Explore the environment
Pag is an island of unusual shapes, wild exotics, tame oases, hiking trails and shallow bays that can be reached by land over a bridge or ferry. Indescribable beauty, nature, but also delicious food will make this island your favorite destination.
- The town of Pag, founded in 1443, had been planned symmetrically according to the principles of Mediterranean urbanism with the main square and a net of parallel streets. A part of this harmony is transferred in the needle work of the women of Pag. The unique beauty of the lace tells a story about the island of its origin, and the centuries' long wish of its people to preserve this beauty. The lace of Pag, sewed by needle, traces its origins from the needlework of the eastern Mediterranean. Its quality equally matches the quality of the needlework of the neighbouring countries. The first real lace emerged in Renaissance. That is the time when polychrome mediaeval colouring in art was replaced with the new kind of beauty, characterised by a simple, white pattern. Original lace sewn with a needle has always been strictly geometrically shaped. One of the basic shapes, seen on the folk costume, is RETIČELA. The name actually refers to the rectangular area in the linen , filled with fine lines resembling spider's net, that serve as a base for sewing desired motives using stitch called OBAMETA. Pag's women call this kind of needlework- "paški teg" – meaning "women's needlework". It is found on the front side of shirts and on the shorter sides of POKRIVACA – women's head scarf. "Paški teg" has been made without written drafts. Women would just have to glance at the work of their mothers and grandmothers to be able to make one of their own. This was a long, precise and hard work which demanded patience, sharp sight and always steady and clean hands. At the beginning of the 20th century, under the influence of the lace making school in Pag, the lace ceased to exist as a part of the linen and became independent. Since then, up till now, women have sewn mostly doilies of different sizes and shapes, beddings, altar covers and decorative handkerchiefs. It is also known that many new creations are being born thanks to the lace makers that, we might say, genetically carry some elements in their memory. Ethereal in its visual concept and firm in its rendering, this lace seems like transmitting to the world some part of the rocky ground of its origin. It speaks of the continuity of life on this island, of the identity of the Croatian man who has been living with it throughout the centuries.
- We simply do not know precisely how long salt has been produced in Pag. Salt production in the Croatian lands was first mentioned in the book about Adriatic salt pans by Prof. Candide from the university in Naples, published in 1912. He stressed that already in the 3rd century BC, the Illyrians (he meant the Liburnians) had travelled from the Croatian lands to the Apennine peninsula and taught the local inhabitants how to produce sea salt and in the process they established what is now the Italian salt plant, Regina Margarita. The first written data on actual salt production in Pag originated in a will from the year 999. Data on salt pans in Pag can be followed through the following years, often in wills and other documents. This was a time when salt was valued as white gold. By the beginning of the Venetian era in 1409, there were several salt pans on the island. Besides today’s, which is the only one to have survived anywhere in Venetian Dalmatia, there were also salt pans in Dinjiška, Povljana, Vlašići and Stara Novalja. There had been dozens of salt pans throughout the eastern Adriatic seaboard, but Venice shut down all except the one in Pag to better monitor salt production and distribution. Venice took 70 % of the total salt produced, while the remaining 30 % was distributed in 50:50 shares between the pan’s owners and workers. The Republic of Venice, which ruled the Croatian coast from 1409 until its collapse in 1797, never owned the salt pan. The owners were generally nobles from Zadar but also Pag, as well as the Benedictine convent and church. After the fall of the Venetian Republic, control of its former possessions in Croatia was assumed by Austria, which meticulously recorded the salt pans and drafted cadastral maps. After not even 8 years of rule, this area became part of Napoleon’s Illyrian provinces. The idea of a state monopoly emerged at the time: to purchase all salt pans from private owners to form one large salt production concern. Since French rule was rather brief, just short of 8 years, this idea never came to fruition. After Napoleon’s fall, Austrian authority was re-established (the second Austrian reign) which carried forward the idea of purchasing private salt pans. A state monopoly was created, generating far higher revenues, although the workers did not prosper, so the first strikes were staged.
- The ethnographic collection of the old objects and tools from the ancient times is located in the centre of Kolan, in the premises of the old school (built in 1903.). Every object tells its own story about the inhabitants of these areas and the old ways of living. In the collection, beside antiques, there are also some old pictures telling us about the values and memories that will never fade away. In the premises of the Ethnographic museum, there is a library, the pride and joy of the young people of these parts. They make big effort every day wishing to offer to their people a part of the beauty of the written word.
