Cres (pronounced "Tsres" in
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
, , , ,
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
:
Chèrsos,
Χερσος) is an Adriatic island in
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
. It is one of the northern island in the
Kvarner GulfThe Kvarner Gulf ; sometimes also Kvarner Bay, in Italian Quarnaro or Carnaro) is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian seacoast....
and can be reached via ferry from the island
KrkKrk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
or from the
IstriaCroatian Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina).
With an area of 405.78 km², Cres is, together with
KrkKrk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
which is the same size (but thought to be the largest for years), the largest Croatian island.
Cres (pronounced "Tsres" in
CroatianCroatian is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Croatian minorities in some neighbouring countries, in the Italian region of Molise, and parts of the Croatian diaspora....
, , , ,
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
:
Chèrsos,
Χερσος) is an Adriatic island in
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
. It is one of the northern island in the
Kvarner GulfThe Kvarner Gulf ; sometimes also Kvarner Bay, in Italian Quarnaro or Carnaro) is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian seacoast....
and can be reached via ferry from the island
KrkKrk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
or from the
IstriaCroatian Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina).
With an area of 405.78 km², Cres is, together with
KrkKrk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
which is the same size (but thought to be the largest for years), the largest Croatian island. The island has a population of 3,184 (2001).
Cres and the neighbouring island of
LošinjLošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
once used to be one island, but were divided by a channel and connected with a bridge at the town of
OsorOsor is a village and a small port on the Cres island in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county in western Croatia.Osor lies at a narrow channel that separates islands Cres and Lošinj. The channel was built in Roman times to make sailing possible. Now the islands are connected with a rotating bridge.The...
. Cres's only fresh water source is the Lake Vrana.
History
Cres has been inhabited since Paleolithic time period and was later ruled by the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire the island was taken over and became a part of the Byzantine Empire, and remained this way for centuries. In the 7th Century the Croats invaded the island, and the other islands around it, and took the islands over, however the Croats returned the islands in the eary 800's (believed to be somewhere around 812).
Around 822 Croatia became an independent state, while on the island Croat-Roman tensions grew. Then, around 866 the inhabitants saw the first conflicts between the Croats and Venetians. The Venetians eventually set up their rule of the islands in the 10th and 11th centuries.
However the Croats regain the islands and the islands goes through a changing of rulers for Centuries, being ruled by Croats, Hungarians, and for 400 years the Venetians take control of the islands. However, Napoleon's victory over the Venetians created Austrian rule on the island, which quickly changed hands again to French Rule.
After the fall of Napoleon, Austria once again takes control of the island for 100 years, during this time we see the rising economy on the island with olive trees, sage, and other plants becoming key to the success of the island. At the end of World War I, with the
Treaty of RapalloFollowing World War I there were two Treaties of Rapallo, both named after Rapallo, a resort on the Ligurian coast of Italy:*the Treaty of Rapallo, 1920 was an agreement between Italy and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes for the independence of the state of Fiume and Italian...
signed in 1920, the island was once again handed over to Italian Rule. This lasted until 1947 when the Islands, along with Istrian Peninsula, were assigned to Croatia.
The island has gone through an agricultural downturn as many residents left the island in search of a better life on the mainland and abroad. This has resulted in many former agricultural areas becoming overgrown with local vegetation. Recently people, primarily retirees, have been returning to live on the island. Tourism has become an increasingly important industry and the population experiences significant seasonal variation.
Towns of Cres
The island has many towns, all of them connected by a road that runs down the middle of the island. On one side is the ferry from the mainland (around the city of
PulaPula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 ....
); on the other is the bridge to
LošinjLošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
, which was once linked the two but is now separated by a waterway. Approaching the island from Pula, you will first come to Porozina.
A list of the towns with descriptions is below:
- Porozina - A small town comprising the ferry terminal and a few shops.
- Beli - This small town, at the end of a long and very narrow road, is home to a famed bird species, the endangered Griffon vulture
The Griffon Vulture or Eurasian Griffon Vulture is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae....
