvinski • Fotografije/Photography: Martina Markov Podvinski, Hrvoje Čižmek, Vladislav Mihelčić
Panel je pripremljen u sklopu projekta „ Doprinos očuvanju bioraznolikosti Kornatskog otočja“ kojeg financira Veleposlanstvo Kraljevine Nizozemske u Republici Hrvatskoj preko MATRA/KNIP programa.
Panel is prepared within the scope of the project „Biodiversity Protection in Croatia’s Kornati Archipelago” realized with a help of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Croatia, within MATRA/KNIP program.
BIUS • Udruga studenata biologije
Biology Students Association “BIUS”
bius@ bius.hr • www.bius.hr
GeOLOGIJA
„Krune“ / Crowns
ploče. Kontakt je seizmički aktivan, pa se ovdje već dugi niz
godina zbivaju intenzivna boranja, rasjedanja i navlačenja
Zemljine kore. Jedan od tih rasjeda manifestira se upravo u
kornatskim „krunama“. Najviša “kruna” u Kornatima nalazi se
na otoku Klobučar (82 m iznad razine mora), a najduža - iznad
razine mora na otoku Mana (1350 m).
životno nesigurnim prostorom, pa se pretpostavlja da sve do
13. stoljeća na njima nije bilo stalnoga stanovništva.
Ponovno oživljavanje Kornatskoga otočja započinje u 13. i 14.
stoljeću. Iz tog vremena datiraju crkva Gospe o’Tarca, podi-
gnuta na ruševinama ranokršćanske bazilike, te ostaci poto-
pljene solane i skladišta za sol na otoku Lavsi. Kornati su tada
bili u vlasništvu zadarske komune, koja ih je na javnim draž-
bama davala u višegodišnje zakupe. Zakupnici su se uglav-
nom bavili stočarstvom, a zemljoradnja je bila ograničena na
skromne poljske površine.
Od kraja srednjega vijeka, zbog turskih osvajanja u kopne-
nom zaleđu i naglog razvoja ribarstva, koje se temeljilo na
uporabi svjetla pri lovu srdela, vrijednost otočja je rasla. Tako
se u 16. stoljeću podiže ribarsko naselje s crkvicom na otoku
Piškeri i kaštel na susjednom otoku Panituli. No zbog čestih
pljačkaških upada i promijenjenih gospodarskih okolnosti,
naselje je do sredine 18. stoljeća bilo napušteno.
Crkva Gospe o’Tarca /
Our Lady of Tarac Church
Krajem 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća gospodarstvo i život u Kor-
natima dobili su sasvim novi značaj. To je vrijeme intenziviranja
agrarnih aktivnosti, odnosno prenamjene pašnjačkoga kraj-
obraza u obradive površine. U to vrijeme niče složeni mozaik
suhozidnih ograda, danas jedna od najzanimljivijih kulturnih
atrakcija na području Kornata. Život se iz unutrašnjosti kornat-
skoga kopna, iz razasutih pastirskih i težačkih nastambi, prese-
lio na obalu, u porte, male ruralne komplekse koji su niknuli uz
zaštićene uvale i pristaništa.
Suhozid / drystone wall
geology
I
mpressive contracts of scarce, almost desert-like and
hostile land on one side and biologically and geomor-
phologically diverse and rich sea life on the other side
are the main characteristics of Kornati archipelago.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
he Kornati Archipelago was formed in a special way
not just through natural and geological processes, but
through the presence and workings of different peo-
ples and cultures interchanging on these territories.
The first traces of human presence on the territory of Kornati
Archipelago, based on the findings of stone axe in Zeljkov-
ci field, date as far as neolitic. However, the first confirmed
colonization was in the time of the Illyrians, which is evi-
dent from many remains of settlement (hill-fort) and grave-
mounds. The old Romans found these territories extremely
interesting for living and agriculural exploitation, which can
be seen from the remains of countryside villa (villa rustica) in
Mala Proversa and fish pool on Svršata island. The Byzantine
Empire ruled over the island, witnessed by one of the most
imposing buildings of Kornati, fort Tureta and old Christian
basilica with three naves in the foothills of the fort, built in
the 6th century. Kornati became an uncertain place for living
at the time when the Croats were coming to the Adriatic and
fought for the rule over the sea amongst themselves, other
Crkva u Piškeri/ Church in Piškera
In year 1639 Kornati were sold to four noblemen in Zadar. Not
long after that, in the middle of the pirate raids and general in-
securities at the beginning of the Candian War (1645 – 1669),
Kornati lost their shepherds and cattle. The void was filled out
by the local residents of Murter and Betina, who were seeking
out extra living space, and brought their flocks to the pastures
of Kornati, in agreement with the owners of the island, coming
into the place of the former shepherd of Dugi otok. The circum-
stances barely changed since the arrival of the new shepherds,
Kornati archipelago, with its 147 islands, isles and cliffs,
was found a protected natural environment due to its
exceptional beauty, geomorphology and indentedness
of the coast.