- The ornithological reserve Veliko blato, is a shelter for a wide variety of marsh birds, especially during the period of nesting, migration and hibernation. The length of the marsh habitat is about 2 km, with an average width of app. 1.2 km. The northern part is surrounded by reeds (Phragmites communis), which are especially well-developed in the southeastern part of the reserve. Beside reeds, there are some varieties of sedges (Carex sp.), rushes (Juncus acutus, J. conglomeratus, J. maritimus) and other marsh varieties (Scirpus sp., Sparganium erectum, etc.). The edge of the depression is covered by meadows which are sometimes flooded in the spring and fall. The southern part of the reserve is surrounded by karst terrain sporadically covered with karst-terrain plant varieties (Salvia officinalis, Helychrisum italicum, Euphorbia spinosa, Inula candida, Stachis salviaefolius, etc.). The following birds can often be spotted here: black coot (Fulica atra), little grebe (Tachybatus ruficollis), great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), white heron(Egretta alba), bittern (Botaurus stellaris), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), and common spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia).What makes the reserve so special is the fact that it is the nesting place of the gadwall (Anas strepera), Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), and calandra lark (Melanocorypha calandra), all three endangered Europe-wide, whereas in Croatia they are very rare nesting birds. Such a preserved marsh territory is very rare nowadays, especially because of the increasing vulnerability of the marsh ornithofauna and the disappearance of the marsh biothope throughout Europe. Among all types of habitats in Europe, marsh habitats are definitely the richest and most various in bird life.The reserve Veliko blato is an important location for bird-watching and related activities, because there are exceptional facilities for this kind of recreational tourism which is based on sight-seeing round trips, bird-watching and photography.The reservation has a watch tower and an info-board Experts have so far documented 143 bird varieties on the locality, compiled a bird check-list, and marked the most convenient periods within each season for bird-watchers, as well as varieties of birds which can be seen during a particular period. We plan to issue a brochure on the birds of the Veliko blato reserve. Apart from Veliko blato, on the island of Pag there are two more marsh areas: Malo blato in the vicinity of Veliko blato, and Kolansko blato in the Kolan municipality. All three localities have obtained the status of ornithological reserves.Tickets for sightseeing in Veliko blato are sold in the Tourist board Povljana. The Tourist board also issues permits for freshwater fishing. You can buy a fishing permit for one day or the whole week. The reserve is a protected area. Enjoy the beauty of the reserve and do not leave behind anything that might corrupt it.
- "West of Povljana, by the beach Dubrovnik surrounded by pine forest, you will find lake Segal with muddy sediment. A natural therapeutic agent such as peloid, along with the sun, sea and clean air, is a favourable factor in the preservation and improvement of one’s health and well-being, prevention and curing different illnesses, as well as recovering from them. Therapeutic peloid is ideal for curing degenerative ailments, rheumatic arthritis and skin diseases. It is often used as a compress for stomach and kidney area in the cases of gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as illnesses of reproductive organs and the urinary system. It is used in the case of rheumatic ailments as a compress and coating for arms, individual joints or groups of large joints and the backbone. Natural mud is considered a good means for detoxification. Find your own place on the beach, on the rocks or under pine trees, and give yourself over to the relaxing and therapeutic effect of beneficial climatic, marine and balneological factors.
- The Old town of Pag is located one kilometre from the town centre. So called Stari grad used to be a big and rich town, fortified by strong walls. A village named Kosljun, on the west side of the island, was its port. Exploiting of the salt was the main occupation. There are numerous ruins of the old houses and the remains of the walls, roads and fortresses in the Old town. However, the best preserved are the parts of the Franciscan monastery and the Romanic church of Holy Mary. The church is mentioned for the first time in 1192.
- Pag’s triangle is the name for an unusual imprint on the rocky ground, discovered on the hill Tusto celo, in May 1999. Tusto celo is located northwest of the town of Pag, not far from the ferry port Zigljen. It is a phenomenon, which attracts the attention of believers, alternative researchers of history and the UFO investigators. The geological researches have shown that the rocks inside Pag’s triangle are brighter than those outside of it are, and that after being exposed to the UV rays they emit red. The red colour is the proof that the rocks inside the triangle have been thermally treated. It is presumed that this imprint was made 12 000 years ago. Finding the triangle is relatively easy since there are signposts indicating the way from Zigljen and Novalja to the hill Tusto celo. Around 30.000 people from around the world have visited Pag’s triangle since it has been discovered.
- Dry-stone fences are a significant monument of the hard life and the huge effort of the island’s inhabitants; they were built from skilfully stacked stone on land difficult to cultivate. The dry-stone fence with its shapes, surface, appearance and purpose, is one of the most representative examples of native folk architecture. The dry-stone fences serve as natural borders between patches; they are high enough to prevent sheep from jumping over, and strong enough to stand against the bora winds. They are an important habitat for reptiles, birds and small mammals. You will be delighted by the view of an entire flock of sheep resting in shade beneath a stone fence on a hot summer afternoon. Due to the lack of trees in the vast karst terrain, ovčje nastambe tzv. torovi ili jare. the stone fences are their only shelter from steamy summer temperatures. Apart from the dry-stone fences, sheepfolds called "tor" or "jare" might attract your attention. Dry-stone fences are an important landscape element and are part of the Croatian rich cultural heritage.
