October 24, 2022 - Earlier this year, the Baška association Sinjali organised workshops and the restoration of a mrgar (stone drywall) on Ljubimer. They did it with the support of the Baška Municipality Tourist Board, the Baška Municipality, and the professional technical assistance of the 4 Grada Dragodid association. After the successful workshops held in spring, the efforts will continue this November.
If you are a fan of nature, cultural heritage and helping out - the Baška Municipality Tourist Board invite you to register for the stone drywall construction workshop that will be held on November 5 and 6, 2022 in Baška. Learn the principles of traditional stone drywall construction techniques, and enjoy the view of the sea and islands, far from the city noise and busy everyday life. The workshop is free for all participants and includes tools, protective gloves, a hot meal and expert guidance from a mentor from the association 4 Grada Dragodid.
The workshop aims to restore part of the neglected mrgar, but also to encourage their further restoration and evaluation in terms of tourism, while the educational part of the programme is aimed at informing and educating the local population and visitors about the values of natural and cultural heritage and the possibilities of sustainable development that such a valuable infrastructure brings. Sign up here!
Schedule:
Saturday, November 5
08:30 - 09:00 - gathering at Zarok and distribution of tools, protective equipment and water
09:00 - departure to Ljubimer
10:00 - the start of work
15:00 - completion of works and return to Baška
16:30 - arrival in Baška
17:00 - joint dinner at Heritage Hotel Forza for all volunteers and organisers
19:30 - lectures in Zvonimir Gallery, Baška
Sunday, November 6
09:00 - departure from Zarok to Ljubimer
10.00 - 14.00 - workshop
15:30 - arrival in Baška and return of tools
16:00 - lunch at Heritage Hotel Forza and distribution of certificates of appreciation
Lectures:
1. All our mrgars - lecturer Branka Polonijo, Sinjali Association
PP presentation with photos of all mrgars, locations, functions, conservation, presentation, protection and tourism valorisation
2. Drywall construction and renovation techniques - lecturer Filip Šrajer, 4 Grada Dragodid Association
Photographs and drawings will present the most common forms of stone drywall constructions, the basic principles and the most common mistakes in stone drywall construction and the reconstruction of destroyed parts of drywalls.
With their unique structure, which resembles a stone flower, mrgars are a recognisable decoration of the pastures (komunade) of Baška, Jurandvor and Batomalja, or at least they should be, which is the purpose of these reconstruction workshops. The speciality of these stone laces is that you can only find them on the southern part of the island of Krk. There are ten of them, five on each plateau and another five on the neighbouring island of Prvić. This way of breeding sheep was used in Wales in Great Britain, and there are two further mrgars on the uninhabited island of Dolin (near the island of Rab) and one in Switzerland!
This Krk rhapsody in stone was once created by the shepherds of Baška, Batomalj and Jurandvor, not as an artistic intervention in the landscape but as a functional object in the service of collecting and sorting sheep in the collective type of sheep farming. The mrgars consist of a common central space of the hall and, like the petals of a flower, arranged mrgarići (smaller drywalls) that the shepherds individually own.
Due to the changes in sheep farming in recent decades, the mrgars have lost their primary purpose and have been left to the test of time. However, they are part of the cultural heritage of the island of Krk and, as such, should survive for all future generations, and this is precisely the wish of the organisers of this action.
They invite all interested locals, visitors and fans of Baška to participate in a two-day workshop on stone drywall construction, an important part of the heritage of the Baška region. All help is welcome!
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.
