April 22, 2018 - Residents of Savudrija village and the city of Umag celebrated the 200th birthday of the oldest lighthouse in Croatia
A couple of weeks ago, we reported that a very special publication will soon be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels. A research project aiming to explore the history of Croatian lighthouses built in the 19th century was headed by Goran Smadilo and resulted in a beautiful book written by Jurica Gašpar and poetically titled Legends of the Light.
The first in a row of many lighthouses to serve as beacons to the ships in passing started operating 200 years ago. The lighthouse in Savudrija in northern Istria lit up for the first time on April 17, 1818, with the occasion attended by the Emperor Francis II himself.
Two centuries later, on April 17, 2018, a massive crowd gathered in front of the old giant to celebrate this special occasion, one of a large importance for Savudrija, Umag, and Croatia in general. The celebration was held on the lighthouse's birthday, and was it a great one! The local residents staged a presentation of traditional crafts, while young local actors brought old Croatian legends to life with a phenomenal performance. Traditional wooden batana boats gathered to greet the audience from the sea, the fishermen of Savudrija sailed in as well on their fishing boats, while a wind orchestra 'Naša sloga' and the klapa group Lungomare added to the festivities with a lively music performance.
Vili Bassanese, the Mayor of Umag, called the lighthouse a temple of love, owing to a legend of the tragic love story of Count Metternich and a young woman Gisella that's tied to this historic monument. It might be a legend, it might be a true story, "but what we know for sure is that the lighthouse in Savudrija is a temple of love, love for one's land, sea and salt; it's the fruit of knowledge and pride which has stood up to time and which we have to thank for our gazes being closer to the infinite starry sky'", the Mayor concluded.
Source: Lokalni