Because of the need for more strict measures of protec-
tion, in 1980, part of the islands encompassing Kornat
and Piškera island line, together with Telaščica Bay on
Dugi otok island, it was made National Park.
Island line of Žut and Sit remain “protected natural envi-
ronment” i.e. according to the new Classification of En-
vironmental Protection Activities, Protected landscape.
Due to late controversies over the managing of the ter-
ritory inside the Šibenik and Zadar region, the Telašćica
Bay was excluded from the limits of the National Park
and became Nature Park, while 89 islands, isles and cliffs
remained in National Park Kornati.
A significant geological event happened on these territories
only recently. Fifteen thousand years ago, during the last ice
age, the level of the sea was over 120 m lower than today. It
is evident that Kornati were part of mainland then and that
the Adriatic Sea reached only the half of its length today –
the bowl of Jabuka Following the end of the ice-age, melting
of huge ice masses on Earth’s poles, the sea level rose sud-
denly and the sea “flooded” the area of Kornati. The peaks of
the hills are the only things coming out of the sea.
The famous “crowns” of Kornati are turned towards the open
sea, a characteristic of many islands on the open sea, repre-
sent a special characteristic and value of these territories.
The story of the origin of the “crowns” is of global character.
The entire territory of the Mediterranean lies on the juncture
of the African and Euro-Asian tectonic plates. The joint is seis-
mically active; therefore, for a long period of time, there has
been intensive folding, faulting and pulling the Earth crust.
One of these faults is manifested in the “crowns” of Kornati.
The highest “crown” on Kornati is on the island Klobučar (82
meters above the sea level), and the longest – above the sea
level is on the island Mana (1350m).
Dalmatian towns and the Venetians who rose into power at
the time. The common opinion is that there were no perma-
nent residents on the islands until the 13th century.
Kornati archipelago came back to life in 13th and 14th cen-
tury. The church Gospe o’Tarca (Our Lady of Tarac), built on
the ruins of the early Christian basilic, and the remains of the
submerged salt pans and salt magazines on island Lavsa. Ko-
rnati were owned by the Zadar commune at the time, which
gave them up for public auction to tenant farming. The ten-
ants were mainly into cattle breeding, and agriculture was
limited to small field surfaces.
From the end of the Middle Ages, due to the Otoman con-
quests in the hinterland and fast rise in fishery which is based
on using the light while fishing for pilchards, made the island
grow in its value. Therefore in the 16th century a fishermen
settlement arose with the church in the island Piškera and
a castle on the neighbouring island Panitula. However, fre-
quent raids and changed economic circumstances caused
the people to abandon the settlement by the 18th century.
Starokršćanska trobrodna bazilika /
Old Christian basilica
all to way to the end of the 19th century. People of Murter and
Betina held the pastures in tenant, while the fishermen of Sali
had the exclusive right of fishery. Vineyards and plough lands in
the fields of Kornati were farmed by the farm hands from Dugi
otok, mostly from Sali and Zaglav. The people of Murter and
Betina gradually and with much effort created their own farm
lands by clearing up the lands next to the existing fields and
isolated places in the vicinity of the port.
In the second half of the 19th century, 37 men from Murter, 4
from Betina and 2 from Zaglav bought off Kornati from their
previous owners. 90% of the Kornati land stayed in the own-
ership of Murter and Betina. However, the people of Sali still
remained the rulers of the sea of Kornati, although the people
of Murter sought equal right on rich fishing regions of the sur-
rounding sea.
By the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century,
the agriculture and life on Kornati received a completely new
meaning. It is the age of growing agricultural activities when
the pasture landscape was converted into cultivated surfaces.
This is the time when a complex mosaic of drystone walls ap-
peared, one of the most interesting cultural attractions on the
Kornati territory. Life moved to the mainland from the inside of
the land of Kornati, from scattered shepherd and farm worker’s
housings, into port, small rural complexes rising in well pro-
tected coves and ports.
Ekološka udruga Argonauta
Ecological association Argonauta
mail@argonauta.hr • www.argonauta.hr