.
- Cres
Cres is a Croatian town found on the Island of Cres which can be found directly off the Istrian Peninsula and in the Kvarner Gulf. The town is inhabited by 2,959 people , and located at .-Town:...
- Orlec - Another small town at the end of a narrow road, also home to the endangered vulture.
- Valun - Visible on the way to Lubenice (see below), this town does not permit cars. A fee is charged for parking.
- Lubenice
Lubenice is an ancient fort city on the island of Cres, Croatia that was founded approximately four thousand years ago on top of a 380 m high ridge that overlooks the Adriatic Sea. It is a small local center comprised of forty buildings and twenty-four permanent inhabitants...
- An ancient mountain village with a great view of the sea and neighboring islands. A restaurant and bar operate during the warmer months. Weekly musical concerts take place during the peak tourist season.
- Belej
- Stivan - On a side street this small town of 16 people is features a very private beach, old houses and a church, and is on the way to many other towns.
- Miholašćica - A small town with a small church which shares the same name as the community (St. Michael). Tourism has grown here since the arrival of the Zaglav community nearby.
- Martinšćica - The home of a large vacation complex, Slatina, along with beaches and cafes.
- Osor
Osor is a village and a small port on the Cres island in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county in western Croatia.Osor lies at a narrow channel that separates islands Cres and Lošinj. The channel was built in Roman times to make sailing possible. Now the islands are connected with a rotating bridge.The...
- A town on the "border" between two islands. Founded by the Romans who also dug the channel thus dividing what was then known as the Osor island into Cres and Lošinj. Then a major port and commercial centre started to fade with coming of larger ships that could not pass the narrow channel or dock in the shallow port.
- Pernat - The westernmost village on Cape Pernat. A quaint and rustic village forming a gateway to numerous walking trails and secluded beaches.
- Podol - Between Lubenice and Valun. A tiny hamlet that resembles a large farmhouse. Its key feature is the mulberry tree located in the middle of the road.
- Punta Kriza - The southernmost part of Cres. FKK resort is here.
- Vidovici - A short distance uphill from Martinšćica. A village with an extraordinary view of the Istrian Peninsula and numerous islands including Zeča, Lošinj and Unije forming part of the archipelago. A restaurant operates in the evenings during the warmer months.
The Town of Cres
For a full article please see
Cres (Town)Cres is a Croatian town found on the Island of Cres which can be found directly off the Istrian Peninsula and in the Kvarner Gulf. The town is inhabited by 2,959 people , and located at .-Town:...
The town of Cres is more like a city and is a great one at that, its centre filled with shops where tourists can buy Cres' specialties, home made olive oil and wine. The town is not made for cars, it is a walking city, and can be related to many Italian cities due to its narrow streets. Cres also has a marina nearby, which has recently been awarded the blue flag status, with many boats in it. A picture of the town's port can be seen below.
Construction and Improvements
A massive work effort is taking place on the main road, it is being widened and is being brought further away from the cliffs, the road is also cutting out dangerous turns and other threats to drivers. It is also keeping trucks and cars away from Lake Vrana, to keep it clean. As of July 2007, the work is about 30-40% complete. The work, being done by construction company GP Krk is not only allowing a safer driving network, but is also allowing more tourism and traffic to move faster around the island, while still protecting the public.
Lake Vrana
Cres has its very own fresh water lake, which is very highly guarded and illegal to swim and fish in. It supplies water to neighboring
LošinjLošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
as well. It is one of the deepest fresh water lakes in Eastern Europe, going down 76 meters at its deepest point (>50 m below sea-level).
Myth of Lake Vrana
Lake Vrana myth or legend states that there is a castle under the lake. The rich sister that lived in the castle would not give her poor sister money or food. As a result she was punished by her castle being flooded during a severe thunderstorm which caused Lake Vrana to be created. The story goes on and tells that on some windy days if one listens very carefully even today, the tower bells can still be heard ringing.
External links